Cambodian Last Names

These Cambodian last names are real Khmer family names such as Sok, Chea, Keo and Meas, shown with their meanings where known. Many are short, one syllable words for gems, metals or good qualities.

129 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

B

Bun ប៊ុន

Merit; good deeds, from Pali punna

Khmer

C

Chan ចាន់

Moon, from Sanskrit chandra

Khmer
Chau

Khmer family name; also a title meaning lord

Khmer
Chea ជា

Well; healthy; good

Khmer
Chhay ឆាយ

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Chheang

Khmer family name, possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Chheng

Chinese-Khmer surname of Teochew origin

Chinese
Chhim ឈឹម

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Chhin

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Chhor

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Chhun ឈុន

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Chim

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Choeun ជឿន

To advance; progress

Khmer
Chum ជុំ

Around; gathering together

Khmer

D

Doung ដួង

Heart; round shining object, as the moon

Khmer

E

Eng អេង

Chinese-Khmer surname of Teochew origin

Chinese

H

Hak ហាក់

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Hang ហង់

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Hem ហែម

Possibly from Sanskrit hema, gold

Khmer
Heng ហេង

Teochew form of Wang, king

Chinese
Hing

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Hong

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Hor

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Hul

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Hun ហ៊ុន

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Huot ហួត

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer

I

Ieng

Khmer family name, possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Im អ៊ឹម

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
In អ៊ិន

Possibly from Indra, king of the gods

Khmer

K

Kao កៅ

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Kem

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Keng

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Keo កែវ

Glass; crystal; precious jewel

Khmer
Khem

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Kheng ខេង

Chinese-Khmer surname of Teochew origin

Chinese
Khieu

Variant spelling of Khiev, blue

Khmer
Khiev ខៀវ

Blue

Khmer
Khun

Khmer family name; also an old noble title

Khmer
Kim គឹម

Chinese-Khmer surname from Jin, gold

Chinese
Kol

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Kong គង់

To remain; to be stable

Khmer
Kuy គុយ

Khmer family name; also an ethnic group

Khmer

L

Lao

Chinese-Khmer surname, possibly from Liu

Chinese
Lay

Chinese-Khmer surname of Teochew origin

Chinese
Leang

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Leng

Chinese-Khmer surname of Teochew origin

Chinese
Lim លឹម

Hokkien and Teochew form of Lin, forest

Chinese
Loch

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Lon

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Long ឡុង

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Ly លី

Chinese-Khmer form of Li, plum tree

Chinese

M

Mak

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Mao ម៉ៅ

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Mean មាន

To have; wealthy

Khmer
Meas មាស

Gold

Khmer
Men

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Moeun

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Mok ម៉ុក

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Mom ម៉ម

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer

N

Neang នាង

Lady; young woman

Khmer
Neth

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Nget ង៉ែត

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Ngov

Chinese-Khmer surname, possibly from Wu

Chinese
Nguon ងួន

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Nhek

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Nhem

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Nhim ញឹម

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Norodom នរោត្តម

Royal house of Cambodia; best of men

Khmer
Nou

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Nuon នួន

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer

O

Ou

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Ouk អ៊ុក

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Oum អ៊ុំ

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer

P

Pang

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Pen ប៉ែន

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Phal ផល

Fruit; result; yield

Khmer
Phan

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Pheap ភាព

State; condition, from Sanskrit bhava

Khmer
Phon

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Pich ពេជ្រ

Diamond

Khmer
Pov ពៅ

Youngest child

Khmer
Prak ប្រាក់

Silver; money

Khmer
Preap ព្រាប

Pigeon; dove

Khmer
Prum ព្រហ្ម

Brahma, the creator god

Khmer

R

Rath

Possibly from Sanskrit ratna, jewel

Khmer
Rin រិន

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Ros រស់

To live; alive

Khmer

S

Saloth

Rare Khmer family name

Khmer
Sam សំ

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
San

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Sao សៅ

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Sar ស

White

Khmer
Say

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Sem

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Sen សែន

Hundred thousand; very much

Khmer
Seng សេង

Chinese-Khmer surname of Teochew origin

Chinese
Sim ស៊ីម

Chinese-Khmer surname, Teochew form of Shen

Chinese
Sin ស៊ិន

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Sisowath ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ

