Converging Gendered Name Lengths in Javanese Society: A Computational Analysis

Gender equality is a global concern. This study examines long-term changes in Javanese naming practices, focusing on gendered name length as a culturally grounded proxy for gendered dynamics in the Javanese people, the largest ethnic group in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. In Javanese culture, names are often regarded as prayers (Asma Kinarya Japa) and symbolic responsibilities (Kabotan Jeneng), where longer names may represent a greater number, specificity, or diversity of parental aspirations. Because the Javanese system lacks hereditary surnames as lineage markers, the length of personal names is especially a salient indicator of parental aspirations. Using a computational approach on a large-scale dataset of nearly 3 million voter records (N = 2 906 978), this study demonstrates that Javanese males historically received longer names than Javanese females. Over time, names lengthened for both genders, and the gender gap narrowed unevenly: first in urban areas, then in suburban areas, and finally rural areas. These patterns suggest that naming practices capture shifting parental orientations that, among other factors, may reflect changing gender norms within broader processes of social transformation.