Khmer names typically place the family name first, followed by the given name. Family names became widespread in the 20th century and may derive from an ancestor’s given name or a lexical word; some families also carry Chinese-origin surnames. Given names are usually one or two syllables and often combine elements from Pali and Sanskrit due to long-standing Theravada Buddhist and Indian influence. Common themes include virtues and auspicious qualities (for example wisdom, success, prosperity), beauty, stars and the moon, colors, and gold.
In Latin transcription, digraphs like kh, th, ph, and chh mark aspirated consonants rather than English sounds; spellings vary because there is no single romanization standard. Frequent name elements include prefixes such as Sok-, Srey- (a feminine marker), Chan-, Som-, Kim-, Vann-, and Rith-, and endings like -thy/-vuthy, -vuth, -nith/-nita, -pheap, and -phorn. Modern usage mixes Khmer, Pali/Sanskrit, and occasionally Chinese or French influences, and some urban families adopt shorter, internationally legible spellings.
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dara | Meaning varies by origin: Irish - 'oak' or 'fruitful/fertile'; Persian - 'possessor' or 'wealthy' (related to Darius); Khmer - 'star'. | Irish, Khmer, Persian | Unisex | 1,744 #1 | |
| 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 #2 | |
| 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 #3 | |
| Kiri | Māori: "skin" or "bark"; Khmer/Sanskrit: "mountain, hill" (from giri); Japanese: "paulownia tree" (桐). | Japanese, Khmer | Girl | 120 #4 | |
| 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 #5 | |
| Chan | Meanings vary by language: Cantonese form of the surname Chen; in Khmer/Thai derived from Sanskrit for 'moon'; in Vietnamese 'Chân' means 'true/real'; in Korean as a name syllable it can mean 'bright', 'praise', etc., depending on the hanja chosen. | Chinese, Khmer, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese | Unisex | 67 #6 | |
| Maly | Garland, flower (as a given name); "small" in Slavic surname usage | Khmer | Girl | 34 #7 | |
| Sann | Varies by origin. In Southeast Asia it's a native personal or family name with local meanings; in European use it is typically a short form of Susanne, ultimately from Hebrew shoshannah meaning 'lily'. | Dutch, Khmer, Scandinavian | Unisex | 17 #8 | |
| Sery | Freedom, liberty | Khmer | Unisex | 11 #9 | |
| Rany | Possible meanings: 'queen' (from Hindi/Sanskrit Rani), or 'one who gazes' / 'watchful' (from Arabic راني); also used as a modern/unisex given name in Southeast Asia. | Arabic, English, Hindi, Khmer, Sanskrit | Unisex | 8 #10 | |
| Sary | Varies by origin; often linked to 'princess' when treated as a form of Sarah. Local Khmer or Southeast Asian meanings may differ. | Khmer | Unisex | 6 #11 | |
| Heng | Constant, persistent; lucky | Chinese, Khmer | Boy | 5 #12 | |
| Mony | Jewel, gem | Khmer | Unisex | 3 #13 | |
| Rithy | Righteous, virtuous, good | Khmer | Boy | 3 #14 | |
| Ang | Often a short form of names meaning 'angel/messenger' (Angel/Angela) or related to 'Angus' ('one/strength'); as a Chinese surname the meaning depends on the original character; in Khmer it's a traditional name element. | Chinese, Khmer | Unisex | — | |
| Ankor | Possible meanings: 'sprout' (from Sanskrit Ankur), 'anchor' (from Anker), or a reference to Angkor ('city/temple') | Dutch, Khmer, Scandinavian | Boy | — | |
| Bour | Generally associated with 'stream' or 'town' depending on origin; Khmer-specific meaning depends on the original Khmer spelling | Afrikaans, Dutch, English, French, Khmer, Norman | Unisex | — | |
| Bun | Commonly 'merit' or 'goodness' (from Pali/Sanskrit, used in Khmer/Thai/Lao); in some Chinese contexts relates to 'literature/culture' (character 文); in English used as a diminutive/nickname (bunny or baked good). | Chinese, English, Khmer, Lao, Sanskrit, Thai | Unisex | — | |
| Bunme | Having merit; virtuous, blessed | Khmer | Unisex | — | |
