Couples expecting a baby invest many of their time and thoughts deciding a unique first name for their child-to-be. A name that is meaningful, and more importantly, stand out from the rest. The possibility could range from an Icelandic slang to a word means “world peace” in Zulu.

Balinese parents don’t seem to experience such struggle. In Balinese culture, the pool of names they can choose from is limited to: four groups. They are all Sanskrit, and each group is plotted to the child, according to his/her birth order.

The first child can only be called Wayan, Putu or Gede.

The second child is called either Made or Kadek.

The third child, Nyoman or Komang.

The forth one, Ketut.

And that’s it.

For the fifth child, the cycle repeats itself. So a family of 5 children would have 2 Wayans, and a family of 9 children would have 3 Wayans in their home. Interesting isn’t it?

The interesting part doesn’t end there as Balinese doesn’t have shared family name. So there is really no indication that anyone is related to the rest of his/her family, other than the birth certificate. Each Balinese get their unique last name. The children may be given their last names according to their physical attributes, character trait, or good qualities they’re wished to posses.

This is where the Balinese parents get some freedom to choose a name. But they won’t decide a name until their babies are at least 3 months old. That gives them enough time to get to know their child, and have a better idea of who they are.

Furthermore, a prefix is used before a name to indicate the gender of the name owner. Women are given the honorific ‘Ni', as in 'Ni Wayan', much like Miss or Mrs. Man use ‘I', as in 'I Wayan', much like Mr.

And of course, for every rule you will find plenty of exception. You might find some variation due to caste membership, regional customs, and linguistic differences between North & South of Bali.

But still, saving names to my contact list could be a little tricky. If I’m not careful, I would end up scrolling upon 20 Mades on my phone and couldn’t figure out which Made is my next door neighbour and which Made is the guy I should call when the grass on my garden is dying.

May peace always be bestowed to you,

Axioo Bali.