Medieval Naming Guides: Other Asian Cultures

Names from Other Asian Cultures

Central Asian
We discuss Turkish names elsewhere.

Khazarian Names
Part of a website devoted to the culture of Jewish Khazaria.

Personal Names in Warres Betweene the Turkes and the Persians, by Ursula Georges
A short list of names taken from a 16th century English translation of an Italian history, including some Georgian names.

Indian Names
The Indian sub-continent was home to many widely varying cultures and languages, and we have very little material on any of them. These articles are just our first attempts to provide some help in choosing an appropriate name.

Some Sources for pre-1600 Indian Names, by Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn
A short list of sources that we believe contain useful information.

Women's Names from 16th Century Inscriptions at Tirupati (India), by Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn
A small collection of women's names from one part of India.

Medieval Tamil Names, by Ursula Georges
A small collection of names from 9th-14th century southern India.

Female Chola Names, by Irayari Vairavi
Names from inscriptions dating from the Chola Kingdom. The Cholas ruled a large part of South India (modern Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh) until the 14th century. Most of the names are Tamil or Tamilized Sanskrit.

An Analysis of South Indian Female Names found in Donors, Devotees and Daughters of God, by Irayari Vairavi
A collection of Tamil names from pre-14th C South Indian inscriptions.

Some Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Mughal Women's Names, by Ursula Georges
A few names, mostly of royalty.

Chinese Names
56 Unisex Song Dynasty Mingzi From the Chinese Biographical Database
Song Dynasty (960 to 1279) personal names used by people of more than one gender.
Period Chinese Names, by Yin Mei Li (Wayback Machine link)
A fine introductory discussion of pre-17th century Chinese names and naming customs with a list of feminine given names. The sections on masculine names and surnames have not been completed.

Academy of Saint Gabriel report 2346
A general discussion of Han naming practices and lists of common family names and masculine given names.

Academy of Saint Gabriel reports 2342 and 2527.
Each includes some feminine given names.

Japanese Names
Nara Period (8th Century) Japanese Names, by Mihriban bint Rüstem (issendai)
Masculine names, feminine names, clan names, and advice on name construction.
Japanese Formal Masculine Given Names, by Solveig Þrondardottir
A list excerpted from her pamphlet Name Construction in Mediaeval Japan. There are short lists of Japanese names elements, extracted from the same source, as well as some general discussion of naming practices in pre-1600 Japan, in these reports from the Academy of Saint Gabriel:
Edo-Era Names: Women's Names in Edo-Era Japan, by Mihriban bint Rüstem (issendai)
A list of women's personal names and probable etymologies appropriate for the years between 1600 and 1700. Includes notes on earlier usage of some elements.


The Medieval Names Archive is published by Ursula Georges. It was historically published by the Academy of Saint Gabriel.
Copyright on individual articles belongs to their authors.
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/otherasian.shtml