Laotian Name Generator

Lao names follow Western order, given name first and family name second, which sets them apart from Cambodian and Vietnamese practice next door. Surnames were only made compulsory in 1943, so most are recent constructions built from the same Pali and Sanskrit roots as given names: Phommachanh (Brahma plus moon), Inthavong (Indra plus lineage), Keomanivong (jewel, gem, lineage), Souvannavong (golden lineage). Endings like -vong, -chanh, -savanh and -phone are the clearest signal that a name is Lao rather than Thai, even though the languages share much vocabulary.

Given names carry meaning and are often two or three roots long. Boun (merit), Kham (gold), Seng (light), Phet (diamond), Souk (happiness), Vieng (city), Thong (gold or flag) and Chanh (moon) start hundreds of names: Bounmy, Khamla, Sengphet, Phetsamone, Souksavanh, Viengkham, Thongsavanh. Many names are unisex; Manivanh, Phonesavanh and Souksavanh are given to both boys and girls, while Sengdao, Dokmai, Malaythong and anything beginning with Nang lean female. In daily life almost everyone goes by a short nickname such as Noy, Tui, Lek, Keo or Kham.

Romanized spellings reflect French colonial conventions, which is why you see ph, th, kh, x for an s sound and final -nh: Vilayphone, Xaysomphone, Bounthanh. Hmong families from the highlands use clan names like Vang, Yang, Xiong and Thao; a handful appear here too.