names that originated as revolutionary aliases). Different naming traditions exist among ethnic groups other than the Khmer majority. The Cambodian population is 90% Buddhist and names are often taken from Buddhism. Among the Muslim minority, Arabic names are often used as family names. Pronunciation Khmer names are usually pronounced with the stress (emphasis) placed on the last syllable. Khmer uses a glottal stop (the brief stop in uh-oh) and other stops: , , and which may or may not occur with aspiration. In romanizations of Khmer script, aspiration (i.e., a breath sound) is usually marked with an h. Final r, d, g, s, b, and z sounds are not heard: Ngor is pronounced Ngow. Some final consonants are written but not pronounced. List of some family names Although historically, surnames were chosen from the father, grandfather, or great-grandfather's given name, in modern practice, surnames are now usually transmitted from father to children. Other ethnic groups, particularly Chinese-Cambodians and Vietnamese-Cambodians, may have a family name that is taken by each generation, in which case the name is pronounced similarly to the language of origin but within the bounds of Khmer phonology. Below is a list of some common family names, some of which are also found as given names. List of given names Unlike Khmer family names, given names may have multiple syllables and differ greatly. Given names were influenced greatly by Sanskrit. Compound names At times, many families combine shorter names to create a longer name. This happens often among the wealthier class of Cambodians. Sovanna (Combined "So" and "Vanna") means gold in Sanskrit Somally (Combined "So" and "Maly") Chandarith (Combined "Chanda" and "Rith") See also Khmer Names Asian name pronunciation guide References Names by culture Cambodian culture