ASinhalese name orSinhala name may contain two or three parts: apatronymic, one or moregiven names, and sometimes asurname, which was often absent in the past.[1] Full names can be rather long, and hence are often shortened, by omitting or abbreviating the family name and one of the given names, as in R. M. S. Ariyaratna.[2]
Family names can be distinguished by thesuffix -ge or -ghe,[2] though this suffix may accidentally result from a particular transliteration of a Sinhalese word, such assinha orsingha (lion).[3]
Given names can be masculine, feminine andgender neutral.
Sinhalese surnames often originate fromSanskrit. However, as a consequence of thePortuguese invasion of Sri Lanka, during the 16th and 17th centuries, manyPortuguese language surnames were adopted among the Sinhalese people. As a result,Perera andFernando eventually became the most common names in Sri Lanka.[4]
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Sinhalese names usually consists of three parts. The first part is thepatronymic name (family name) of the father, ancestor name or 'house name', which often has the suffix ‘-ge’ at the end of it, this is known as the 'Ge' name (ge meaning house inSinhalese). The second part is the personal name (given name) and the third part is the surname.[5]
For example, in the name Rajapaksha Mudiyanselage Siril Ariyaratna, Rajapaksha is the first part of the family name, Mudiyanselage is the 'Ge' name (second part of the family name) and Siril and Ariyaratna are two given names.[2]
Some names contain a family name, a given name, and a surname (Type 1) while some names contain only a family name and a given name (Type 2). Modern Sinhalese names do not contain a family name and only contain a given name and a surname (Type 3).
| Family name | Given name | Surname | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | Nawungala Jagodage | Chaminda Jayalal | Senaratne |
| Type 2 | Nawungala Jagodage | Chaminda Jayalal | - |
| Type 3 | - | Chaminda Jayalal | Senaratne |
| First name + Middle name | Last name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 (a) | Nawungala Jagodage Chaminda Jayalal | Senaratne | Surname used as the Last name |
| Type 1 (b) | Chaminda Jayalal Senaratne | Nawungala Jagodage | Family name used as the Last name |
| Type 2 | Chaminda Jayalal | Nawungala Jagodage | Family name used as the Last name |
| Type 3 | Chaminda Jayalal | Senaratne | Surname used as the Last name |
The Portuguese and Dutch being in Sri Lanka has left a legacy where many Sinhalese people converted religion or took on foreign names through intermarriage or adoption.[6]