Wayan

Syllable breakdown

Name meaning and origin

Origin

Balinese (Indonesia)

Meaning

a Balinese birth-order name given to the first-born child in a family, from the Balinese wayah meaning elder or grown, establishing the first child's status as the eldest and thus as bearer of particular responsibilities within the family structure; the Balinese naming system's emphasis on birth order over individual given names reflects a social philosophy in which relational position within the family is considered more fundamental to identity than personal distinction; Wayan is the most common name in Bali by far — approximately one in four Balinese people bear it — making it a powerful emblem of the communal, birth-order-centred world of Balinese Hindu social organisation

Gender

unisex