Indonesian names
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Indonesian names and naming customs reflect the
multicultural The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchang ...
and
multilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all ...
nature of the over 17,000 islands in the
Indonesian archipelago The islands of Indonesia, also known as the Indonesian Archipelago ( id, Kepulauan Indonesia) or Nusantara, may refer either to the islands comprising the country of Indonesia or to the geographical groups which include its islands. History ...
. The world's fourth most populous nation, Indonesia is home to more than 1300 ethnic groups, each with their own
culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
, custom, and
language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...
. The Javanese are the largest single group, comprising around 40 percent of Indonesia's total population.


Honorifics


General

In Indonesia, ranks and professional titles are used. It is also customary to use ''Pak'', ''Bapak'', or ''Saudara'' to address men and ''Bu'', ''Ibu'', or ''Saudari'' to address women. ''Pak'' and ''Bapak'' are literally translated as "father". ''Bapak'' is more formal and is used much like the English word, "sir". ''Saudara'' (for men) or ''Saudari'' (for women) is another term of greater respect and formality. It translates to "kinsman", "lady", or "gentleman". ''Ibu'' is literally translated as "mother". It is used as "ma'am" or "lady" would be in English. If addressing a man whose name is unknown, one uses ''Bapak'' and if addressing a woman whose name is unknown, one uses ''Ibu''. An informal way to address a significantly older person is to use ''Om'', ''Paman'', ''Bibi'', or ''Tante'', which mean "uncle" and "aunt". The terms are Dutch-influenced and quite commonly used in the big cities. Local honorifics continue to be employed throughout Indonesia. In a casual situation, ''Kakak'' is used to address a person as an older sister or brother. In Javanese ''Mbak'' is used for "older sister" and ''Mas'' is used for "older brother". ''Mbak'' and ''Mas'' are used for example to address junior staff in cafes and restaurants in Jakarta. In Sumatran Malay or Minangkabau cultural spheres, an older brother is addressed as ''Abang''. However, it is also common to address a becak driver, angkot driver, vegetable vendor, fishmonger, or hawker with ''Abang''. "Gus" (from ''bagus'') is used exclusively to address an honorable Eastern Javanese person with a strong traditional and religious identity. For example, the Indonesian former president,
Abdurrahman Wahid Abdurrahman Wahid ( ; born Abdurrahman ad-Dakhil; 7 September 1940 – 30 December 2009), though more colloquially known as Gus Dur (), was an Indonesian politician and Islamic religious leader who served as the 4th president of Indonesia, fr ...
, was often addressed as ''Gus Dur''; "''Dur''" being the short form of his first name, Abdurrahman.


Royalty

For Indonesian royalty, the titles " Sri" and "
Prabhu ''Prabhu'' means master or the Prince in Sanskrit and many of the Indian languages; it is a name sometimes applied to God. The term is also used by devotees of the Hindu God Lord Krishna/ Vishnu as a title and form of address. It is also appen ...
" are used to address kings and monarchs, usually in Indianized kingdoms located in the islands of
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
,
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
,
Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and ...
,
Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and e ...
, and other places which had Hindu/Buddhist influence. "Sri Baginda" or "Sri Paduka Baginda" is the formal title used to address a king, for example the sultan of
Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X. "Prabhu" is also the title used for kings who ruled in the Hindu/Buddhist era, such as Prabu Siliwangi and Prabu Bratasena.


Naming forms

Legally, Indonesian
personal name A personal name, or full name, in onomastic terminology also known as prosoponym (from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον / ''prósōpon'' - person, and ὄνομα / ''onoma'' - name), is the set of names by which an individual person is kno ...
s are not divided into first and family names. A single name is recognized as a full personal name, and the addition of further components–such as additional given names, regional, or ethnic family/clan names or
patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
s–is a matter of parents' choice when registering the child's name. Even then, family names or patronymics are just considered part of the full personal name and have no official relevance (for instance, alphabetic ordering of names is always done by the first letter of the full personal name). The majority of Indonesians do not have
family name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...
s. Rather, their given names are geographically and culturally specific. Names beginning with "Su" in Indonesian spelling ("Soe" in the old orthography) or ending with an "o" are usually
Javanese people The Javanese ( id, Orang Jawa; jv, ꦮꦺꦴꦁꦗꦮ, ''Wong Jawa'' ; , ''Tiyang Jawi'' ) are an ethnic group native to the central and eastern part of the Indonesian island of Java. With approximately 100 million people, Javanese people a ...
. For example, people called "Suprapto" or "Soeprapto, Joko" are likely to be of Javanese descent.
Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto l ...
is another example.
Balinese name A Balinese name is part of a system of identification used by the Balinese people and in the western parts of the neighboring island of Lombok, Indonesia. A Balinese name will have three parts: a title, a birth order name and a personal name. Balin ...
s are quite distinct, as they have a naming system which denotes birth order. ''Wayan'' means first born. ''Made'' means second born. A Balinese name may also indicate
caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultur ...
. For instance, a
Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the co ...
person may be named "I Gusti". "Sitompul" and "Rajagukguk" are clan names usually found in people with
Batak Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Tob ...
or North Sumatran heritage. In general, Indonesian names fall into one of the following categories: * A single name, such as
Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of ...
and
Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto l ...
* Two (or more) names ''without'' a
family name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...
, such as
Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), popularly known as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is the 7th and current president of Indonesia. Elected in July 2014, he was the first Indonesian president not to come from an elit ...
or
Sri Mulyani Indrawati Sri Mulyani Indrawati (born 26 August 1962) is an Indonesian economist who has been Minister of Finance of Indonesia since 2016; previously she served in the same post from 2005 to 2010. In June 2010 she was appointed as Managing Director of t ...
* Two (or more) names ''with'' a family/clan name such as Alexander Evert Kawilarang, Abdul Hakim Achmad Aituarauw or
Abdul Haris Nasution General of the Army Abdul Haris Nasution ( Old Spelling: Abdoel Haris Nasution; 3 December 1918 – 6 September 2000), was a high-ranking Indonesian general and politician. He served in the military during the Indonesian National Revolution a ...
* Two (or more) names ''with'' a
patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
, such as
Megawati Sukarnoputri Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri (; born 23 January 1947) is an Indonesian politician who served as the fifth president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004. She previously served as the eighth vice president from 1999 to 2001. Megawati i ...
or
Abdurrahman Wahid Abdurrahman Wahid ( ; born Abdurrahman ad-Dakhil; 7 September 1940 – 30 December 2009), though more colloquially known as Gus Dur (), was an Indonesian politician and Islamic religious leader who served as the 4th president of Indonesia, fr ...


