Malaysian names
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Personal names in Malaysia vary greatly according to ethno-cultural group. Personal names are, to a certain degree, regulated by the national registration department, especially since the introduction of the National Registration Identity Card (NRIC).
Malay names
Traditional Malay names were taken from one of a number of languages, or even a combination of two or more elements from these languages:
- Malay such as Intan, Melati, Kiambang or Tuah
- Khmer, Siamese or Cham such as Tam, Som or Lai
- Javanese such as Ratnasari, Joyo or Kesuma
- Sanskrit or Pali such as Wira, Darma or Wati
Malay names are not to be confused with Malaysian names. Malay names also exist in various countries other than Malaysia, including among the ethnic Malay communities in Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, South Africa (Cape Malays) and Thailand.
Arabic names were introduced later along with Islam names but did not become dominant among commoners until the colonial era. Although traditional Malay names were still widely used for centuries afterward, they are now primarily confined to rural areas. Malaysia's National Registration Department doesn't allow names which they deem to have negative or obscene meanings, such as Pendek which means short. The Department additionally bans names with the meaning of colors, animals and natural phenomena. This effectively renders many traditional names illegal including Puteh or Putih (white), Bulan (moon), Suria (sun), Rimau (tiger) and Awan (cloud). Because of these restrictions, the vast majority of Malays today tend to favour Arabic names. However, names from the following languages are common as well:
- Persian such as Jihan, Mirza or Shah [1]
- Greek or Latin such as Maria, Marina, Johana,[2] and Tiara (from Latin tiara "crown, turban")
- English, such as Orked (from the English "orchid") or Ros (from "rose")
Names of
. In addition, names of Arabo-Hebrew origins that seldom used by Muslim Arabs are widespread among Malays, such as the female names of Saloma and Rohana.In pre-modern times, words and names of Arabic derivation were adapted to suit the Classical Malay language. This is still reflected in the rural pronunciation of certain Middle Eastern names. Thus, Sharif would be Sarip and Aziz would become Ajis.
Structure
A Malay's name consists of a personal name, which is used to address them in all circumstances, almost always followed by a patronym. Thus, most Malays do not use family names or surnames. In this respect, Malay names are similar to
In the past it was uncommon for a Malay to have more than one personal name, but in modern times Malay names may consist of two and sometimes three personal names.
As of January 2022, the longest recorded name for a Malaysian is 'Princess Aura Nurr Ermily Amara Auliya Bidadari Nawal El-Zendra', comprising 63 letters including spaces.[3]
Some are taken from public figures around the world, such as Mohammad Rifae Zidane, whose third personal name is taken from the
Patronymic
The patronymic is employed by almost all Malays in accordance with local customs as well as ones adopted from the Arabs, historically Jews and others. Sometimes the title part of the patronymic, Bin or Binti, is reduced to B. for men, or to Bt., Bte. or Bint. for women. Foreigners sometimes take this abbreviation erroneously for a
When someone is referred to using only one name, the first name is always used, never the second (because it would be inappropriate and rude to call someone by their father's name). Thus, Musa Osman is Mr Musa (or Encik Musa in Malay), and Aisyah Musa is Mrs/Ms/Miss Aisyah (or Puan/Cik Aisyah in Malay). Occasionally, however, a man's personal name comes after the Islamic prophet Mohammed's name, or the word Abdul. In such a case, the man will usually be referred to by his second name, if the third name is the patronymic. For example, Mohammed Hisyam bin Ariffin would be referred by the name Mr Hisyam, or Abdul Rahman bin Rasyid would be referred to as Mr Abdul Rahman.
It is argued[by whom?] that the Mr or Mrs form of address is not compatible with the Malay naming system, probably due to the lack of family or surnames.[according to whom?] It is therefore customary to address Malays using the Malay forms of address (Encik or Puan/Cik).
Honorifics
In olden times, the
Second personal names or double names
Another feature in Malay names, which is very common, is the existence of second personal names or double names. This seems to have been developed in response to the use of very popular Muslim names, like Muhammad and Ahmad for men, and Nur and Siti for women. Bearers of these names, and their variants, often add a more distinctive second name, like Muhammad Osman or Nur Mawar. The patronym is then added after these.
The popular first elements in double Malay male names are:
- Muhammad/Mohammad/Mohammed (often abbreviated to Muhd., Mohd., Md. or simply M.)
- Mat – the Malay variant of Muhammad. Mat is also the casual spoken form of names ending with -mad or -mat such as Ahmad, Rahmat, Samad, etc.
- Mamat - another variety of Muhammad
- Ahmad
- Awang (Commonly used in Kelantan, Terengganu, Brunei and Sarawak)
The most common first elements in double Malay female names are:[citation needed]
- Nur/Nurul/Noor/Nor
- Siti/Ct
- Dayang (Commonly used in Brunei and Sarawak)
A special case of double names for men is the use of
Thus, Osman may have another son called Abdul Haqq, who is known as Abdul Haqq bin Osman, or Abdul Haqq Osman. Then he, in turn, may have a daughter called Nur Mawar, who is known as Nur Mawar binti Abdul Haqq, or Nor Mawar Abdul Haqq. It is often common to drop the first element in these double names, even if it is Abdul, and so the examples could be known as Haqq Osman and Mawar Haqq.
