Besides their own Kalmyk names, Kalmyks also use Sanskrit and Tibetan names, which came into their culture through Tibetan Buddhism. Contemporary Kalmyks can also have Russian and other European names, due to the Kalmyks' orientation towards the Russian language, after they joined Russia.[1]
Original Kalmyk individual names from a semantic point of view:[1]
Tibetan and Sanskrit individual names from a semantic point of view:[1]
Throughout history, Kalmyks were known for using amulet-names:[1]
Double names were also quite well spread among the Kalmyks (in the Yandyko-Mochazhny, Khosheytsky and Erketenevsky uluses) - Sanzh-Garya (in the Khosheutsky Kalmyk ulus Sants-Ara), Erdny-Khal, Tzeren-Dorts. Today, double names are reserved for patronymics. Another Kalmyk custom was that of the khadm (name taboo), required by a new wife. When entering her husband's family, she would create a new name, by distorting his parents' names, instead of Badm -Yadm, instead of Dorts - Yerts.[1]
After the introduction of the Russian administration (in the 16th century), Kalmyks received family names, derived from that of the father, like - Erdnyev (from Erdny), Badmaev (from Badma), Kichikov (from Kichik). If a Kalmyk was called Nema, his surname would be Dordzhyev, from his father's name Dorts but Nema's children's surnames would be Nemaev. Gradually, the family name became hereditary and a patronymic was added, derived from the father's name.[1]