Regulation

The '' Ministry of Home Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Regulation no. 73 of 2022 about Recording of Names on Residence Document'' regulates the naming of Indonesian residents. The document requires names to be written in the
Latin script The Latin script, also known as Roman script, is an alphabetic writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae, in southern ...
according to the Indonesian orthography, and having no less than two words and no more than 60 characters, including spaces. It also discourages names that contain multiple meanings or negative meanings. Before the regulation just introduced, there had been people with unusual names like 6 people with names with only a single character, including "." and "N", while on the other side, there were also people with extremely long names like "Rangga Madhipa Sutra Jiwa Cordosega Akre Askhala Mughal Ilkhanat Akbar Suhara Pi-Thariq Ziyad Syaifudin Quthuz Khoshala Sura Talenta", which contains up to 132 characters including spaces. Nevertheless, it is common for Indonesian names to be written partly or fully in the old Dutch orthography, as shown in names like Tjahaja (modern spelling ''Cahaya'') and Soeryadjaya (''Suryajaya''). Spelling of names are also often highly fluid, such as using ''y'' instead of ''i'' finally and sometimes medially or using
silent letter In an alphabetic writing system, a silent letter is a letter that, in a particular word, does not correspond to any sound in the word's pronunciation. In linguistics, a silent letter is often symbolised with a null sign . Null is an unprono ...
s (there are some very unusual cases such as Masduki Baidlowi). Compare Edi with spelling variants Edy and Edhy, are all pronounced homophonously with the first usual variant.


Indonesian naming traditions

Most Indonesians do not have family names. Both men and women usually have a given name and then take the name of their father as a last name. Some, but not all, married Indonesian women take the last name of their husband. This name is usually added after their own "last" name. Therefore, it is not rare for married couples to have different last or family names. Naming also differs regionally. Some Javanese, especially those of the old generation have only one name. Bataks have clan names which are used as their surnames. Some Chinese Indonesians have Chinese-style names. In Indonesian telephone directories, names are listed under the first or given name and not under the last or family name.


Mononymic names

Example: :Child's name: Hasan :Father's name: Suparman :Mother's name: Wulandari On the birth certificate, the child's name would be written as "Hasan child of Suparman and Wulandari". The birth certificate of an extramarital child would bear only the mother's name. On a school diploma, the child's name would be written as "Hasan, child of Suparman". On all other official documents (ID card, driver's license, and passport), only the child's name would appear, "Hasan".


Polynymic names without a family name

Example: :Child's name: Hasan Prasetyo :Father's name: Suparman Prakoso :Mother's name: Wulandari Hartono On the birth certificate, the child's name would be written as "Hasan Prasetyo child of Suparman Prakoso and Wulandari Hartono". On all other official documents, the child's name would be written as "Hasan Prasetyo".


Polynymic names with family name

If the parents want a family name (or surname) to appear on official documents, the family name has to be included on the child's birth certificate. Example: :Child's name: Yovan Gunardio Darmawan :Father's name: Budi Darmawan :Mother's name: Natalena Tirrand On the birth certificate, the child's name would be written as "Yovan Gunardio Darmawan child of Budi Darmawan and Natalena Tirrand". On all other official documents, the child's name would be written as "Yovan Gunardio Darmawan".


Polynymic names with patronymic

The patronymic is usually constructed from the father's name, with the word ''putra'' (for males, "son" in
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
) or ''putri'' (for females, "daughter" in Sanskrit) appended. Example: :Child's name: Hasan Suparmanputra :Father's name: Suparman :Mother's name: Wulandari On the birth certificate, the child's name would be written as "Hasan Suparmanputra child of Suparman and Wulandari". On all other official documents, the child's name would be written as "Hasan Suparmanputra". This would be somewhat analogous to the practice in
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
, where patronymics are used. Occasionally, the father's name will be used as the surname, without appending ''putra'' or ''putri'' (in this example it would be Hasan Suparman). This might be done unofficially, that is, not matching the birth certificate. Nevertheless, this format sometimes appears on government documents.


