Khmer Girl Names
Khmer female given names draw primarily from the Khmer language with extensive Pali and Sanskrit influence through Theravada Buddhism. The language has no grammatical gender, so femininity is indicated by meaning and convention. Common feminine patterns include the prefix Chan- (from Chandra, “moon”) and elements like Soph-/Sopheak- (“wisdom”), with endings such as -y, -a, -ea, -tra, and -rea.
Modern usage shows overlap with unisex naming, with girls often given names denoting beauty, light, virtue, or flowers. Romanization varies across sources and diaspora contexts. Examples often given to girls include Channary, Chanthrea, Chantara, Chantha, Chantra, Sovanny, Saovady, Maly, Saly, and Sopheaktra.
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanna | In Khmer: 'gold', 'golden' or 'color'. As a diminutive of Giovanna/Ivanna it conveys the sense 'God is gracious'. | Italian, Khmer, Latin, Slavic | Girl | 440 #1 | |
| Darah | Varies by origin - commonly associated with 'oak' (Irish), 'star' (Khmer), 'wealthy/ruler' (Persian), or related to 'pearl' in some Arabic forms; also used as a modern spelling/variant of Dara/Daria. | Arabic, Iranian, Irish, Khmer, Persian, Urdu | Girl | 160 #2 | |
| Kiri | Māori: "skin" or "bark"; Khmer/Sanskrit: "mountain, hill" (from giri); Japanese: "paulownia tree" (桐). | Japanese, Khmer | Girl | 120 #3 | |
| Saly | Most commonly a diminutive of Sarah meaning "princess"; in Khmer and some West African uses it is a feminine name and may carry different local meanings. | English, Hebrew, Khmer | Girl | 73 #4 | |
| Maly | Garland, flower (as a given name); "small" in Slavic surname usage | Khmer | Girl | 34 #5 | |
| Chakria | Likely derived from Sanskrit chakra ‘wheel’ (also energy center); broadly ‘of the wheel’ or ‘related to chakra’. | Khmer, Sanskrit | Girl | — | |
| Chanara | Moon; moonlight; moonlike beauty | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Chandara | Moon; moonlight | Khmer, Sanskrit | Girl | — | |
| Channary | Moon; moonlight; beautiful like the moon | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Chantara | Moon; moonlight; 'like the moon' | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Chantha | Moon or moonlight (derived from Sanskrit 'Chandra') | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Chanthavy | Moon; moonlight; often interpreted as "beautiful" or "radiant" like the moon | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Chanthoumma | Moon; often interpreted as "little moon" or "moon maiden" | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Chantra | Moon; moonlight (lunar) | Khmer, Thai | Girl | — | |
| Chantrea | Moon; moonlight or moonbeam | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Chantria | Moon, moonlight | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Lolei | Name of an ancient Cambodian temple; literal meaning unclear or disputed. | Khmer, Sanskrit | Girl | — | |
| Naretha | Likely "virtuous" or "good" (feminine form of the Khmer name Nareth) | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Pansophey | Refined beauty / wisdom and grace (combines the element 'Sophea' meaning beauty/virtue with the prefix 'Pan-') | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Penh | Personal name of the legendary Lady Penh, credited with founding Phnom Penh; not a common noun with a single-word translation | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Rithiya | Related to order, truth or tradition | Khmer, Thai | Girl | — | |
| Saovady | Auspicious or fortunate dawn / blessed morning | Khmer, Lao | Girl | — | |
| Sopheaktra | A compound Khmer name combining elements meaning virtue/beauty (sopheak/sopheap) with a suffix suggesting protector/guardian - roughly “virtuous/beautiful protector.” | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Sopheaktraa | Wise/beautiful protector | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Sovanny | Golden; precious | Khmer | Girl | — |
Khmer Girls name popularity over time
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Khmer-origin name in our dataset.