back in the old days hmong takes their mother's last name (i think) and put it with their father's last name. so like if your mother is a moua and your father is a vang then it'll be mouavang. wait but i'm not sure if it's the mother's last name tho. well it's another last name with your father's last name.

ex: Touly Vangkue the singer - Vang and Kue are last names.
ex: Touly Lyfoung the hmong leader back in the old day - Ly and Foung (well i'm not sure how it's spelled in hmong)

altho i am not sure about Sisasovong or Suadavang tho.

maybe someone knows more...sorry...

ok.. i'm hoping someone can help me out...... i've been doing a family research.... on my family history... n i came across something that dont make sense..... from my dad's side my grandfather's last name is actually sisasovong... n my grandma's last name is chu (i know there are some chu's out there so i'm ok with that last name).... but my dad's last name is vang... so i'm thinking.. hold up this dont make sense.... so i ask my dad about it.. he's like sisasovong is same as vang... n all my cousins and relative's last name is vang... so i asked.. was grandpa adopted or adopted into the vang clan? .. then my dad goes.. no he's full blooded hmong.. ... n nobody was adopted.. i have blood uncle with last name vang ..everyone's blood related...biological parents.... so have anyone heard of that (sisasovong) last name before? or was it like a sur last name? oh yeah n i asked my dad if it was a misprint too but he says it isnt?.. weird.... ( i cant ask my grandpa b/c he no longer exist n my granny says its vang too.. gosh...everything connects except for this -_-')

back in the old days hmong takes their mother's last name (i think) and put it with their father's last name. so like if your mother is a moua and your father is a vang then it'll be mouavang. wait but i'm not sure if it's the mother's last name tho. well it's another last name with your father's last name.

ex: Touly Vangkue the singer - Vang and Kue are last names.
ex: Touly Lyfoung the hmong leader back in the old day - Ly and Foung (well i'm not sure how it's spelled in hmong)

altho i am not sure about Sisasovong or Suadavang tho.

maybe someone knows more...sorry...

Hmong culture is a patrilineal culture, meaning that we inherit and descend through the male side of the family. It would be abhorrent and unacceptable to take on one's mother's last name.

In regards to Laotian-like Hmong surnames, they came about as an effort to assimilate into Laotian/Thai urban life. If your surname reflected those of the people around you, you will be more accepted. Even in America, Hmong people are already taking on western surnames, e.g. Moua = Moore, Vang = Vaughn, Her = Hearn.

i did say that i wasn't sure if it was the mother's last name being added or something else. altho i think what HmOnG_BbOy said made sense. we added our grandfather's name to our last name...i think our grandfather's first name.

i've never heard of hmong taking on american last name (other than brenda song). that's just wrong.

Is "Thao" an uncommon Hmong's lastname ?

Thai and Lao are the same language. It's like speaking Irish and English. They understand one another. Just that one culture has an accent to the other.

The only time you would add someone's elses name with yours is when you are verbally identifying yourself.

Example with fake name: "Kuv yog Michael Txooj Pov."

In this example, the person is stating that his name is Michael and that he is the son of Txooj Pov.

A prime example of this is in the movie, Khib Ciaj Khib Tuag. The son, Yig is constantly referred to as Yig Nom Phaj. Yig being his name, and Nom Phaj being his father's name.

BTW, Brenda Song never took on an American last name. Her last name is Song, which is a written variant of Xiong. And yes, there are Hmong people who have changed their lastnames to American lastnames. And also, Touly Vangkhue is not a Vang, he is a Lee. His name is really spelled: Tou Lyvangkhue.