Modifications to the name outside of Indonesia

Other nations may modify an official Indonesian name to conform to local standards. This is most apparent in nations where personal names are divided by law into given/first name and family/last name. In the Netherlands, for example, a person without an official family name would be given the surname ''Onbekend'' (which means "unknown"). Individuals with multiple-word names will often be given this surname, particularly if the last name on the birth certificate differs from the father's family name. Individuals with a distinct family name may also be given this surname if it is recorded differently on the birth certificate. Referring to the examples above, a Netherlands identification card would record the individual's name as: :Example 1: Hasan Onbekend :Example 2: Hasan Prasetyo Onbekend :Example 3: Yovan Gunardio Darmawan :Example 4: Hasan Suparmanputra Onbekend In Germany, the one-word name is used as both given name and surname. This is often displayed on official documents as "Hasan Hasan" or "H. Hasan". In the U.S., there are at least four ways to record people with a single-word name. One way is to use the existing single word name as the surname. Then, an official body will add "Fnu" (first name unknown) as the first or given name. This can lead to a false belief that "Fnu" is a common Indonesian first name. Conversely, the existing single word name can be used as the given or first name and then "Lnu" (last name unknown) may be added as the family, surname or last name. This can lead to the misconception that "Lnu" is a common Indonesian surname. In some cases "Fnu" will be used as the surname or last name. Third, the existing single word name may be duplicated to give a first name and surname such as "Hasan Hasan". Fourth, the practice of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is to record the single-word name as a first or given name, and to enter a period for the surname.


Origin of names in Indonesia


Local family/clan names

There are some Indonesian ethnic groups or tribes whose people do maintain a family, last, or surname. These include the: *
Alas people The Alas people is an indigenous ethnic group from Kutacane, Southeast Aceh district, Sumatra, Indonesia. The Alas are found in the Gunung Leuser, Ketambe, and Alas River areas. Van Daalen's Alas, Batak and Gayo campaign  At the final stage ...
of
Aceh Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a ...
, for example, Keruas, Kepale Dese, or Pagan. * Royalties and nobles from the
Sundanese people The Sunda or Sundanese ( id, Orang Sunda; su, ᮅᮛᮀ ᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓ, Urang Sunda) are an indigenous ethnic group native to the western region of Java island in Indonesia, primarily West Java. They number approximately 42 million and form ...
or Bantenese of
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
, for example, Kusumah, Djajadiningrat, Soerjaatmadja, Martadinata, or Prawiranegara. *
Batak Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Tob ...
people of
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
, for example, Nasution, Hutagaol, Sitompul, Karokaro, Rajagukguk, or Sinaga. *
Nias Nias ( id, Pulau Nias, Nias language: ''Tanö Niha'') (sometimes called Little Sumatra in English) is an island located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago () of which the island is the centre ...
people and people of the islands off the west coast of Sumatra, for example, Amuata, Falakhi, Laoly, Marunduri, Ote, or Wau. *
Minangkabau people Minangkabau people ( min, Urang Minang; Indonesian language, Indonesian or Malay language, Malay: ''Orang Minangkabau'' or ''Minangkabo''; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: منڠكبو), also known as Minang, are an Austronesian people, Austronesian eth ...
of
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
, for example, Bodi, Caniago, Sikumbang, Koto, or Piliang. * Tribes and royalty in
Lampung Lampung ( Lampung: ), officially the Province of Lampung ( id, Provinsi Lampung) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. It has a short border with the province of Bengkulu to the northwest, and ...
, for example, Djayasinga, Badak, Limau, Gunungalip, or Way Tube. * Christian
Betawi people Betawi may refer to: * Betawi people *Betawi language *Betawi cuisine *Betawi mask dance See also * Batavia (disambiguation) * Batavi (disambiguation) Batavi may refer to: *Batavi (Germanic tribe) **Revolt of the Batavi * Batavi (military unit) * ...
, for example, Baidan, Djaim, or Senen. * Royalty and nobles from the
Javanese people The Javanese ( id, Orang Jawa; jv, ꦮꦺꦴꦁꦗꦮ, ''Wong Jawa'' ; , ''Tiyang Jawi'' ) are an ethnic group native to the central and eastern part of the Indonesian island of Java. With approximately 100 million people, Javanese people a ...
, for example, Sastrowardoyo, Djojohadikusumo, or Kolopaking. *
Dayak people The Dayak (; older spelling: Dajak) or Dyak or Dayuh are one of the native groups of Borneo. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic groups, located principally in the central and southern interior of Borneo, each w ...
of
Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...
, for example, Tingang, Unus, Apui, Usat, Laing, Danum, Riwut, Usop, Narang, Undjung, Ngampar, Gohong, Baboe, Huang, Lambung, Djinu. *
Minahasan people The Minahasans (alternative spelling: Minahassa) are an ethnic group native to the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, formerly known as North Celebes. The Minahasa people sometimes refer to themselves as Manado people. Although the Minahasan p ...
from
North Sulawesi North Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Utara) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the Minahasa Peninsula of Sulawesi, south of the Philippines and southeast of Sabah, Malaysia. It borders the Philippine province of Davao Occidental and Socc ...
, for example, Karamoy, Mogot, Nelwan, Tendean, or Walian. *
Sangirese people Sangirese or Sangihe people are one of the native people to the Sangir Islands in the northern chain of islands in Sulawesi and the southern part of Mindanao. The Sangirese people are fishermen and nutmeg growers in their home areas and also wor ...
from
North Sulawesi North Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Utara) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the Minahasa Peninsula of Sulawesi, south of the Philippines and southeast of Sabah, Malaysia. It borders the Philippine province of Davao Occidental and Socc ...
for example, Kansil, Manansang, Manganang, Mohede, or Tatengkeng. *
Toraja The Torajans are an ethnic group indigenous people, indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 1,100,000, of whom 450,000 live in the List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, regency of ...
people from
South Sulawesi South Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Selatan) is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sul ...
for example, Batusura, Lumba, Rambulangi, or Manganan. * Ethnic groups in the
Molucca Islands The Maluku Islands (; Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Maluku'') or the Moluccas () are an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located ea ...
, for example, Malaiholo, Hehamahua, Sahanaya, or Sahilatua. * Various ethnic groups in
East Nusa Tenggara East Nusa Tenggara ( id, Nusa Tenggara Timur – NTT; pt, Sonda Oriental) is the southernmost province of Indonesia. It comprises the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, facing the Indian Ocean in the south and the Flores Sea in the nor ...
use surnames native to the region—some of these surnames include Hurek, Riberu, Seda, Messakh, and Keraf. There are also Portuguese surnames (typically found in the eastern portion of
Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Including the Komodo Islands off its west coast (but excluding the Solor Archipelago to the east of Flores), the land area is 15,530.58 km2, and t ...
) due to Portuguese influence in the region during colonial times, such as Fernandez, Diaz, Pareira, da Lopez, da Cunha, de Rosario, and others. * Various ethnic groups in West Papua—There are more than 200 ethnic groups in West Papua, and surnames are typically unique to a particular ethnic group and can be used to identify a person's ethnic background. Some of the largest surnames include Kogoya, Wenda, Tabuni, Wonda, and Murib from
Papua province Papua is a province of Indonesia, comprising the northern coast of Western New Guinea together with island groups in Cenderawasih Bay to the west. It roughly follows the borders of Papuan customary region of Tabi Saireri. It is bordered by ...
. There are also other West Papuan surnames popular in Indonesia such as Suebu, Kaisiepo, Numberi, and Solossa.


