Balinese Names and Caste System - by an English Speaking Local Balinese Guide and Driver

Hello,

Names can tell you a lot in Bali.  Importantly, each of the four traditional names tells you whether a person was born first, second, third, or fourth in the family.  But there is more.

My whole name is I Made Suba.

You can call me Made (pronounced Mah-day.)  I have three brothers and one sister, and my name tells you I was the second born son in our family.  Everyone with the name Made -- and there are many of us -- was the second born.

Wayan is for the first born child,
Made is second born, and
Nyoman is for the third born.
Finally, Ketut  is for the fourth born child.

Notice the "I" in the name.  I is the title for a son, and Ni is the title for a daughter.

Easy right?  Not so fast.  These names are for the children born into the Sudra caste.  We have four castes in Bali:

Brahmin,
Kesatrya,
Wesya, and
Sudra.

And as you can guess, different names are used in different castes.  More about that another time.

Best regards,
I Made Suba

I'd love to be your local, English speaking guide and driver in Bali.  Contact me for more information about day trips or longer stays.