Royal house of Cambodia; auspicious well-being

Khmer
Siv ស៊ីវ

Possibly from Shiva

Khmer
So

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Sok សុខ

Happiness; well-being, from Pali sukha

Khmer
Som

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Soth

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Sreng ស្រេង

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Srey ស្រី

Woman; auspicious, from Sanskrit shri

Khmer
Srun

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Sun ស៊ុន

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Suon សួន

Garden; park

Khmer
Suy

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer

T

Taing

Chinese-Khmer surname, possibly the Teochew form of Chen

Chinese
Tan តាន់

Chinese-Khmer surname, Teochew form of Chen

Chinese
Tang

Chinese-Khmer surname from Chinese Tang or Deng

Chinese
Teng

Chinese-Khmer surname of Teochew origin

Chinese
Tep ទេព

Deity; angel, from Sanskrit deva

Khmer
Thach ថាច់

Common Khmer Krom surname

Khmer
Thon

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Tith ទិត្យ

Sun, from Sanskrit aditya

Khmer
Touch តូច

Small; little

Khmer

U

Uch

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Ung អ៊ុង

Chinese-Khmer surname, possibly from Chinese Wang or Weng

Chinese
Uy

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer

V

Vann វ៉ាន់

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Vong វង្ស

Lineage; dynasty, from Sanskrit vamsha

Khmer

Y

Yem

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer
Yim យឹម

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Yin យិន

Khmer family name; possibly of Chinese origin

Khmer
Yos យស

Honor; rank, from Pali yasa

Khmer
Yun

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

Khmer

Generate random cambodian surnames

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Results (6)

Chim

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain
Saloth

Rare Khmer family name
Thach

ថាច់

Common Khmer Krom surname
Tan

តាន់

Chinese-Khmer surname, Teochew form of Chen

Chinese
Hem

ហែម

Possibly from Sanskrit hema, gold
Nhim

ញឹម

Khmer family name; meaning uncertain

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Meanings in Cambodian last names

Many Khmer family names are ordinary words with pleasant meanings. Sok (សុខ) means peace or well-being, Keo (កែវ) a gem or crystal, Meas (មាស) gold, Pich (ពេជ្រ) diamond and Prak (ប្រាក់) silver or money. Chea (ជា) means well or healthy, Chan is linked to the moon through a Sanskrit word, and Sar means white. These words were chosen for their good associations, so a name often reads like a small blessing for the person who carries it.

Other names come from Chinese families who have lived in Cambodia for generations. Lim, Ly, Heng, Tan, Taing, Ung and Kheng are typical of Sino-Khmer families, many with roots in Teochew or Hokkien speaking parts of southern China. Some are Khmer forms of Chinese surnames, and a few families use both a Khmer and a Chinese name in different settings. Cham Muslim families and Vietnamese Cambodians add further variety to the names you meet across the country.

How family names work in Cambodia

Fixed family names are fairly recent in Cambodia. During the French protectorate, the colonial administration required people to register a family name, and many simply used the given name of a father or grandfather. In some families that habit continued, so a child may take the father's given name as a surname rather than a name shared across generations. As a result, a father, his children and his brothers do not always share the same last name.

Name order matters too. In Khmer the family name comes first and the given name second, so in Hun Sen, Hun is the family name. People are usually addressed by the given name with a title, such as Lok for a man or Lok Srey for a woman. When Cambodians fill in Western forms the order is often reversed, and the same person may appear as Sok Dara at home and Dara Sok on a passport or school record.

Spelling Khmer names in English letters

No single romanization is followed by everyone, so one Khmer name can be written several ways. Chea can be Chia, Keo may be Kaev, and Meas sometimes appears as Meah. Many spellings were fixed by French clerks, which is why ou stands for an oo sound in names like Ouk and Ou. A final s in Khmer spelling is often said like a soft h, so Meas sounds close to meah. Searching with a short fragment helps you catch variant spellings.

Large communities formed abroad after refugees fled the Khmer Rouge period and the conflict that followed. Long Beach in California and Lowell in Massachusetts are the best known centers in the United States, and there are sizable communities in France, Australia and Canada. In these places you will often see Western name order and French-style spelling side by side. If you use a name for a character, pair a Khmer family name with a Khmer given name such as Dara, Sophea or Vuthy.

Frequently asked questions

What are common Cambodian last names?

Sok, Chea, Keo, Meas, Chan, Kim, Heng, Ly, Lim, Seng, Prak, Pich, Ouk and Sar are widely recognized. Several have simple, positive meanings, like Sok for well-being and Meas for gold, while Lim, Heng and Ly reflect the country's long-established Sino-Khmer community.

Why might a Cambodian father and child have different names?

In some families the child's family name is taken from the father's given name, a habit that goes back to when family names were first registered. The result is that the name can change each generation. Many families now keep one shared name, but both practices still exist.

Does the family name come first in Khmer?

Yes. Khmer order puts the family name first and the given name second, as in Hun Sen or Sok Dara. In daily speech people use the given name with a respectful title. Documents abroad often flip the order, so check which part is which before you file a record.

How are names like Meas and Chea pronounced?

Meas sounds close to meah, because a final s in Khmer spelling is usually said as a soft h. Chea is roughly chee-ah and Keo is close to kay-oh. Romanized spellings are only a rough guide, so listen to a native speaker when you need to get a name exactly right.