Javanese names

Javanese people The Javanese ( id, Orang Jawa; jv, ꦮꦺꦴꦁꦗꦮ, ''Wong Jawa'' ; , ''Tiyang Jawi'' ) are an ethnic group native to the central and eastern part of the Indonesian island of Java. With approximately 100 million people, Javanese people a ...
have various systems for
naming Naming is assigning a name to something. Naming may refer to: * Naming (parliamentary procedure), a procedure in certain parliamentary bodies * Naming ceremony, an event at which an infant is named * Product naming, the discipline of deciding wh ...
. Some Javanese, especially those from older generations, have only one name and no surname. Others use their father's names as well as their own, in a similar manner to European
patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
s. For example,
Abdurrahman Wahid Abdurrahman Wahid ( ; born Abdurrahman ad-Dakhil; 7 September 1940 – 30 December 2009), though more colloquially known as Gus Dur (), was an Indonesian politician and Islamic religious leader who served as the 4th president of Indonesia, fr ...
's name is derived from
Wahid Hasyim Abdul Wahid Hasyim (June 1, 1914 – April 19, 1953) was the first Minister of Religious Affairs in the government of President Sukarno of Indonesia, a post he held in 1945, and from 1949 to 1952. He was the son of Nahdlatul Ulama founder Has ...
, his father, an independence fighter and minister. In turn, Wahid Hasyim's name was derived from his father named Hasyim Asyari, a cleric and founder of the
Nahdlatul Ulama Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership estimates range from 40 million (2013) to over 95 million (2021), making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU also is a charitable body funding sch ...
organization. Another example is former
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Megawati Sukarnoputri Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri (; born 23 January 1947) is an Indonesian politician who served as the fifth president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004. She previously served as the eighth vice president from 1999 to 2001. Megawati i ...
; the last part of the name is a patronymic, meaning " Sukarno's daughter". Some Javanese, especially those from older generations, have a mononymic name and no family name; for example,
Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of ...
,
Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto l ...
, and
Boediono Boediono ( EYD: Budiono, pronounced ; born 25 February 1943) is an Indonesian economist and statesman. He was the 11th vice president of Indonesia, in office from 2009 to 2014. He became vice president after winning the 2009 presidential electi ...
. Some names are derived from native
Javanese language Javanese (, , ; , Aksara Jawa: , Pegon: , IPA: ) is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, Indonesia. There are also pockets of Javanese speakers on the nort ...
, while some others are derived from
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
and
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
. Names with the prefix ''Su-'', which means ''good'', are very popular.


