Family Names in Southeast Asian History

Abstract

Less than a century ago it was common to imagine that the adoption of inherited family names or surnames was a necessary stage in civilization. Did not the adoption of family names in Europe broadly coincide with the move out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance?� The westernizing King who imposed family names in Thailand in 1913 insisted, �Now we have surnames it can be said that we have caught up with people who are regarded as civilized.�� The top countries had them, and those who wished to emulate those countries in progress should adopt them. Show more