Indonesian names


Indonesian names and naming customs reflect the multicultural and multilingual nature of the over 17,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago. The world's fourth most populous country, Indonesia is home to numerous ethnic groups, each with their own culture, custom, and language.
The naming customs by no means are consistent, and may differ by ethnic group. For example, most western Indonesians do not have surnames, while eastern Indonesians generally do.

Honorifics

General

In Indonesia, ranks and professional titles are used. It is also customary to use Pak, Bapak, or Saudara to address men and Bu, Ibu, or Saudari to address women. Pak and Bapak are literally translated as "father". Bapak is more formal and is used much like the English word, "Mister". Saudara or Saudari is another term of greater respect and formality. It translates to "kinsman", "lady", or "gentleman". Ibu is literally translated as "mother". It is used as "madam" or "Ms." would be in English. If addressing a man whose name is unknown, one uses Bapak and if addressing a woman whose name is unknown, one uses Ibu.
A very formal way to address an older person or a person of higher status is Tuan or Nyonya, which mean "mister" or "madam".
An informal way to address a significantly older person is to use Om, Paman, Bibi, or Tante, which mean "uncle" and "aunt". The terms are Dutch-influenced and quite commonly used in the big cities.
Local honorifics continue to be employed throughout Indonesia. In a casual situation, Kakak or Kak is used to address a person as an "older sibling".
In Javanese, Mbak is used for "older sister" and Mas is used for "older brother". Mbak and Mas are also used, for example, to address junior staff in cafes and restaurants in Jakarta.
In Sundanese, Teteh or Teh is used for "older sister" and Akang, Kang, or Aa is used for "older brother". Mamang, Amang, or Mang is used for "uncle" and Ceuceu or Ceu is used for "aunt".
In Balinese, Mbok is used for "older sister" and Bli is used for "older brother". Geg is used for "younger sister" and Gus is used for "younger brother".
In Batak, Ito is used by a woman to a man or vice versa to call "older sibling", Eda is used by a woman to call "older sister", and Lae is used by man to call "older brother".
In Minangkabau, Uni is used for "older sister" and Uda is used for "older brother".
In Manado, Ambon, and Kupang, Nona is used for "younger sister" and Nyong is used for "younger brother". Noni is also used for "younger sister" in Manado.
In Papua, Tete is used for elderly men and Nene is used for elderly women. Bapa is used for older men and Mama is used for older women. Pace is used for familiar older men and Mace is used for familiar older women. Kaka is used for "older sibling". Ade is used for "younger sibling". Nona is used for familiar women of your age or young women.
In Malay cultural spheres, an "older sister" is addressed as Kakak or Kak and an "older brother" is addressed as Abang or Bang. However, Abang is also commonly used in other areas to address a becak driver, angkot driver, butcher, vegetable vendor, fishmonger, or hawker.
Gus is used exclusively to address an honorable Eastern Javanese person with a strong traditional and religious identity. For example, the Indonesian former president, Abdurrahman Wahid, was often addressed as Gus Dur; Dur being the short form of his first name, Abdurrahman. Single names are some of the most common around Indonesia.

Royalty

For Indonesian royalty, the titles "Sri" and "Prabhu" are used to address kings and monarchs, usually in Indianized kingdoms located in the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Borneo, and other places which had Hindu/Buddhist influence. "Sri Baginda" or "Sri Paduka Baginda" is the formal title used to address a king, for example the sultan of Yogyakarta, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X. "Prabhu" is also the title used for kings who ruled in the Hindu/Buddhist era, such as Prabu Siliwangi and Prabu Bratasena.

Naming forms

Legally, Indonesian personal names are not divided into first and family names. A single name can be recognized as a full personal name, and the addition of further components—such as additional given names, regional, or ethnic family/clan names or patronymics or matronymics—is a matter of parents' choice when registering the child's name. Even then, family names or patronymics are just considered part of the full personal name and have no official relevance.
The majority of Indonesians do not have family names. Rather, their given names are geographically and culturally specific. Names beginning with "Su" in Indonesian spelling or ending with an "o" are usually Javanese people. For example, people called "Suprapto" or "Soeprapto, Joko" are likely to be of Javanese descent. Suharto is another example.
Malays of northeast Sumatra such as in Medan have a unique naming convention based on the order of their birth:
  • the eldest born is Sulung
  • the second is Ongah
  • the youngest is Bungsu.
Balinese names are given similarly; Wayan means first born, Made means second born. A Balinese name may also indicate caste- for instance, a Kshatriya person may be named "I Gusti".
"Sitompul" and "Rajagukguk" are clan names usually found in people with Batak or North Sumatran heritage.
In general, Indonesian names fall into one of the following categories:
The Ministry of Home Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Regulation no. 73 of 2022 about Recording of Names on Residence Document regulates the naming of Indonesian residents. The document requires names to be written in the Latin script, and having no less than two words and no more than 60 characters, including spaces. It also discourages names that contain multiple meanings or negative meanings.
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", 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 contained up to 132 characters including spaces. In September 2025, Ministry of Home Affairs revealed that three people below have the longest names in Indonesia, and all of them were born before the regulation was enacted.
  • Shinggudinggazhanggaree Jaudingginaderaenivatearathus Mauradhuttamazhazhilazu'art
  • Engkang Sinuhun Kanjeng Pangeran Gagak Handoko Hadiningrat Putro Sabdo Langit
  • Crescentia Fransisca Theresia Johanna Widyarsari Puspa Caesarianti

    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 only one name. Bataks have clan names which are used as their surnames. Some Chinese Indonesians have Chinese-style names. In Indonesian telephone directories, names are listed under the first or given name and not under the last or family name.

Mononymic names

Example:
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, only the child's name would appear, "Hasan".

Polynymic names without a family name

Example:
On the birth certificate, the child's name would be written as "Hasan Prasetyo child of Suparman Prakoso and Wulandari Setiadewi". 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 to appear on official documents, the family name has to be included on the child's birth certificate.
Example:
On the birth certificate, the child's name would be written as "Hasan Prakoso child of Suparman Prakoso and Wulandari Suprapto". On all other official documents, the child's name would be written as "Hasan Prakoso".

Polynymic names with patronymic

The patronymic is usually constructed from the father's name, with the word putra or putri appended.
Example:
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. This might be done unofficially, that is, not matching the birth certificate. Nevertheless, this format sometimes appears on government documents.