Sanskrit-derived names

Most Indonesians, especially the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese, have names derived from
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
. This is because of the Indian cultural influence which came to the archipelago since thousands of years ago during the Indianization of South East Asian kingdoms, and ever since, it is seen as part of the Indonesian culture, especially Sundanese, Javanese, Balinese, and some part of Sumatran culture. Unlike Sanskrit-derived names in Thai and Khmer, the pronunciation of such names in either Javanese or Indonesian is similar to the original Indian pronunciation, except that the ''v'' is changed to a ''w'', and all instances of ''s'', ''ś'', and ''ṣ'' are merged into single ''s''. For example, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, former Indonesian president, has a Sanskrit-derived name. "Susilo" comes from ''sushila'' meaning "good character" and "Yudhoyono" comes from ''yudha'' meaning ''war'' or ''battle'' and ''yana'' meaning ''an epic story''.
Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of ...
is derived from the Sanskrit ''su'' (good) and ''karno'' or ''
Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic '' Mahābhārata''. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the ...
'' (a warrior) in
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...
. Several common Indonesian names derived from Sanskrit are deities or heroes names, including
Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.  volumes/ref> I ...
, Krisna,
Wisnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
,
Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a ...
, Bayu, Dewa,
Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...
, Lesmana, Sudarto (Javanese for Siddharta), Dewi, Pertiwi, Sri,
Ratih Dewi Ratih, also known as ''Sang Hyang Ratih'' or ''Sang Hyang Semara Ratih'', is a Hindu lunar goddess worshipped in Java and Bali. She is well known for her beauty and grace, thus she was also known as the Goddess of Beauty. Her myth is linked ...
, Shinta, Laksmi, and
Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a g ...
. Some famous people who uses these names include:
Giring Ganesha Giring Ganesha Djumaryo (born 14 July 1983) is an Indonesian vocalist and political activist. He is a former lead singer of the Indonesian rock band, Nidji. On 31 December 2017, he announced his resignation as Nidji's lead vocalist in order to f ...
,
Isyana Sarasvati Isyana Sarasvati (born 2 May 1993) is an Indonesian singer-songwriter. She is a graduate of Singapore's Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and London's Royal College of Music. Known for her original compositions, she wrote all of the songs on her 2 ...
, Indra Lesmana,
Dewa Budjana I Dewa Gede Budjana (born August 30, 1963) is an Indonesian guitarist, songwriter and composer. He is the lead guitarist and songwriter of the band Gigi. Budjana's style changed dramatically to jazz as he got to know John McLaughlin, Pat Met ...
, Dewi Sandra,
Laksamana Sukardi Laksamana Sukardi (born 1 October 1956) is an Indonesian politician, reformist and banker who served as Minister of State Owned Enterprises (BUMN) under the presidencies of Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Sukarnoputri. Sukardi was born in Jakar ...
, etc.. Other Sanskrit derived names used widely in Indonesia also include such as: Wibisana or Wibisono (from the
Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...
figure Vibhishana), Arya or Aryo, Subrata,
Aditya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a ...
,
Abimanyu Abhimanyu is a legendary warrior from the ancient Hindu history ''Mahabharata''. He was born to the third Pandava prince Arjuna and the Yadu princess Subhadra, who was Krishna's younger sister. The ''Sambhava Parva'' of the Adi Parva states ...
, Bima (from
Bhima In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The '' Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. ...
), Sena, Satya, Cakra (read Chakra), Putri, Putra, Mahardhika, Gatot or Gatut (from the
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...
figure
Ghatotkacha Ghatotkacha ( sa, घटोत्कच, , literally: "Bald Pot") is a prominent character in the story of ''Mahabharata''. His name comes from the fact that his head was hairless (''utkacha'') and shaped like a ghatam, or a pot. Ghatotkacha ...
), Perdana (from the word "Pradhan"), Prameswara or Prameswari, Wijaya (from Vijay), and many more. Many Indonesians use Sanskrit-derived names to indicate their position among siblings (birth order). The first-born child might bear the name ''Eka'' or ''Eko'' (mostly Javanese), the second-born child might be named ''Dwi'', the third-born ''Tri'', the fourth-born ''Catur'', and the fifth-born ''Panca'' or ''Ponco'' (usually Javanese). Some examples are
Eko Yuli Irawan Eko Yuli Irawan (born 24 July 1989) is an Indonesian weightlifter, Olympian, and World Champion competing in the 62 kg category until 2018 and 61 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categ ...
, Rizky Dwi Ramadhana, Triyaningsih, and Catur Pamungkas. Indonesian government names of institutions, mottoes, and other terms also use
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
, such as to address an
Indonesian Navy The Indonesian Navy ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Laut, , Indonesian National Military-Naval Force, TNI-AL) is the naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol ...
admiral, the word "
Laksamana The Laksamana ( Jawi: ) is a position within the armed forces, similar to the position of admiral in Malay sultanates and in present-day countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Since South East Asia was part of Indosphere of Greater India since ...
" (from the Ramayan figure
Lakshmana Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic '' Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja ( ...
) is used. The "Adipura award" (Indonesian: ''Penghargaan Adipura'') which is an award given to cities throughout Indonesia from the central government for cleanliness and urban environmental management also uses from Sanskrit language which is ''Adi'' and ''Pura''. There are also many mottoes of Indonesian institutions which use
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
language, such as the motto of the
Indonesian Military Academy The Military Academy ( id, Akademi Militer or ) is a service academy of the Indonesian Army, part of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Academy (). Founded on the early stages of the Indonesian Revolutionary War and located in the city of Mage ...
which sounds "''Adhitakarya Mahatvavirya Nagarabhakti''". Some of these Sanskrit-derived names might be used by ''ningrat'' or ''menak'' (noble) families, especially among Javanese and Sundanese, in much the same way as some family names in western culture indicate lineage and nobility. Some such names are Adiningrat, Notonegoro, Suryasumantri, Dharmokusumo, Wongsoatmodjo, Natalegawa, Kusumaatmadja, Kartadibrata, Kartapranata, and Kartasasmita.


