It is well known worldwide that Sri Lankan surnames are extremely long. The names, derived from ancestors were originally used to indicate the sort of position held in society – possibly a caste/job status marker back in the day. These ancestor names have been handed down generation to generation, and are still very much in use today.
I have no less than 46 characters (six words) in my full name. In order, that would be two ancestor names, my first name, two middle names and finally my surname. It has its pros and cons. When I was studying abroad, I became rather famous amongst my friends who are used to shorter names! I remember entertaining them by just reciting my name. On my birthday, they surprised me by reciting my entire name during the usual “happy birthday” song. I had to wait a while to blow out my candles that day! The nightmares occur mostly when you are filling out forms abroad. I usually run out of space, and spend some time wondering which names to omit. I’ve had bank cheques returned because my conventional name (just two of my six names) doesn’t match the name they have on their records - they assumed my ancestor name was my surname. So because of this, I decided to use my full name for important occasions, like end of semester exams. However, I soon discovered that whilst my Chinese (max 9- character named) friends had already commenced answering their exam papers, I was still writing my name on the attendance sheet!!
If you assumed six names were a handful to deal with, imagine this: in 1882, a helpless baby girl in Britain was bestowed 26 first names – one for each letter of the alphabet. Anna Bertha Cecilia Diana Emily Fanny Gertrude Hypatia Inez Jane Kate Louise Maud Nora Ophelia Prudence Quince Rebecca Sarah Teresa Ulysis Venus Winifred Xenophon Yetty Zeno Pepper was featured in Ripley's Believe It Or Not for having one of the longest names ever. Her nickname was ‘Alphabet’.
