Researchers of today still believe that the registrar did an excellent job as they had to write down all these Chinese names. Chinese names are written using two, three or four characters. The family name comes first also called xing. The family name consists of one or two characters. The family name is transferred according to the father's name for biological children and legal adopted children.
Children born outside marriage get the mother's name.
However, this prohibition might not be practised today. The word 'a' or 'ah' is not a name. The colonial government was very cautious when it came to name changes. By 1 July 1828, only the governor-general could approve a family name or first name change. This regulation was for everybody who was a free citizen.