Malay titles
Hereditary titles
In different parts of, but not exclusive to, Malaysia, traditionally inherited (patrilineally)
The examples of inherited titles are:
by Patrilineal Royal descent (Malay)
- Tunku
- Tengku
- Raja
- Wan
by Patrilineal Royal descent (Malay - Mon-Khmer)
- Yang
- Long
by Patrilineal Royal descent (Acheh - Malay)
- Teuku
by Patrilineal Royal descent (Bugis - Malay)
- Daeng
- Daing
by Matrilineal Royal descent (Malay)
- Engku
- Cheku
- Ungku
- Megat (male)
- Puteri (female)
- Wan
- Nik
by Patrilineal and/or Matrilineal, Royal and/or Noble descent
- Muhammad.
- Mior (for male only) — indicating direct matrilineal descent from the family of Muhammad.
- Awangku/Pangiran/Pengiran, Dayangku (commonly found in Brunei and Sarawak, for male and female, denoting Bruneian-Malay aristocratic descent).
- Tuan (used more generally as a respectful term of address for men, like 'sir')
- Awang/Dayang, Abang/Dayang or Dayangku (used in Brunei and Sarawak, for male and female, respectively)
by Patrilineal Noble descent
- Wan
- Nik
- Che
- Tun
- Azmi
All hereditary titles are controlled and regulated as well as registered by the Malaysian National Registration Department and must appear in the National Registration Identity Cards (NRIC), passports as well as all official documents. A person may not in any circumstances be denied or stripped of his or her hereditary titles and persons with no evidence of inheritance are not allowed to carry these titles in accordance to local customs as well as the national registration naming regulations.
Non-hereditary titles
The titles above should not be confused with those given by special award which are non-hereditary, like 'Datuk', 'Tan Sri' and 'Tun'.
These titles are usually awarded by the
The title 'Tun' is reserved for nationally important persons, like the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Mahathir bin Mohamad. He was given the title after his resignation at 2003.
For an example of a complex name, one former
Haji or Hajjah
If someone has been on the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, they may be called Haji for men or Hajjah for women. Thus, if Musa Bin Osman went on the Hajj, he could be called Haji Musa Bin Osman, and his daughter Aisyah might be called Aisyah Binti Haji Musa. If Aisyah herself have gone for the hajj, her name would be Hajjah Aisyah Binti Haji Musa. The titles can also be shortened in writing to 'Hj.' for Haji and 'Hjh' for Hajjah.
Chinese names
Traditional Chinese names are used among the Malaysian Chinese. These names are usually represented as three words, for example Foo Li Leen or Tan Ai Lin. The first is the Chinese surname, which is passed down from a father to all his children. The two other parts of the name form an indivisible Chinese given name, which may contain a generation name. In other cultures, the family name is sometimes shifted to the end of the name (for example, Li Leen Foo).
Some Chinese use a Western personal name (for example, Denise Foo), and some use this in preference to a Chinese given name. Most of these are used by Chinese Malaysian Christians, or Chinese who primarily speak English. On official documents, this name is either written in the order Western given name - surname - Chinese given name (e.g., Denise Foo Li Leen) or surname - Chinese given name - Western given name (e.g., Foo Li Leen Denise),[citation needed] or Western given name - Chinese given name - surname (e.g., Denise Li Leen Foo). In general practice, only one of the given names (the Western or Chinese name) is used. Chinese Malaysian Muslims may use Arabic given names while some use Arabic-derived Chinese names, e.g., Firdaus Fong Siew Chong.
As no formal system of
Indian names
Officially,
Following traditional practice from South India, the father's name is sometimes abbreviated to an
Indian Malaysian Muslims, like ethnic Malays, use Arabic names or names of their own languages, while Arabic-derived Christian names may also be used by Indian Malaysian Christians.
Sikh Malaysian usage follows either the western fashion of personal names followed by the family name or more commonly the South Indian pattern with the personal name followed with the phrase "anak lelaki" (son of) for males and "anak perempuan (daughter of) for females. Examples of Sikh western-style usage where their full personal names followed by their family (or clan) name are: Harjit Singh Gill (for a male) or Harjit Kaur Gill (for a female). Examples of usage in the South Indian fashion would be: Harjit Singh a/l Jit Singh (for a male) and Harjit Kaur a/p Jit Singh.
Names of members of other groups
Some
Minangkabau descendants use clan and tribal names passed down matrilineally.
See also
References
- ^ "45 Malay Persian Names Generated - Name Generator". Genametor | Random Catchy Name Generator for businesses. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ "33 Malay Greek Names Generated - Name Generator". Genametor | Random Catchy Name Generator for businesses. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ "Princess Aura Nurr Ermily Amara Auliya Bidadari Nawal El Zendra kekal nama terpanjang di Malaysia". Kosmo!. Putrajaya. 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Peminat Kurang Setuju Awal Ashaari & Scha al-Yahya Namakan Anak 'Lara'". 18 August 2014.
- ^ Names and Surnames among the Malays Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Names and Surnames among the Malays Archived 21 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 983-2600-01-4. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ^ "22810 Malay Hindi Names Generated - Name Generator". Genametor | Random Catchy Name Generator for businesses. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ "4662 Malay Sanskrit Names Generated - Name Generator". Genametor | Random Catchy Name Generator for businesses. Retrieved 9 February 2022.