The soap opera Suphapburut Juthathep (translation: “Gentlemen of Juthathep”) aired in Thailand earlier this year. The popular series consisted of five separate dramas, each about one of the five royal half-brothers of Juthathep palace. The brothers’ names (and occupations) were:
- Taratorn (an archaeologist)
- Pawornruj (a diplomat)
- Puttipat (a doctor)
- Rachanon (a civil engineer)
- Ronapee (an air force pilot)
In mid-June, Chuan Sirinanporn, the director-general of Thailand’s Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA), revealed that “more than 1,000 new-born baby boys in the past 1-2 months” had been given one of these five names.
The most popular choice was Rachanon, given to 664 baby boys. Next was Puttipat (with 412 baby boys), then Taratorn (142), Pawornruj (112), and finally Ronapee (26). And 30 more babies were named Juthathep.
Sources:
- “Mums give babies TV ‘soap’ names.” Bangkok Post 11 Jun. 2013.
- “(Learn Thai) Named for the stars.” Post Today 15 Jun. 2013.
- Suphapburut Juthathep – Wikipedia