Indonesian names

Before the regulation was introduced, there had been people with unusual names like 6 people with names with only a single character, including "." and "N",[3] 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.^[4]

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 fluid, such as using y instead of i finally and sometimes medially or using silent letters (there are some very unusual cases such as Masduki Baidlowi or Deddy Corbuzier). Compare Edi with spelling variants Edy and Edhy, are all pronounced homophonously with the first usual variant. The first name of Keenan Almiqdad Riyandhana Saputra, for example, was pronounced as "Kenan" usually, but as "Kinan" by his friends.^[5]

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

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) 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, 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 countries may modify an official Indonesian name to conform to local standards. This is most apparent in states throughout the world 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.^[6]

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 of Aceh, for example, Keruas, Kepale Dese, or Pagan.
• Gayo people of Aceh, for example, Alga, Ariga, Bukit, Cibero, Gading, Gunung, Linge, Munte, or Tebe.
• Kluet people of Aceh, for example, Bencawan, Pinem, Pelis, or Selian.
• Batak people of Sumatra, for example, Hutabarat, Nainggolan, Panjaitan, Simatupang, or Siregar.
• Nias people from Nias, for example, Amuata, Falakhi, Laoly, Marunduri, Ote, or Wau.
• Minangkabau people of Sumatra, for example, Bodi, Caniago, Sikumbang, Koto, or Piliang.
• Mentawai people from Mentawai Islands, for example, Anakalang, Gougou, Oinan, Sagurung, or Talopulei.
• Palembang people of South Sumatra, for example, Benakat, Gumay, Meranjat, Pegagan, or Rambang.
• Komering people of South Sumatra, for example, Bungamayang, Pakusengkunyit, or Semendawai.
• Tribes and royalties in Lampung, for example, Djayasinga, Badak, Limau, Gunungalip, or Way Tube.
• Christian Betawi people, for example, Baidan, Djaim, or Senen.
• Royalties and nobles from the Javanese people, for example, Sastrowardoyo, Djojohadikusumo, or Kolopaking.
• Royalties and nobles from the Sundanese people or Bantenese of Java, for example, Kusumah, Djajadiningrat, Soerjaatmadja, Martadinata, or Prawiranegara.
• Dayak people of Kalimantan, for example, Tingang, Unus, Apui, Usat, Laing, Lawai, Danum, Riwut, Usop, Narang, Undjung, Ngampar, Gohong, Baboe, Huang, Lambung, Djinu, Ningkan, Jau.
• Minahasan people from North Sulawesi, for example, Lembong, Mogot, Ratulangi, Sondakh, or Tendean.
• Mongondow people from North Sulawesi, for example, Damopolii, Mokoginta, Mokodongan, Manoppo, Mokodompit, or Pasambuna.
• Sangirese people from Sangihe Islands, for example, Kansil, Manansang, Manganang, Mohede, or Tatengkeng.
• Talaud people from Talaud Islands, for example, Ambanaga, Binambuni, Darinding, Gumansalangi, Lalombuida, Ratungalo, or Totopandey.
• Gorontalo people of Gorontalo, for example, Gobel, Hulupango, Lasindrang, Panigoro, or Uno.
• Toraja people from South Sulawesi
  for example, Batusura, Lumba, Rambulangi, or Manganan.
• Various ethnic groups in the
  Molucca Islands, for example, Malaiholo, Hehamahua, Sahanaya, or Sahilatua. Due to intermixing, many Moluccans also retain foreign surnames from foreign countries such as the Netherlands (Van Afflen, Van Room, De Wanna, De Kock, Kniesmeijer, Gaspersz, Ramschie, Payer, Ziljstra, Van der Weden, etc.), Portugal (Da Costa, De Fretes, Que, Carliano, De Souza, De Carvalho, Pareira, Courbois, Frandescolli, etc.), Spain (Oliviera, Diaz, De Jesus, Silvera, Rodriguez, Montefalcon, Mendoza, De Lopez, etc.), and Arabic directly from Hadramaut
  (Al-Kaff, Al Chatib, Bachmid, Bakhwereez, Bahasoan, Al-Qadri, Alaydrus, Assegaff, etc.)
• Various ethnic groups in East Nusa Tenggara 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) 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
  . There are also other West Papuan surnames popular in Indonesia such as Suebu, Kaisiepo, Numberi, and Solossa.

