Generally speaking Sinhalese names are comprised of at least 5 names. The first couple tend to be ancestral titles, locations, clans etc. Usually the last three names are the ones used in the western sense. But these names are rarely used because they imply a lot of personal information which one might not want to share. Suffice to say, no one actually goes around introducing themselves as Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas. But it can get a bit more confusing yet. For example, my actual surname isn't my actual surname. Somewhere down the line, my great grandfather decided to make his given name by grandfather's surname. So now my actual surname precedes all my other names.
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