Tibetan name


Tibetan names typically consist of two juxtaposed elements.
Family names are rare except among those of aristocratic ancestry and then come before the personal name. For example, in Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Ngapoi was his family name and Nga-Wang Jigmê his personal name.
Tibetan nomads also use clan names; in farming communities, they are now rare and may be replaced by household name.
Tibetan culture is patrilineal; descent is claimed from the four ancient clans that are said to have originally inhabited Ancient Tibet: Se, Rmu, Stong and Ldong. The ancient clan system of Tibet is called rus-ba, meaning bone or bone lineage. The four clans were further divided into branches which are Dbra, Vgru, Ldong, Lga, Dbas and Brdav. With inter-clan marriages, the subclans were divided into many sub-branches.
While Tibetans from Kham and Amdo use their clan names as surnames, most farming communities in Central Tibet stopped using their clan names centuries ago and instead use household names.
Traditionally, personal names are bestowed upon a child by lamas, who often incorporate an element of their own name. In the Tibetan diaspora, Tibetans often turn to the Dalai Lama for names for their children. As a result, the exile community has an overwhelming population of boys and girls whose first name is "Tenzin", the personal first name of the 14th Dalai Lama.
Personal names are in most cases composed of readily understood Tibetan words. Most personal names may be given to either males or females. Only a few are specifically male or female.
Meanings of some of the common names are listed below:
TibetanWylieZWPYChineseEnglish Common
Spelling
MeaningReference
bstan 'dzinDänzin丹增Tenzin, TenzingHolder of Buddha Dharma
rgya mtshoGyamco嘉措GyatsoOcean
skal bzangGaisang格桑KelsangGood destiny, Good luck, Golden age, Flower
nyi maNyima尼玛NyimaSun, Day, Sunday
rdo rjeDuo Jie多吉,多杰DorjiIndestructible, Invincible, Vajra
don grubDang Zhou顿珠DhondupWish come true
me tog梅朵MedoFlower
lha mo拉姆,拉莫LhamoPrincess, Goddess, Tibetan opera
sgrol maDrölma卓玛DolmaTara, Goddess
pad maPema贝玛,白玛PemaLotus
tshe ringCering才仁TseringLong life
rgyal mtshan坚赞GyaltsenBanner of victory, Dhvaja
ye shesYêxê伊喜,益西YesheWisdom, Jnana
bsod namsSoinam索南,索朗SonamMerit, Virtue
bde skyidTêci德吉DikiHappiness
zla waDawa达娃DawaMoon, Month, Monday
bkra shisZhaxi扎西TashiAuspiciousness, Good fortune
bde legs德勒Delek, DelehBliss, Happiness
rin chen仁钦RinchenTreasure, Precious Jewel, Gem
dbang moWangmô旺姆WangmoLady with wealth and luck
bde chenDêqên德钦,德千DechenGreat bliss

Other common Tibetan names include Bhuti, Choedon, Choekyi, Chogden, Subash Lama, Chokphel, Damchoe, Dasel, Dema, Dhondup, Dolkar, Gyurmey, Jampa, Jangchup, Jungney, Kalden, Khando, Karma, Kunchok, Kunga, Lekhshey, Lhakpa, Lhakyi, Lhami, Lhawang, Lobsang, Metok, Namdak, Namdol, Namgyal, Ngonga, Norbu, Paljor, Pasang, Peldun, Phuntsok, Phurpa, Rabgang, Rabgyal, Rabten, Rangdol, Rigsang, Rigzin, Samdup, Sangyal, Thinley, Tsomo, Tsundue, Wangchuk, Wangyag, Woeser, Woeten, Yangdol, Yangkey, and Yonten.