Dukcapil Reveals Unique Indonesian Names: From Nobita and Naruto to Taylor Swift
The Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) at the Ministry of Home Affairs has revealed a series of unique facts from Indonesia’s population data, showing the diverse inspirations parents draw upon when naming their children, ranging from national heroes and world celebrities to anime characters and nationalistic terms.
Director General of Dukcapil Teguh Setyabudi stated that naming trends in Indonesia continue to change from generation to generation. Names that were once common are now becoming rare. “In the past, names like Joko, Sutrisno, and Selamat were common. Now, if there is an eight-year-old child named Selamat, it is probably rare. So there is indeed a shift in naming trends,” Teguh said during a panel discussion at the Dukcapil National Coordination Meeting in Jakarta.
According to Dukcapil data, many Indonesians still carry names of national heroes. However, the influence of global pop culture is also very apparent. Teguh revealed that some residents have names identical to world celebrities. “Nationally, Muhammad is very common. But there are also Olivia, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, and even Taylor Swift,” he explained.
The phenomenon of adopting names from Japanese anime is also significant. Dukcapil found residents with names like Nobita, Naruto, Sasuke, Shinchan, and Boruto. Additionally, there are names inspired by countries, such as Oman, Greece, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. Names with a strong sense of nationalism, like Merdeka, Garuda, and Indonesia, are also recorded in the population database.
Teguh also highlighted the variety of initial letters used in Indonesian names. While names starting with vowels are common, some residents have names beginning with less typical letters. “What is also interesting is that while names starting with vowels like O and U are normal, we also have residents whose names start with X and Q. That is very rare for us,” he said.
Despite the wide variety of names, Teguh emphasised that every name carries a deep meaning. “A name is a hope, a prayer,” he concluded.