Thailand Naming Customs

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Thailand

Names, Personal

History of Names in Thailand[edit | edit source]

Instead of surnames or family names, Thai people referred to the given names of their parents, or their place of residence in order to identify themselves (along with a given name) until the 20th century. Birth, Marriage, and Death registration was not instituted in Thailand (then Siam) until 1912, and in 1913, the Surname Act was instituted, legally requiring surnames. Thai names now follow a more “western” pattern of surnames/family names, etc. For more information, see the Wikipedia article Thai name.