Indonesian names

Indonesian names and naming customs reflect the multicultural and the polyglot nature of a nation which is an archipelago of over 17,000 islands. It is the world's fourth most populous nation comprising about 365 tribal-ethnic groups, making it unrivaled in terms of ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity. There are over sixty ethnic groups officially recognized in the country, each with their own culture, customs, and language, with the Javanese being the largest single group (40%).

Honorifics

In addition to the usual ranks and professional titles, it is customary to add Pak or Bapak and Saudara for addressing men, and Bu or Ibu for addressing women. Pak and Bapak are literally translated as "father", with Bapak being the more formal. Saudara is a term of greater respect and formality, literally translated as "kinsman". Ibu is literally translated as "mother" and is used in speech much like the English words "ma'am" and "lady". If a person's name is unknown, it is possible to call an Indonesian man Bapak or an Indonesian woman Ibu. Another informal way in addressing older people is to call them Om and Tante, which mean "uncle" and "aunt". The terms are Dutch-influenced and quite commonly used in big cities. However, local honorifics continue to be employed throughout Indonesia, such as the Javanese Mbak for a woman or girl of equal rank, Mas for a man with equal rank, that in Sumatran Malay or Minangkabau cultural sphere is corresponds to Abang (lit: 'older brother'). Also 'Gus' (from bagus) as used to address former president 'Gus Dur'.

Naming forms

Indonesians do not generally use the Western naming practice of a given first name and a family last name. The majority of Indonesians do not have family names as the West would understand them but, such names as are given, are geographically and culturally specific. Hence, names such as Supomo, Soeprapto, etc. beginning with "Su, Soe" and ending with an "o" are usually Javanese. In general, Indonesian names fall into one of the following categories (in order of popularity):

• A single name, such as Sukarno and Suharto
• Two (or more) names without a family name, such as Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
• Two (or more) names with a family name such as Abdul Haris Nasution or Mahyadi Panggabean
• Two (or more) names with a patronymic, such as Megawati Sukarnoputri or Abdurrahman Wahid

These categories of names are described below.

Indonesian naming system

Until recently, most Indonesians did not have family names. Their 'surname' was merely another personal name. Usually, men and women have a given name and take the name of their father. Some married Indonesian women take the last/family name of their husband, but not all, and this name is usually added after their own 'last' name. Therefore, it is not uncommon for married couples to have different last/family names.

Naming also differs around the country, with many Javanese having only one name; North Sumatrans have clan names instead of family names; and some Chinese Indonesians have Chinese-style names. It is interesting to note that Indonesian telephone directories names are listed under first/given names, not under family names.

Example 1: Single word name

Example:

Child's name: Gema

Father's name: Suparman

Mother's name: Wulandari

On the birth certificate, the child's name would be written as:

Gema 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:

Gema child of Wulandari

On all other official documents (ID card, driver's license, and passport), only the child's name would appear:

Gema

Example 2: Multiple word name without family name

Example:

Child's name: Gema Pertiwi

Father's name: Suparman Perkasa

Mother's name: Wening Wulandari

On the birth certificate, the child's name would be written as:

Gema Pertiwi child of Suparman Perkasa and Wening Wulandari

On all other official documents, the child's name would be written as:

Gema Pertiwi

This would be analogous to English-speakers using their first and middle names but not their last names.

Example 3: Multiple word name with family name

As was demonstrated in Example 1 above, only the child's name will appear on official documents. If the parents want a family name (or surname) to appear on these documents, the family name should be included in the child's official name.

Example:

Child's name: Gema Alatas

Father's name: Suparman Alatas

Mother's name: Wening Wulandari Asegaff

On the birth certificate, the child's name would be written as:

Gema Alatas child of Suparman Alatas and Wening Wulandari Asegaff

On all other official documents, the child's name would be written as:

Gema Alatas

Example 4: Multiple word name with patronymic family name

The family name is usually constructed from the father's name, with the word putra (for male, means "son" in Sanskrit) or putri (for female, means "daughter" in Sanskrit) appended.

Example:

Child's name: Gema Suparmanputra

Father's name: Suparman

Mother's name: Wulandari

On the birth certificate, the child's name would be written as:

Gema Suparmanputra child of Suparman and Wulandari

On all other official documents, the child's name would be written as:

Gema Suparmanputra

This would be somewhat analogous to the practice in Iceland, where only patronymics are used.

Occasionally, the father's name will be used as the surname, without appending putra/putri (e.g., Gema Suparman). This is considered unofficial, since it does not match what is on the birth certificate. Despite being different from the official name, this format sometimes appears on government documents.

Modifications to the name outside of Indonesia

Countries often modify the official Indonesian name to conform to their typical naming standards. This is most apparent where individuals normally have a family 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 ID card would record the individual's name as:

Example 1: Gema Onbekend

Example 2: Gema Pertiwi Onbekend

Example 3: Gema Alatas Onbekend or Gema Alatas

Example 4: Gema Suparmanputra Onbekend

In Germany, the one-word name is used as both given name and surname. This is often displayed on official documents as Gema Gema or G. Gema.

In the U.S., there are generally three ways to deal with person with only single-word name.

