Do Indonesians have surnames?
Hi, Kurojin2 Most of us Indonesians don’t have any surname. There are some Indonesian ethnic groups, however, maintain their surnames. Among these tribes are the Bataks, Minahasas (Manadonese), Ambonese, and some (if not all) Papuan tribes. The Nias people of the Nias Island in the province of North Sumatra have a peculiar custom of hiding their surnames, for example, Indonesian Powerlifter World Champion of 1980’s named Nanda hid his surname, that is Telaumbanua. Chinese Indonesians usually got 2 names; their Chinese name and their Indonesian name. Taipan Liem Sioe Liong (Sudono Salim) chose an indonesian name that resembles his Chinese one (As you might already know, Chinese surnames are written as first names, in this case, Liem), while some of them chose a very different name than their original name (sociologist Arief Budiman, for instance), and still some others prefer not to change their Chinese names, like ex-secretary of economy Kwik Kian Gie or All-England Badminton Champion
