Category:Javanese

From Namespedia - Names Meaning and Origins

The Javanese are an ethnic group native to the Indonesian island of Java. They are predominantly located in the central to eastern parts of the island. At approximately 85 million people, it is the largest ethnic group on the island, and also in Indonesia.

The Javanese were traditionally concentrated in the provinces of East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta, but due to migration within Indonesia there are now high populations of Javanese people in almost all the Indonesian provinces.

Javanese people have various systems for naming. Some Javanese have only one name and no surname. Others inherit a surname from their father's given name, like Icelandic names.

Culturally, Javanese people use a patrilineal system that traces the hierarchic lineage of the father. This system is particularly used to determine descendants' right to use royal titles before their names. However, it is not customary for Javanese to pass on a family name.

Many Javanese have just a single name, for example, Sukarno or Suharto. Names may have come from traditional Javanese language; many derived from Sanskrit. Names with the prefix Su-, which means good, are very popular. After the advent of Islam, many Javanese used Arabic names, especially among clerics and the northern coast population, where Islamic influence is strong. Commoners usually have only one-word names, while nobles use names of two or more words, but rarely a surname. Due to the influence of other cultures, many people started using names from other languages, mainly European languages. Catholic Javanese usually use Latin baptismal names followed by a traditional Javanese name, for example Albertus Soegijopranoto, the first Indonesian bishop. Albertus is his baptismal name, while Soegijopranoto is his traditional Javanese given name.

Some people use a patronymic. For example, Abdurrahman Wahid's name is derived from Wahid Hasyim, his father, an independence fighter and minister. In turn, Wahid Hasyim's name was derived from his father named Hasyim Asyari, a famous cleric and founder of the Nahdlatul Ulama organization. Another example is former president Megawati Sukarnoputri; the last part of the name is a patronymic, meaning "Sukarno's daughter".