By K&P 
After just a few days in Bali, one might get the impression that the people you meet are introducing themselves with the same names over and over again. Every time you meet someone, it’s another Wayan, Putu, or Gede. Why is that, and how do Balinese names actually work?
Balinese people are given names depending on their birth order, and these names are the same regardless of gender. To us Europeans, this might seem strange, even limiting in terms of freedom of choice, but here it seems that no one even thinks about it. Over time, however, I see a great advantage to this system—it’s much easier to remember the names of newly met people when the number of possible names is limited 😉
According to Balinese tradition, the first child will be named Wayan, Putu, or Gede.
The second child will be named Made, Kadek, or Nengah.
The third child will be named Nyoman or Komang.
For the fourth child, there’s no choice—it will be named Ketut. If the family has more children, the naming starts over 😉 The fifth child is often called Wayan Balik, meaning the next Wayan 🙂 According to local information, however, this is happening less and less, and it’s rare to find young Ketuts anymore. Most families don’t decide to have more than three children.
Balinese people often give their children a second or even third name. These names are typically related to their religion, Hinduism, and always carry positive meanings. For example, it could be Dewi, meaning goddess, or Suardika, meaning guiding light.
As for distinguishing the gender of the child, prefixes are used, so it’s immediately clear whether the person is a woman or a man. In the case of women, the prefix is “Ni,” for example, Ni Wayan refers to a woman born as the first child. On the other hand, “I Wayan” refers to a man, the firstborn son.
To make things even more complicated, there is a caste system in Bali, and it also influences the names given. It’s not as prevalent as in India, and it’s not a rule that every Balinese person must belong to a caste. There are still many indigenous Balinese who have never joined any caste.
Most Balinese belong to the Sudra caste. This caste consists of farmers, craftsmen, fishermen, and generally people who do physical work. There are no additional rules for naming here; the general rules of birth order apply.
Wesia is the caste of merchants and landowners. In this caste, an additional prefix is used before the name, such as Ngakan, Kompyang, or Sang.
The Ksatria caste represents the aristocracy and elite of Balinese society. The most common names for men in this caste are Gusti Ngurah, Anak Agung, Tjokorda, or Dewa. For women, the names include Gusti Ayu, Anak Agung Istri, Tjokorda Istri, or Desak. These names are reserved for those at the highest levels of the hierarchy.
The Brahmin caste is made up of scholars, economists, and intellectuals. People from this caste can be recognized by names like Ida Bagus for men and Ida Ayu for women.
Now that we know the rules for Balinese naming, how do we tell which Nyoman we’re talking about when there are dozens of them living in the village? Balinese people often use nicknames. In fact, almost everyone has at least one. Often, the family calls them by one name, and their friends from school by another. Nicknames, just like everywhere, are usually given based on physical characteristics or personality traits.