Sumber karya sastra Jawa kuno, khususnya cerita-cerita Panji, memuat nama-nama karakter yang berasal dari nama binatang seperti Kuda Narawangsa, Kebo Kanigara, and Kidang Walangka. Fenomena penamaan semacam ini rupanya juga ditemui dalam sumber epigrafi masa Jawa kuno. Permasalahan penelitian meliputi motivasi penamaan dan hubungan antara nama diri dengan jabatan dan status sosial penyandangnya. Seluruh permasalahan tersebut dijawab melalui studi pustaka yang melibatkan metode pengumpulan data, analisis, dan intepretasi. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa fenomena penamaan tersebut secara umum dilatarbelakangi oleh apresiasi terhadap binatang-binatang tertentu yang memiliki tempat dan peran penting dalam kebudayaan masyarakat sehingga dianggap penting dan istimewa. Secara garis besar terdapat kecenderungan perkembangan fenomena pada masa Mataram kuno (Abad ke-9-11 M) dan Kadiri-Majapahit (Abad ke-12-16 M). Periode Mataram kuno didominasi oleh nama diri tunggal yang tidak terkait dengan jabatan tertentu kecuali status sosial kelas bawah, sedangkan periode Kadiri-Majapahit terdapat hubungan nama diri dengan jabatan ketentaraan (makasirkasir) dan status kasta ksatria yang sangat mungkin ditandai oleh pemakaian nama binatang di awal nama diri.

Kata kunci: epigrafi, antroponomastika, nama diri, binatang, makasirkasir

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Old Javanese literary works, especially panji tales, contain many character names derived from animal names such as Kuda Narawangsa, Kebo Kanigara, and Kidang Walangka. This naming phenomenon also appears to be found in the old Javanese inscriptions. The research problems of this study include motivation for naming and correlation between the personal names, social status, and official position of the users. This research uses archaeological method involving data collection, analysis, and interpretation. The results show that the naming phenomenon was generally motivated by the appreciation towards certain animals that had a place and roles in the culture of society so that they were perceived as being important and special. Broadly speaking, there was a different development trend in the ancient Mataram period (9th-11th Century AD) and Kadiri-Majapahit period (12th-16th Century AD). The ancient Mataram period was dominated by a single personal name that was not related to any particular position. During the Kadiri-Majapahit period, there was a correlation between the personal names and the official position of the army (makasirkasir) and kshatriya caste which was very likely to be marked by the use of the name of the animal at the beginning of the personal name.

Keywords: epigraphy, anthroponomastics, personal name, animal, makasirkasir