first of all, do you guys fill out the U.S. census population form? second, what ethnicity do you guys shade in vietnamese or khmer? since, most of you guys have vietnamese names, the U.S. census bureau probably labeled you guys vietnamese rather than khmer. oh yea, would you want to change your names to khmer names? since you guys now live in america and not vietnam.

wat does kandal mean?

That's the original Khmer word for Chen La, malay_ako.

The original Khmer word for Chenla was Kambuji. Anyways, kandal means Mainland, or middle. Khmers that live in Cambodia. Khmers that live in Thailand are called Khmer Issan/Sarin/Leu. Khmer living in Vietnam are called Khmer Krom.

Hi Menikani,

Isn't "Chen La" a Chinese pronounciation (or an attempt to pronounce) of "Kandal"?

Chenla or Zhenla is the chinese pronounciation of Kambuji, not Kandal. Founan is the Chinese pronounciation of Phnom or Bnam.

I thought the Chinese pronounciation of the word Kampuchea or Kamboji was Jiangbuzai. In Cantonese, Jiang was pronounced Kan.

I can't quite connect Zhen La with Kamboji phonetically.

Well, that's what I read a while back. Maybe someone could clarify where the word Chenla derived from, if it was not Kamboji.

I have a Khmer krom last name but a Vietnamese middle name which is Thi. I would want to change it not because I want to be "more"Khmer but cause it plain and boring and not exotic. It pronoun T, is so simple and boring. Hate it.
My dad name is Vietnamese and he claim himself as a Vietnamese, but I seen 1 Khmer Krom who look Khmer but would probably claim she Viet if she can only choose one. I choose Khmer!!!!

Awww thats not a boring name. Well, actually, maybe by itself. but i think its suppose to sound better when you say your whole name together. thats how it works in Vietnamese. but im not sure how that would sound with a khmer name.

I agree Kambolizhuz, the middle name Thi is too common, if you have a Khmer name, use it. I'm Vietnamese and while I love my name and its meaning, my middle name Thi is like every other Vietnamese girl out there. If you want the meaning behind its application I can try to find a website that can explain it.
Also, I know this question may sound ignorant but I know Cambodia used to be called Kampuchea right, what happened?

Wow is it really that common used middle name?

Did I really say that? I meant he claim himself as a Khmer even though his friends and coworkers are mostly Vietnamese. I agree with you WhoAmI, it doesn't sound that bad when I say my whole name. But I still dislike it, It is too common,all the girls in my family and my dad has that middle name. ANd my neighbor family. I wanna change it to Samina but I'll name my daughter that hehhe. I like unique names that no one has. I love my nephew name which is Same J it James backward! it sound like the orginally Khmer name Sammali

to kambolizhuz,
it doesn't mean you're more khmer if you have a khmer name. there's sino-khmers who have really nice khmer names. it's just that people might mistaken a khmer krom for a viet since their names are mostly viets. plus, you guys don't live in vietnam anymore but oh well it's your choice.

where i live there's a small viet population. i was at a chinese fast food and a group of vietnamese were talking but there was this one "vietnamese" who stand out. i believe he was a khmer krom because he was dark. they were talking to each other in vietnamese. it is known that khmer kroms have been assimilated into the vietnamese culture. i heard a khmer krom was one of the top lieutenants in the south vietnamese army. but of course, that would only happen if the person has been assimilated.

That what I mean by saying not because it'll make me any more Khmer than I am.
If ppl were to ask me what I am, I just say Cambodian unless they wanted to get specific. I am half Khmer Krom , I am not fluences in the Vietnamese but can only understand and say a few words. Like I said b4 my dad was a teacher and my mom is the one that stay home so I speak just like Khmer Kandal and I practice that culture. Like for an example Khmer Krom eat with chopstick with everything will Khmer Kandal only eats it with certain foods. I don't eat chopstick with everything and i have a Khmer Kandal accent.

I have too many names, I'm confuse so I keep it. Name are just name (not even for an American name), be proud of who you are is what important. I check myself as a Khmer even though I was born in Vietnam.

You will notice a Khmer Krom once you speak to them in Khmer. Because of their accent (unless Khmer Krom who lived in cambodia) you will hear a few mix vietnamese words in there.

Overall, a Khmer Krom, Ler, Kanal, Sorin and so forth are one Khmer. Few Khmer Krom afraid to be a Khmer Krom because they don't have lived. They don't want to feel shame. As for me, land or no land I'm still Khmer Krom.

Thay_

Chenla and Funan are the corrupted term called by chinese.
Kambuja is what the empire was call locally for chenla.
Nokor kok Thlork ,kokthlok Borei or Prey Nokor is locally call for Funan.

What are the real last name's khmer?? I even lived under the Viet dominion occupy. But my last name is still retain Khmer name...I guess!

Most people who were living in my home town, they carried the "KIM" for their Last name...Do you think that the "KIM" last name is an original Khmer???...Some friends of mine said its a best Khmer to carry Last name "KIM"

KhmerRevoltion,

Rockheart.
:genius:

Is Son a popular Khmer Krom last name?

I think khmer last names are Neang,Seang, Leang,Ros, Sok, Oun,Ouk ,Uch, Bun, Sin, Oum , Chan, and there a lot more but I can't put it all .

I think Thach is most popular but Son is second. The last names of Khmer Krom that I known of are Son, Thach, Kien, Kim (Cambodian and Korean too), more that I forgot...

Is Chen a chinese last name or Khmer? Because I have friend with that last name and yet they are Khmer. Chen sound like chinese so just curious.

Thay_

Hey My Khmer Folks,

Maybe i recognized about the Khmer last name better than you!! HEhehehehehe!Here you will remember:

The most people KhmerKrom were carried last name: Thach, Tan, Kim. Those people were borned in Tra-Vinh Province.

But the people were carried KhmerLast name as: Son, Danh, Ouch. These people were borned in Khleang Province(Soc-Trang)

And arrest as: Ly, Tran, Trieu, To, Chau, Kim, Tang, Mok...These lastnames were half Chinese and Khmers...They could born in all over the places...

As myself. I can speak fluentely VN and excellent Khmer Language. And just a little China...

Hey people, I was still remembered of my first day arrived in Phnom-Penh Capital. All original Cambodian didn't recognize who I was!!! Because of my speaking language...Its a little Khmer and Viet were combined...Thats a FUNNY of my life!!!
Concluding, we became a friend and understood conversation...

KhmerRevolution,

RockHeart.
:genius:

Son, thach ,Danh,kien etc.. those are not khmer last name. It is viet forced khmer to use it. My uncle last name was Tran. He change his last name after arriving in Cambodia.


The ancient khmer name are different than of khmer today,and longer. Cambodia is a country of mixed Chinese blood. So the name tends to change.
for example my aunt's name was Kropoumchouke Saodyka kromuorn.

Heng,cheng,cheung, Thai, etc.........it is khmer/chinese.

My other great aunt was Chanthrear raksmey saodyka kromourn.
---------------------------- Pichchoranai raksmey saodyka kromourn.
my great uncle..Bot indrear jomnab Saodyka kromourn. These are khmer name a little after 1900. Now khmer name are really more like Chinese/khmer together.

I guess so. I have never seen Khmer name such as given by you. Yes, Khmer Krom tend to sound like Vietnamese named. I have assume that it is a Vietnamese made up but can't find any evidence yet!! But by the way it pronounce, no evidence is needed. I do think that most Khmer last name are now a day tend to mix with chinese except for the Touch and so forth.

Thay_

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