Balinese Names by Birth of Order

BALINESE NAMES BY BIRTH OF ORDER

In Hindus, there is a philosophy or knowledge based on Sastra Kanda Pat Sari means 4 Balinese names based on the birth of order. A birth order name is chosen from a few typical names according to the position of the child in the birth order of siblings. The people of Bali use the birth order name to refer to one another.

If a couple of husband and wife has 4 children, the name of them is :

  1. For the first children in that family, in front of the child name must be used: Wayan, Gede, or Putu for the son. Wayan comes from word ‘’Wayahan” means older or oldest. And Gede means bigger or can be biggest. And Putu means grandchild. Wayan, Gede, and Putu have the same meaning that is the oldest brother or sister. And then Luh, Putu, or Wayan also for daughter. For example Gede Wira Putra. Gede on that name means that he is the first son in his family. And then more examples: Luh Ary Feriani. Name ‘Luh’ in front of her name means that she is the first daughter in her family. Other examples: Putu Yeni Kurniasari, Luh Santi Cahyani, Wayan Mertana Yasa, Wayan Sintia Dewi, Gede Febri Pratama, Putu Dody Andriawan.
  2. For the second children, in front of the child’s name must be used: Made, Kadek, or Nengah. Made comes from word “Madya” means middle. And then Kadek means younger brother or sister. Towards to Nengah comes from word “Tengah” also means middle. Made, Kadek, or Nengah can be used for son or daughter. For examples: Kadek Evy Handayani, Made Delima Melani, Kadek Indra Padma Laba, Nengah Mahendra Swastika, Made Siwi Reva Aprilia, Kadek Fendy Permana, Nengah Ritiani, and etc.
  3. For the third children, in front of their name must be used: Nyoman or Komang. Nyoman comes from the word “Anom-an’ means younger or small. And then there is another hypothesis that says that Nyoman comes from the word “Nyeman” which means more fresh referring to the parable of the last layer of banana trees-before the outermost shell-which was quite a laugh. There is also a suspicion that Nyoman and Komang’s name is etymologically derived from the word “Uman” which means “remnant” or “end” in Balinese. Nyoman or Komang can be used for son or daughter. For example; Komang Monica Lestari, Komang Desi Ariati, Nyoman Ena Malini, Komang Erma Satriani, Komang Yudi Mandala Putra, Komang Aditya Hartawan, etc.
  4. For the forth, children use Ketut. Ketut comes from the word “Ketuwut” means “follow”. There is also a link with the ancient word of “Kitut” which means a small banana on the outer edge of a bunch of bananas. Ketut is for son and daughter. For example Ketut Mariawan, Ketut Dewi Paramita, Ketut Teguh Prahesta, Ketut Dian Purnama Sari, Ketut Dian Astrini and etc.

And then, how if they have more than 4 children? The name for the fifth and etc will, her or his name will be back to the first name of Bali. Back to Gede, and then Kadek, Komang, and Ketut again. So don’t be startled if all people in Hindus have a same first name. This is the culture and we will always maintain to conserve our culture.

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