Burmese names lack the serial quality of most modern names. The
Bamars have no customary
patronymic or
matronymic system and thus there is no
surname at all. In the
culture of Myanmar, people can change their name at will, often with no government oversight, to reflect a change in the course of their lives. Also, many Burmese names use an
honorific, given at some point in life, as an integral part of the name. However, in modern
Myanmar, many of these traditions are changing.