Bengali name

s in Bengali-speaking countries typically consist of one or several given names and a surname. While the given name is usually gender-specific, the citation of the name generally follows the "Western order" of "given name, surname". This practice, however, is not strictly universal. Personal names generally depend on the person's religion and draw origins from languages such as Sanskrit, Pali, Arabic, and Persian, though they are used and pronounced according to native Bengali norms.

First names

Many people in Bangladesh and West Bengal possess two given names: a "good name", which is used on all legal documents, and a "call name" or "nickname", used by family members and close friends.
The two names may not be etymologically related. For example, a man named "Shumon", "Sumon", or "Suman" may be called by his dak nam at home and by his bhalo nam in formal settings.
It is also common to have a shortened version of the bhalo nam. For instance, Dipu may be used for Dipok, and Faru for Farhana.
In some cases, the "first name" serves as a component of a compound name. For example, in the name "Abd al-Rahman", "Abdur" may be cited as the "first name" and "Rahman" as the "last name" in legal documents, despite the theological requirement for the phrase to remain intact.

Middle names

While middle names are common in Bangladesh and West Bengal, they are not universal. A modern trend involves adding the dak nam to the middle or end of the full official name. This can result in names such as "Saifuddin Kanchon Choudhuri", where "Saifuddin" is the bhalo nam, "Kanchon" is the dak nam, and "Choudhuri" is the family name. Depending on personal preference, the individual may style it as "Saifuddin Choudhuri Kanchon".

Family names

Bengali surnames reflect the region's diverse religious and cultural history.
Bengali Hindu families typically use names of Sanskrit origin, followed by Farsi and Bengali. Some surnames, such as Chatterjee, were shortened or anglicized during the British colonial period.
Bengali Muslim families often employ names of Arabic origin, followed by Farsi and Bengali. Among Muslims of Bangladesh, naming conventions vary, and there is no strictly fixed scheme for the structure of names, historically differing from the rigid surname structures found in the West.
Certain family names are found across religious boundaries, such as চৌধুরী, সরকার, and বিশ্বাস.

Common family names by religion

Bengali Hindu family names and titles

Bengali Muslim family names and titles

Name	Romanisation	Common transliteration
আকন্দ	Akanda	Akhund, Akan, Akhanda
ভূঁইয়া	Bhųiya	Bhuiyan
চাকলাদার	Cakladar	Chakladar
চৌধুরী	Cóúdhuree	Chowdhury
দেওয়ান	Dewan	Dewan
ডিহিদার	Đihidar	Dihidar
ফকির	Fokir	Fakir
গাজী	Gazi	Gazi
গোমস্তা	Gómosta	Gomastha
হালদার	Haldar	Haldar
হাওলাদার	Haoladar	Howlader
হাজারী	Hazaree	Hazari
ইনামদার	Inamdar	Inamdar
জোয়ার্দার	Jówardar/Jówaddar	Joardar
কানুনগো	Kanungó	Kanungo
কারকুন	Karkun	Karkun
কাজী	Kazi	Kazi
খাঁ	Khą/Khan	Khan
খান পন্নী	Khan Ponni	Khan Panni
খান লোহানী	Khan Lóhani	Khan Lohani
খান মুঘুল	Khan Mughul	Khan Mughal
খন্দকার	Khondokar	Khandakar
কোরেশী	Koreshee	Quraishi
মজুমদার	Mozumdar	Majumdar
মল্লিক	Mollik	Mallik
মণ্ডল	Monđol	Mandal
মাতুব্বর	Matubbor	Matubbar
মিয়া/ মিঞা	Miya	Miah
মীর	Meer	Mir
মীর্জা	Mirza	Mirza
মোল্লা	Molla	Molla
মলঙ্গী	Molongee	Malangi
মল্ল	Mollo	Malla
মৃধা	Mridha	Mridha
মুহুরী	Muhuree	Muhuri
মুন্সী	Munshi	Munshi
মুস্তাফী	Mustafi	Mustafi
পাটোয়ারী	Paŧowaree	Patwari
প্রামাণিক	Pramaꞥik	Pramanik
প্রধান	Prodhan	Prodhan
সাদিয়া	Sadiya	Sadia
সরকার	Shorkar	Sarkar
সরদার	Shordar	Sardar
সৈয়দ	Sóíyod	Syed
শাহ	Shah	Shah
শেখ	Shekh	Sheikh
শিকদার	Shikdar	Sikdar
তালুকদার	Talukdar	Taluqdar
বিশ্বাস	Bish'ash	Biswas

Bengali Buddhist surnames

Barua/Borua
Bengali Christian surnames

Many Bengali Christians use English and Portuguese surnames along with traditional surnames. Most Catholic Bengali Christians have Portuguese surnames, such as: Gomes, Rozario, D'Costa, Gonsalvez, Cruze, Dias, D'Silva, and D'Souza.

Initials and prefixes

, also spelled Mohammed, Mohamed, Mohammad, or Muhammod, is a common prefix used before the name of many Muslim males. It is often not considered the name used to refer to the person. In many cases, the "Muhammad" prefix is shortened to মোঃ. Other common prefixes are not systematic. The prefix often serves as the first name, while the given name appears as the middle name or last name.