Chinese names

Under President Suharto, Indonesia attempted to deconstruct organisations and groups that might represent an internal security threat. As a part of the policy to limit the influence of the Chinese
Communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
and to encourage the ethnic Chinese to assimilate, the state strongly encouraged
Chinese Indonesian Chinese Indonesians ( id, Orang Tionghoa Indonesia) and colloquially Chindo or just Tionghoa are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have ...
individuals to change their names. This was a difficult balance because while the names were changed, laws continued to identify them as 'different' from indigenous Indonesian groups. Indonesian businessman, Liem Sioe Liong, for example, had his name changed to Sudono Salim. Some people did not change their names (e.g., Kwik Kian Gie, Liem Swie King, etc.). Many of the later generations have kept the Indonesian form of the name. Other Chinese Indonesians, however, maintain their Chinese name as well as their family names. As is customary with Chinese names, the family name (or surname) is traditionally placed in front of the given (or first) name.


Arabic names

As
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
is the largest religion in Indonesia, it is quite common to find
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
first names or words. Popular Arabic names include
Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...
, Ahmad,
Abdul Abdul (also transliterated as Abdal, Abdel, Abdil, Abdol, Abdool, or Abdoul; ar, عبد ال, ) is the most frequent transliteration of the combination of the Arabic word '' Abd'' (, meaning "Servant") and the definite prefix '' al / el'' (, me ...
, Ali, Arief, Hasan,
Ibrahim Ibrahim ( ar, إبراهيم, links=no ') is the Arabic name for Abraham, a Biblical patriarch and prophet in Islam. For the Islamic view of Ibrahim, see Abraham in Islam. Ibrahim may also refer to: * Ibrahim (name), a name (and list of people w ...
, Hidayat, Rahmat, Maulana, Aisyah, Nur,
Fatimah Fāṭima bint Muḥammad ( ar, فَاطِمَة ٱبْنَت مُحَمَّد}, 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, ...
,
Nabila Nabila, and its variant spellings Nabeela, Nabillah, a Nabeelah, is the feminine variation of the given name Nabil, meaning ''noble''. Notable people with the name include: * Masuma Rahman Nabila, Bangladeshi film actress and model * Nabila Ebe ...
and Zahra. Such names are used by Indonesians not of Arab descent, both as first names and as surnames. Ethnic groups with strong Islamic influence, such as the Acehnese, Malay, Minangkabau, Betawi and
Bugis The Bugis people (pronounced ), also known as Buginese, are an ethnicity—the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassar and Toraja), in the south-western province of Sulawesi ...
, tend to use Arabic names. For example, Indonesian politicians
Teuku Muhammad Hasan Teuku Mohammad Hasan ( EVO: Teoekoe Moehammad Hasan; 4 April 1906 – 21 September 1997) was an Indonesian politician and national hero from Aceh, who served as the first and only governor of Sumatra from 1945 until 1948. He also served as a cab ...
(from Aceh) and
Mohammad Hatta Mohammad Hatta (; 12 August 1902 – 14 March 1980) was an Indonesian statesman and nationalist who served as the country's first vice president. Known as "The Proclamator", he and a number of Indonesians, including the first president of Indone ...
(from Minangkabau) have Arabic names. However, some of these ethnic groups with strong Islamic influences, such as the
Betawi people Betawi may refer to: * Betawi people *Betawi language *Betawi cuisine *Betawi mask dance See also * Batavia (disambiguation) * Batavi (disambiguation) Batavi may refer to: *Batavi (Germanic tribe) **Revolt of the Batavi * Batavi (military unit) * ...
, have Arabic names which have been suitable with the local pronunciation, such as Rojak (Razak), Leman (Sulaiman), etc.
Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
s settled in Indonesia many generations ago, and their descendants still use their family names, for example, Assegaf, Alhabsyi, or Shihab. There are many Javanese-style
Arabic name Arabic language names have historically been based on a long naming system. Many people from the Arabic-speaking and also Muslim countries have not had given/ middle/ family names but rather a chain of names. This system remains in use throughou ...
s such as Marpuah (from Marfu'ah), Ngabdurohman (from
Abdurrahman Abd al-Rahman ( ar, عبد الرحمن, translit=ʿAbd al-Raḥmān or occasionally ; DMG ''ʿAbd ar-Raḥman''; also Abdul Rahman) is a male Arabic Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' Abd'', '' ...
), Sarip (from Sharif), Slamet (from Salamah), Solikin (from Salihin), etc. The name "Maysaroh" is a common female name amongst the Betawi people. However, this name is actually a male name in Arab countries. It is probably mistaken with the name Saroh, which is in turn derived from
Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pio ...
.


