Bali Travel Blog

(Priest or Pemangku. Photo by: Mertha Kurnia on Fivehundredpx)

Probably you wonder why there are so many Gustis, Agungs, Kadeks or Wayans, or why women and men have same names. Some people find it weird, some people find it funny, some people find it normal. However, they probably don’t know the history why there are many Balinese have same names. Those names are normally first names of Balinese people, then followed by middle names. The Balinese parents give names to their child based on many aspects. It can be based on the caste of the family, the event happens when the baby born, or based on objects the parents see. Here are how the Balinese give names to their child.

1. Balinese names based on caste.

The Balinese names came from the tradition of caste that is still strongly adopted by Hindus in Bali. The caste influences the naming system for Balinese since hundreds years ago. In ancient times, the naming system of Hindus in Bali were defined based on the level of castes that are differentiated by the preoccupation.There are four castes in Bali; Brahmana is the highest one, normally they are Hindu priests. Ksatria is the second one who were leaders of the communities, Wesya is the third one who had preoccupation as farmers and Sudra is the last one who were common people. However, these days Brahmana and Ksatria are not always leaders anymore, all castes have the same position in the community.

Balinese names according to the caste such as:

• Ida Bagus (male) and Ida Ayu (female) are names for the highest caste (Brahmana).
• The second highest caste (Ksatria) names are I Gusti, Anak Agung, Tjokorda or I Dewa.
• The third one (Wesya) are Gusti Bagus for male and Gusti Ayu for female.
• The last caste is Sudra, the naming system for Sudra is based on the birth position.
  1. First born names : Wayan, Putu, Gede, Ni Luh(female only)
  2. Second born names : Made, Kadek, Nengah, Ngurah
  3. Third born names : Nyoman, Komang
  4. Fourth born names : Ketut

People of Brahmana, Ksatria and Wesya also combine their names with Sudra names. For example: Ida Bagus Ketut Pradnyana, Anak Agung Putu Subawa or Gusti Ayu Komang Suniti.

For the people of Sudra, normally their names begin with “I” for male and “Ni” for female. For instance: I Made Purnama, this name can be defined as a second son named Purnama. While Ni Wayan Karmi can be defined as a first daughter named Karmi.

( I Gusti Ngurah Rai – Balinese Patriot whose name is used for the International Bali Ngurah Rai Airport. Photo: 4shared.com )

2. Balinese names based on events, conditions, or places.

Another unique way Balinese give names to their child based on the event when the child is born, how the baby look like, or name of objects the parents find on site. Normally, this naming style was used by uneducated parents or family from the caste of Sudra who don’t know normal or modern names to give to their child. However, this naming system is not popular anymore in this era. Example of names based on this naming are:

• If the first child born when there is lightnings, the parents would name the child as I Putu “Petir”, petir means lighting.
• If the second child born with very dark skin, they would name the child as Ni Kadek “Selem”, selem means black.
• If the third child born  when there was full moon, the parents would name the child as I Komang Purnama, purnama means full moon.

3. Balinese names based on good wish of parents for the child.

In more modern era, The Balinese give names to their child with prefix “Su” which means “good” and then followed with an adjective, they wish good things for their child. For example:

• Ida Bagus Suputra, this can be defined as a child born in Brahmana family and the parents wish him to be a good child. Suputra means good boy or man.
• Ni Komang Sukerti, this can be defined as a 3rd child born in Sudra family and the parents wish her to be a good achiever. Sukerti means good achiever.

4. Balinese names in modern era.

These days, Balinese parents give names to their child using either western names or Indian Sanskrit names that make the names longer than names that using old naming system. Moreover, “I” and “Ni” are rarely used for the child born in modern family in modern era. Example:

• Balinese child with modern names: Putu Michael Suputra or Anak Agung Sherly Susilawati. Putu and Anak Agung are the Balinese names based on caste, Michael and Sherly are the modern/western names, Suputra and Susilawati are names based on good wish.
• Balinese child with Sanskit Indian names: Ida Bagus Nakula Pratama or Ni Kadek Anjali Maheswari. Ida Bagus and Ni Kadek are Balinese names based on caste, Nakula and Anjali Maheswari are Indian Sanskit names.

(Balinese farmer. Photo by: Alexander Stephan on Fivehundredpx)

So, now you know why many Balinese have same names. What is your Balinese name according to your birth position?

Did you know?

If a Sudra family has more than 4 children, they will give name to the 5th child as the name of the first child ( Wayan, Putu or Gede), names of second child for the 6th child and so on. However, they will call the 5th child (and after) as “Balik” as their nick name which means “return” – return to the previous names. So, they will call the 5th child as Putu “Balik”, 6th child as Made “Balik, and so on.

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