The proper order of names in Cambodia is [surname] [given name]. I would be Conklin Charles, not Charles Conklin.

This follows general Khmer grammatic practices of categorizing from broad to specific; for instance, lime juice in Khmer is ទឹក [water] ក្រូច [citrus] ឆ្មា [lime]*. Smoked pork in Khmer is សាច់ [meat] ជ្រូក [pig] ជក់បារី [smoked].

*ឆ្មា is actually the word for cat but [citrus] [cat] indicates lime. This kind of structure sets up many opportunities for wordplay.

This naming convention also puts the emphasis on the family first before the individual. The United States tends to have a more individualist culture where the focus is put on the individual person while Cambodia tends to have a more collectivist culture where the strongest focus is on ‘to whom does this person belong’.

In Khmer culture, a child’s [surname] was traditionally derived from their father’s [given name]. This differs from the concept of a [family name] that is passed on across generations as is common in the United States or China. This is the traditional practice but there have always been exceptions. For instance, a favorite child might be given the same [surname] as a parent as a sign of closeness or a soothsayer might advise a family to use an entirely different naming convention for a child. In recent decades, it’s become increasingly common for paternal [surnames] to passed on over generations instead of being derived from the father’s [given name] each generation as was traditional.

There is no [middle name] tradition and no legal framework for middle names. Traditionally, married women do not change their name and keep their maiden [surname]. However, in urban areas, it’s becoming more common for married women to include their husband’s [surname] as an informal [middle name].

Now here is where things get confusing. In English, many Cambodians now automatically flip their names to [given name] [surname] to match North American naming conventions but not all Cambodians do this because North American documents often ask for [first name] [last name]. After all, in Khmer, the [last name] is the [given name]. This means that when looking at information in English it can be very difficult to know if what order the written name is in.

Remember that Cambodian [surnames] were, traditionally, derived from their father’s [given names]. So, for me, it wouldn’t deciding between Conklin Charles and Charles Conklin but rather trying to determine if Matthew Charles or Charles Matthew was correct. Well, it would probably be Matt Charles or Charles Matt as often, but not always, the [surname] is a shortened derivation of a [given name]. The prevalence of nicknames further complicates things. For instance, one of our MCC Cambodia staff is named is known as Pheap, which is short for Sopheap, but her legal [given name] is Bunsethary. This means that Cambodian’s names in English on Facebook or LinkedIn are not reliable indicators of how that person’s name is actually structured, or what their legal name is.

All of this isn’t an issue when we have documents in Khmer to confirm the name or have contact with the person so we can ask them but, sometimes, we don’t that access. This is particularly true when on project visits, when conducting a survey, or when compiling historical documents. This is why it is important to always clarify [surname] and [given name], rather than [first name] and [last name], when we’re requesting information.

The Cambodian Royal Families and Nobility also have their own distinct naming conventions that traditionally carry [family names] across generations. Historically, there was a stronger distinction between common names (used by everyday people) and formal names (used by Monks, Nobility, and members of two Royal Families) in Khmer society.