Indonesian Names - Naming Forms

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.

Read more about this topic:  Indonesian Names

Famous quotes containing the words naming and/or forms:

    The night is itself sleep
    And what goes on in it, the naming of the wind,
    Our notes to each other, always repeated, always the same.
    John Ashbery (b. 1927)

    But however the forms of family life have changed and the number expanded, the role of the family has remained constant and it continues to be the major institution through which children pass en route to adulthood.
    Bernice Weissbourd (20th century)