[Blog] I Officially Own the Surname 'Franklin' in Thailand
Today is my birthday, and I want to share a story about a recent achievement before diving into 2025.
I was born in Thailand and was given a meaningful Thai surname at birth. Later I realized my original surname was too long often caused confusion in Australia. Sometimes led to bias during job applications—even though I am a citizen and fully qualified for work.
To simplify things, I had previously adopted my stepfather’s surname, Franklin, which felt like a better fit for my life and career. The complication arose when this left me with two passports—each with a completely different surname. This inconsistency made me feel uneasy as I wanted all my work credentials matched seamlessly and legally.
I hit an unexpected roadblock. In Thailand, using a foreign surname is not as straightforward as one might think. By law, Thai citizens cannot adopt foreign surnames unless they are married or legally adopted by someone with that surname.
As an adoption wasn’t an option now, my family and I consulting with officials and brainstormed alternatives. After several frustration meetings, a deputy suggested I have the right to create an entirely new surname with Thai meanings and essence, and give up of using Franklin. At night, still wanted to be Franklin, scouring a dated Thai dictionary, struggled to find suitable words. It was a mission impossible as 'F' with a consonant blends are borrowed and lacks meaningful definitions. Then, I remembered a recent trip to Japan where my surname had been written in katakana as フランクリン (Fu-ran-ku-rin).
After finding 'a word' that sounds just right, my new surname was finalized.
(attached image of an individual surname registry showing that Franklin has already been taken by someone - it was me!)
The surname I registered is ฝรั่นกลิ่น (Fran-klin), which spelled exactly to Franklin in English. Each component has a direct meaning:
ฝรั่น (Fran): Derived from หญ้าฝรั่น (Hya-fran), meaning saffron—currently the most expensive spice in the world. It only appears in articles and has yet to be included in the Thai dictionary.
กลิ่น (Klin): Meaning “smell” or “aroma” in Thai.
Together, Franklin means "The Aroma of Saffron" in Thai.
Now, my passports match, and I can move forward confidently in my career and personal life without any administrative hurdles. What’s more, as the first Thai citizen to create this surname, anyone in Thailand who wishes to use ฝรั่นกลิ่น (Franklin) will need my permission! 🫵
Here’s to new beginnings—officially as ฝรั่นกลิ่น (Franklin) 🍵
