Ageng

Ageng is a term found in Javanese and broader Indonesian usage that functions as an honorific element in personal names and royal titulature. In Javanese, ageng conveys ideas of greatness, seniority, or primacy and is often attached to a name to signal status, lineage, or reverence. The form is related to the Indonesian word agung, but ageng tends to be used in historical, regional, or aristocratic contexts and appears most often in names rather than modern everyday speech.

Historically, ageng appears in the names of nobles and rulers. It is part of the regnal and ceremonial language used in royal and aristocratic circles. Notable examples include figures such as Ki Ageng Pemanahan, a lineage-name tradition in Central Javanese history, and Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa, a 17th-century ruler of the Banten Sultanate, where ageng labels a distinguished status within the name.

In modern times, ageng is not a common contemporary given name in daily use. It persists mainly in historical documents, literature, and discussions of Javanese culture and royal lineages. When encountered today, it often carries ceremonial or nostalgic connotations rather than serving as a routinely used personal name.

See also discussions of Javanese naming practices and the use of honorifics in Indonesian royal and aristocratic contexts. The term should be distinguished from modern Indonesian terms such as agung, which also means “great” but appears in different linguistic and cultural settings.