Western names

Western names were brought to Indonesia by the Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and later from American-English cultural exports. Names with western origin include Henry, Agus, Johan, Andri, Anto (Antonius), Siska, Roni, Jono, Riska, Suzanna, Rian, Markus, and many more. Indonesian Christian (Protestants and Catholics) may use Christian first names and/or baptismal names such as Yohanes, Andreas, Matius, Markus, Lukas, Paulus, Maria, Stefanus, Yakobus, Filipus, and many more Biblical names. These names have been Indonesianized to conform with the Indonesian pronunciations (or as they appear in the Indonesian Bible translations). But more recently, many parent also used Anglicised names such as Peter, Andrew, James, John, Paul, Eva, Stephanie, Mary, etc.. Many non-Christian Indonesians may also use Western names such as Jon, Sam, Paul, Brian, Toni, Tomi, Anne, or Yulia. Combinations of names from different origins such as "Ricky Hidayat" (Western-Arabic) or "Wisnu Wiryono" (Sanskrit-Javanese) are to be found as well.


Names related to month of birth

Indonesian names may indicate the month of birth. For example, * January: Januri (m), Yanuar (m). Example: Yanuar Tri Firmanda. * February: usually identified from prefix ''Febr-''. Example: Febriyanto Wijaya. * March: Marti (derived from ''Maret'', Indonesian word for March, which in turn is derived from
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
''Maart''). Example: Marty Natalegawa. * April: usually identified from prefix ''Afri-'' or ''Apri-''. Example: Aprilia Yuswandari. * May: Mei or its derivations such as Meilanie, Meiliana, Meiliani (all are feminine). Example:
Meiliana Jauhari Meiliana Jauhari (born 7 May 1984) is a badminton player from Indonesia. She won the women's doubles title at the 2009 and 2013 Indonesian National Championships. Jauhari participated at the 2010 Asian Games and 2012 Summer Olympics. Career ...
. * June: Yuni (f) or its derivations such as Yuniar (f), Yuniarti (f), Yuniarto (m). Example:
Yuni Shara Yuni Shara is an Indonesian singer, she is the elder sister of singer Krisdayanti. She was born as Wahyu Setyaning Budi in Batu, East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of J ...
. * July: usually identified from prefix ''Juli-'' or ''Yuli-''. Example:
Alvent Yulianto Alvent Yulianto Chandra (born 11 July 1980) is a badminton player from Indonesia. Born in Glenmore, Banyuwangi, East Java, he has been playing badminton since he was 10 years old in a club named Suryanaga Gudang Garam Surabaya. Personal life ...
. * August: Agus (m) or its derivations such as Agustin (m), Agustina (f), Agustinus (m, usually borne by Indonesian Catholic). Example: Agus Ngaimin. * September: usually identified from prefix ''Seft-'' or ''Sept-''. Example: Seftia Hadi. * October: usually identified from prefix ''Oct-'' or ''Okt-''. Example: Yati Octavia. * November: usually identified from prefix ''Nov-''. Example: Novita Dewi. * December: Deasy, Desi, Dessy (all are feminine). Example:
Desi Anwar Desi Anwar (born 11 December 1962, in Bandung, West Java) is an Indonesian news presenter. She worked for RCTI in Jakarta from 1990 to 1999. She then moved to news web portal Astaga.com before returning to television and joining Indonesia's first ...
.


Patrilineal and matrilineal family names

The Indonesian patronymic last name is usually constructed of the father's name, with the word ''putra'' (for male) or ''putri'' (for female) appended. One example is former Indonesian President
Megawati Sukarnoputri Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri (; born 23 January 1947) is an Indonesian politician who served as the fifth president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004. She previously served as the eighth vice president from 1999 to 2001. Megawati i ...
, the daughter of former President
Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of ...
. However, it is also common for the father's name alone to form the child's last name (for instance, 'Ali Ahmad' from the father 'Ahmad Sudharma'). Located in Western Sumatra, the Minangkabau are the largest matrilineal culture in the world and the fourth largest ethnic group in Indonesia. Tribe, clan (or ''suku'') titles, properties and names are all handed down through the female line.


Names with religious connotations

Other than the above linguistical sources, Indonesians also gave their children names from their religious background, irrelevant with their mother language or source language of those names. Hindu names typically includes some deity names, and Sanskrit in origin, while Muslim names usually contain some variation of "Muhammad" and other Arabic names (with no apparent consensus on transliteration rule), and Christian names are either borrowed from European languages, or assimilated from them into Indonesian spellings (e.g. Christian -> Kristian). There are some similarities between the Indonesian Christian and Muslim names such as names that can be found in both Abrahamic religions like Adam, Abraham/Ibrahim, Yusuf/Yusup, Harun, Salomo/Sulaiman, Yunus, Ayub. It is noteworthy that names based on religious connotations sometimes doesn't necessarily means that the person (or their parents) adherents of said religion, such as Christians/Muslims with Hindu names (e.g. Wisnu, a common male name,
Giring Ganesha Giring Ganesha Djumaryo (born 14 July 1983) is an Indonesian vocalist and political activist. He is a former lead singer of the Indonesian rock band, Nidji. On 31 December 2017, he announced his resignation as Nidji's lead vocalist in order to f ...
, etc.), Muslims/Hindu/Buddhist with Christian sounding names (e.g.
Kristiani Herrawati Kristiani Herrawati Yudhoyono (6 July 1952 – 1 June 2019), more commonly known as Ani Yudhoyono, was an Indonesian political scientist, who was the wife of former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and First Lady of Indonesia from ...
), or Buddhist/Hindu/Christian with Muslim/Arabic names (e.g. Sulaiman, Hassan, and other common Arabic names), as many Javanese (and Indonesians to a larger degree) took inspirations from various cultural sources. Some names even mix elements from different religious sources, such as "Wisnu Kristianto" (Wisnu from
Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
, and Kristianto from
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
), "Muhammad Wisnu", etc. which makes them truly unique from anthropological's point of view. This naming system is especially prevalent from people living in metropolitan areas, or people with Javanese background, as
Javanese names Javanese people have various systems for naming. Some Javanese, especially those from older generations, have only one name and no surname. Others use their father's names as well as their own, in a similar manner to European patronymics. For exa ...
tend to be more liberal, while less prevalent in other cultures and regions where the majority of the people are still using traditional names and naming system, or where religion still play a very large emphasis on the daily lives.


