Personal names 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.
Many people in Bangladesh and West Bengal possess two given names: a "good name" (Bengali: ভালো নাম, romanized:bhalo nam), which is used on all legal documents, and a "call name" or "nickname" (Bengali: ডাক নাম, romanized:dak nam), used by family members and close friends.[1]
The two names may not be etymologically related. For example, a man named "Shumon", "Sumon", or "Suman" (Bengali: সুমন) may be called by his dak nam (e.g., Bengali: বুবাই, romanized:Bubai) at home and by his bhalo nam (Bengali: সুমন, romanized:Shumon) in formal settings.
It is also common to have a shortened version of the bhalo nam. For instance, Dipu (Bengali: দিপু) may be used for Dipok (Bengali: দীপক), and Faru (Bengali: ফারু) for Farhana (Bengali: ফারহানা).
In some cases, the "first name" serves as a component of a compound name. For example, in the name "Abd al-Rahman" (pronounced Abd-ur-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" (সাইফুদ্দীন কাঞ্চন চৌধুরী), 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 (from Chattopadhyay), 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.[2]
Certain family names are found across religious boundaries, such as চৌধুরী (Choudhuri/Chowdhury), সরকার (Sorkar/Sarker/Sarkar), and বিশ্বাস (Bishwas).
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
Muhammad (মোহাম্মদ), 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 ("Md." or "MD."). 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.[3]
Further read
Dutta, Bhabataran (1981). A Linguistic Study of Personal Names and Surnames in Bengali. India: University of Calcutta.
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