Indonesian Names - 'Nicknames'

'Nicknames'

It is uncommon - even 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.

It is also common for Indonesian to have somewhat western-derived nicknames. Many Indonesian might have western names such as Tommy (Tomi), Jimmy, Ricky, Dicky, Bob, Nicky, Nico, Susy, Taty, Lucy (Lusi), Nancy, Marry (Maria) etc. It does not 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 Javanese name "Hutomo" instead.