Some Javanese, especially those from older generations, have a mononymic name and no family name; for example, Sukarno, Suharto, and Boediono. Some names are derived from native Javanese language, while some others are derived from Sanskrit and Arabic. Names with the prefix Su-, which means good, are very popular.

Sanskrit-derived names

Most Indonesians, especially the

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 is derived from the Sanskrit su (good) and karno or Karna (a warrior) in Mahabharata.

Several common Indonesian names derived from Sanskrit are deities or heroes names, including

Indonesian government names of institutions, mottoes, and other terms also use Sanskrit, such as to address an Indonesian Navy admiral, the word "Laksamana" (from the Ramayan figure Lakshmana) 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 language, such as the motto of the Indonesian Military Academy 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 Jayadiningrat, 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

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.

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 Christians (Protestants and Catholics) may use Christian first names and/or

• 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 Maart). Example: Marty Natalegawa.
• April: usually identified from prefix Apri- or Afri-. Example: Aprilia Yuswandari.
• May: Mei or its derivations such as Meilanie, Meiliana, Meiliani (all are feminine). Example: Meiliana Jauhari.
• June: Yuni (f) or its derivations such as Yuniar (f), Yuniarti (f), Yuniarto (m). Example: Yuni Shara.
• July: usually identified from prefix Juli- or Yuli-. Example: Alvent Yulianto.
• August: Agus (m) (actually a name of native origin) or its derivations such as Agustin (m), Agustina (f), Agustinus (m, usually borne by Indonesian Catholic). Example: Agus Ngaimin.
• September: usually identified from prefix Sept- or Seft-. 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.

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, the daughter of former President Sukarno. 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,

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.^{[citation needed]} Former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid, 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 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's son, Hutomo Mandalaputra is popularly known as "Tommy Suharto". 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 people have titles such as Teuku (male) and Cut (female). Celebrities with such titles include, for example, Teuku Wisnu and Cut Tari.

Balinese people have titles based on castes such as Ida Bagus for male and Ida Ayu for female (Brahmana caste), I Dewa, I Dewa Ayu, I Gusti, I Gusti Ayu, Ida I Dewa Agung, Cokorda/Tjokorda, and Anak Agung (Ksatriya caste), and Ngakan, Kompyang, and Sang (Waisya caste).

Banjar people have titles such as Andin, Antung, and Anang (male) and Gusti and Galuh (female).

Bantenese people have titles such as Tubagus (male) and Ratu (female). People with such titles include, for example, Tubagus Hasanuddin and Ratu Atut Chosiyah.

Belitung people have titles such as Ki Agus (male) and Nyi Ayu (female).

The Bugis and Makassar people have 13 titles such as Andi, Petta, Datu, Bau, Daeng, Karaeng, Kare, Puang, Arung, Iye, La/I, Opu, and Sombaya. People with such titles include, for example, Andi Mappanyukki and Karaeng Matoaya.

Butonese people have titles such as La (male) and Wa (female). People with such titles include, for example, La Nyalla Mattalitti and Wa Ode Nurhayati.

Javanese people have titles such as Raden Mas, Raden, and Mas (male), Raden Ayu, Raden Nganten, and Mas Ayu (married female), and Raden Ajeng, Raden Rara, and Mas Ajeng (unmarried female).

Malay people have titles such as Tengku (male and female) and Datuk (male).

Minangkabau people have titles such as Datuak, Sutan, and Marah for male. People with such titles include, for example Sutan Sjahrir and Marah Roesli.

Palembang people have titles such as Raden Mas, Masagus, Kemas, and Kiagus (male) and Raden Ayu, Masayu, Nyimas, and Nyayu (female).

Sasak people have titles such as Lalu (male) and Baiq (female). People with such titles include, for example, Lalu Muhammad Zohri and Baiq Lukita Kirana Putri.

Sumba people have titles such as Umbu (male) and Rambu (female).

Indexing

According to the

See also

• Balinese name
• Javanese name
• Marga (Batak)

References