Nicknames

It is uncommon, and considered rude, to refer to an Indonesian person by their full first name, unless that name has only one or two syllables. Former Indonesian president
Abdurrahman Wahid Abdurrahman Wahid ( ; born Abdurrahman ad-Dakhil; 7 September 1940 – 30 December 2009), though more colloquially known as Gus Dur (), was an Indonesian politician and Islamic religious leader who served as the 4th president of Indonesia, fr ...
, for example, had "Abdurrahman" shortened to "Dur". Many Indonesians use a different name altogether; a woman born as "Khadijah" may be known as "Ida" or "Ijah" to all her friends and family. In
Sundanese culture The Sunda or Sundanese ( id, Orang Sunda; su, ᮅᮛᮀ ᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓ, Urang Sunda) are an indigenous ethnic group native to the Java, western region of Java island in Indonesia, primarily West Java. They number approximately 42 million and ...
it is common for the nickname to become integrated as the first name. For example, someone with the name "Komariah", "Gunawan", or "Suryana" written in their birth certificate may become known as "Kokom" for Komariah, "Gugun", or "Wawan" for Gunawan, and "Yaya" or "Nana" for Suryana. The result is rhyming names such as "Kokom Komariah", "Wawan Gunawan", and "Nana Suryana". Notable people having such names include politician Agum Gumelar, comedian Entis Sutisna (with stage name Sule'), and politician Dedi Mulyadi. Indonesian people might also take a Western style nickname such as Kevin, Kenny, Tommy (Tomi), Jimmy, Ricky, Dicky, Bob, Nicky, Nico, Susy, Taty, Lucy (Lusi), Nancy, Mary (Maria) and so on. It does not necessarily mean their names are Thomas (for Tommy) or James (for Jimmy). For instance,
Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto l ...
's son, Hutomo Mandalaputra is popularly known as "
Tommy Suharto Hutomo Mandala Putra (born 15 July 1962), commonly known as Tommy Suharto, is an Indonesian businessman, politician, and convicted murderer. The youngest son of Suharto, the second President of Indonesia, he has long had a reputation for nepotis ...
". The "Tommy" here was not derived from "Thomas", but from the Javanese name, "Hutomo".


Noble titles as part of personal name

In some ethnic groups it is common to include a nobility title into the formal personal name. Due to the various traditions of nobility in each ethnic group, it may be difficult for people from outside a particular ethnic group to discern the nobility title from the personal name. Acehnese have titles such as ''Teuku'' (male) and ''Cut'' (female). Celebrities with such titles include, for example, Teuku Ryan, Teuku Wisnu, and Cut Tari. Bantenese have titles such as ''Tubagus'' (male) and ''Ratu'' (female). People with such titles include, for example, Tubagus Hasanuddin, and
Ratu Atut Chosiyah Ratu Atut Chosiyah (born 16 May 1962) is a former governor of the province of Banten, Indonesia. She was suspended from office in 2014 because of a corruption case. She held office for several terms. Before her election as governor in 2006, sh ...
. The
Bugis The Bugis people (pronounced ), also known as Buginese, are an ethnicity—the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassar and Toraja), in the south-western province of Sulawesi ...
and
Makassar Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Meda ...
people have titles such as ''Daeng'' and ''Andi'' and the Buton people have titles such as ''La'' (male) and ''Wa'' (female), for example, La Nyalla Mattalitti or Wa Ode Nurhayati.


Indexing

According to the ''
Chicago Manual of Style (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
'', Indonesian names are indexed differently according to the individual practices and customs. If there is one name, it is only indexed under that name. If the family name is printed first, index under the family name with no comma and no inversion.Indexes: A Chapter from The Chicago Manual of Style
"
Chicago Manual of Style (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
. Retrieved on December 23, 2014. p. 25 (PDF document p. 27).


See also

*
Balinese name A Balinese name is part of a system of identification used by the Balinese people and in the western parts of the neighboring island of Lombok, Indonesia. A Balinese name will have three parts: a title, a birth order name and a personal name. Balin ...
* Javanese name *
Marga (Batak) Marga is a term in Batak societies referring to a clan name. The term is derived either from the Sanskrit ''varga'', meaning company, party, or group, or, more likely, from the Sanskrit ''marga'', meaning 'road, way or path', referring to a people o ...


References


Further reading

* A. Kohar Rony, ''Indonesian Names: A Guide to Bibliographic Listing'', Modern Indonesia Project, Cornwell University, 197


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Indonesian Names Indonesian names, Names by culture