1. Use his/her name as his/her surname, then the official records (ID or Driving Licenses or school records) added FNU (or Fnu) as their first name. This can lead to a false belief that Fnu is a common Indonesian first name.
2. Use his/her name as his/her first name, then the official records (ID or Driving Licenses or school records) added LNU (or Lnu) as their surname. This can also lead to another false belief that Lnu is a common Indonesian surname. In some cases "FNU" will be added after the name, then standing for "Family Name Unknown".^[1]
3. Use his/her name as his/her first name and surname, such as Gema Gema.

Origin of family names in Indonesia

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 and to encourage the ethnic Chinese to assimilate, the state required Chinese Indonesian 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. With Suharto's downfall came new laws, one of which allowed the Chinese to revert to Chinese family names,

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 written in front of the given (or first) name.

See also: Indonesian-sounding names adopted by Chinese Indonesians

Arabic names

The descendants of Arabs settled in Indonesia many generations ago still used their family names (e.g. Assegaf, Alhabsyi, Shihab). Since Islam is the largest religion in Indonesia, it is quite common to find Arabic first names or words (e.g. Amir, Rashid, Saiful, Bahar) being used by Indonesians, both as first names and surnames.

Sanskrit derived names

Indonesians from various religions, especially Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese might have Sanskrit derived names — names that may sound Hindu-influenced. Hindu mythologies, names, etc. are seen as part of the Indonesian culture and not associated with the religion only. As the result it is common to have muslim Indonesian with seemingly hindu names. Some of first names are derived from sanskrit and is the popular name of Indian Hindu gods or heroes; such as Indra, Bayu, Surya, Dharma, Krisna, Wisnu, Rama, Lakshmana, Sudarto (Javanese for Siddharta), Susilo, Dewi, Sri, Laksmi, Shinta (Javanese for Sita), Kumala, Hapsari (Javanese for Apsara) and Ratih.

Some of these sanskrit derived names might be used by ningrat or menak (nobles) families in fashion similar to family name in western culture to indicate lineage and nobility; such as Adiningrat, Notonegoro, Suryasumantri, Dharmokusumo, Wongsoatmodjo, Kusumaatmadja, Kartadibrata, Kartapranata and Kartasasmita.

Western names

Baptismal Latin names (e.g. Johannes, Paulus, Antonius, Anastasia) are mostly used by Indonesians of Roman Catholic religion (Many Indonesian Roman Catholics have some given names similar to Indonesian Muslims: Fatima, Omar, and Soraya. These are given by Portuguese who first colonized the islands and are common in Portugal, which, like Indonesia, came under Arab influence), while Protestant adherents tend to choose the English versions (e.g. George, Harry, John, Stephanie, Melinda). Due to the influence of Western popular culture and celebrities, many non-Christian Indonesians also have shortened Western names (e.g. Courtney, Tony, Julie), so some combinations like Ricky Hidayat (Western-Arabic) or Lucy Wiryono (Western-Javanese) are to be found as well.

Local family names

Traditionally, there are few Indonesian ethnic groups or tribes whose people maintain family names. These include

• The Bataks of Sumatra
• The Minangkabau of Sumatra
• People from Manado and other parts of North Sulawesi
• People from Ambon and the Molucca Islands
• Tribes in the Eastern Lesser Sunda Islands (East Nusa Tenggara)
• Tribes in the islands off the west of Sumatra (mainly Nias)

Patronymic family names

The Indonesian patronymic family name is usually constructed of the father's name, with the word putra (for male) or putri (for female) appended. One famous example is former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of former President Sukarno. However, it is common for the father's name alone to form the child's surname (for instance, 'Ali Ahmad' from the father 'Ahmad Sudharma').

Matronymic family names

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. A man's children are not his clan's heirs. Instead, they are heirs of his wife's clan. When a man dies, he has to leave his possession of clan properties to the children of his sisters. The grandmother is the ultimate matriarch and a power figure. Although the Minangkabau are Muslim, their customs are unique and unusual in a state with a predominantly Muslim culture. Most such matriachial customs are justified by tradition, although they are sometimes supported by examples from the sira of the Prophet Muhammad, especially stories revolving around the centrality of Muhammad's first employer and subsequent wife, Khadija.

'Nicknames'

It is uncommon - sometimes even considered rude - to refer to an Indonesian by their full first name, unless that name has only one or two syllables. Former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid, for example, had the 'Abdurrahman' shortened to 'Dur'; it would sound excessively formal to call him 'Abdurrahman'. 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 that the nickname or calling name later would become integrated as the first name. For example someone was born with the name Komariah, Gunawan or Suryana written in their birth certificate. Later they acquired nicknames such as Kokom for Komariah, Gugun or Wawan for Gunawan, and Yaya or Nana for Suryana; as the result the nickname become the first name thus creating rhyming names such as Kokom Komariah, Wawan Gunawan, and Nana Suryana.

See also

Indonesia portal

• Balinese name
• Javanese name

References

1. ^ Example of court document using FNU as a placeholder last name

External links

• Indonesian Baby Names - Indonesian Baby Names with meanings.