| Buny | Merit; virtue; good deeds | Khmer, Thai | Boy | — | |
| Chakria | Likely derived from Sanskrit chakra ‘wheel’ (also energy center); broadly ‘of the wheel’ or ‘related to chakra’. | Khmer, Sanskrit | Girl | — | |
| Chakrya | From Sanskrit chakra (‘wheel’/‘discus’); implies a wielder or bearer of the wheel/discus - symbolizing power, protection, movement. | Khmer | Unisex | — | |
| Chanara | Moon; moonlight; moonlike beauty | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Chanaravth | Likely 'moon' + an honorific/royal element - approximately 'moon-king' or 'moon-protector' (approximate) | Khmer | Boy | — | |
| Chandara | Moon; moonlight | Khmer, Sanskrit | Girl | — | |
| Chann | Moon | Khmer | Boy | — | |
| 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 | — | |
| Chanthan | Derived from Sanskrit chandra meaning 'moon' - conveys 'moon', 'moonlight' or 'moon-like/bright'. | Khmer | Boy | — | |
| Chanthar | Moon; moonlight | Khmer, Thai | Unisex | — | |
| Chanthavy | Moon; moonlight; often interpreted as "beautiful" or "radiant" like the moon | Khmer | Girl | — | |
| Chanthir | Derived from Sanskrit chandra - 'moon' or 'moonlight'; a name associated with the moon. | Khmer, Sanskrit, Thai | Unisex | — | |
| Chanthou | Moon or moonlight; sometimes interpreted as 'moonflower' or 'one like the moon' | Khmer | Boy | — | |
| Chanthouly | Derived from Khmer elements related to the moon - generally interpreted as "moon-like," "moonlight," or "child of the moon." | Khmer | Unisex | — | |
| 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 | — | |
| Chea | Common Khmer surname and occasional given name; related to Khmer word ជា (chea) meaning 'to be' and also used as a romanization of the Chinese surname Jia/Chia. | Chinese, Khmer | Unisex | — | |
| Chor | Varies by origin. Commonly a family name in Khmer; as a transliteration it has no single fixed meaning. In some contexts it may be associated with 'chorus' or 'dance' when borrowed from Greek/Hebrew roots. | English, Greek, Hebrew, Khmer, Korean | Unisex | — | |
| Ek | In Khmer and Thai, derived from Sanskrit 'eka' meaning 'one', 'first', 'primary' or 'chief'. As a Swedish surname, it means 'oak'. | Khmer, Korean, Sanskrit, Swedish, Thai | Boy | — | |
| Kan | Varies by language and character. In Japanese the meaning depends on the kanji chosen (examples: 感 'feeling', 完 'complete', 寒 'cold'); in Chinese it can correspond to different characters/surnames with meanings such as 'sweet' (甘) or 'able/endure' (堪) or specific surname characters; in Korean and Khmer meanings depend on Hanja/characters or local usage. | Chinese, Japanese, Khmer, Korean | Boy | — | |
| Keo | Glass, crystal, gem; precious | Khmer, Lao, Thai | Unisex | — | |
| Ket | Varies by origin - may be a short form of the Sanskrit name Ketan (associated with meanings like 'home' or 'dwelling' or 'banner'), an ethnonymic reference to the Ket people, or simply a short nickname without a separate meaning. | Dutch, English, Hindi, Khmer, Sanskrit, Thai | Boy | — | |
| Kheang | Exact meaning uncertain; sometimes interpreted as related to strength or firmness in Khmer contexts. | Khmer | Boy | — | |
| Khim | Likely a Khmer given name or variant of 'Kim'; commonly associated with 'gold' or 'precious' (meanings vary by culture and spelling). | Khmer | Unisex | — | |
| Kosan | Multiple possible origins: Khmer - exact meaning uncertain but possibly related to names like Kosal ('clever, skilled'); Sanskrit - from kośa/kośaḥ meaning 'sheath, treasury' (so: 'treasure'/'container'); Korean - meaning depends on the hanja used and has no single fixed meaning. | Khmer, Korean, Sanskrit | Boy | — | |
| Lolei | Name of an ancient Cambodian temple; literal meaning unclear or disputed. | Khmer, Sanskrit | Girl | — | |
| Monirath | Derived from Mani ('jewel') + ratha ('chariot') - roughly 'jeweled chariot' or 'precious jewel' | Khmer | Boy | — |
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Khmer-origin name in our dataset.
