oko Widodo is of Javanese descent. Before changing his name (changes of name are not unusual in Java), Jokowi was called Mulyono.[8] His father came from Karanganyar, his grandparents came from a village in Boyolali.[9] His education started in State Primary School 111, Tirtoyoso, known for being a school for less wealthy citizens.[10] At twelve, he started working in his father's furniture workshop.[11][12] The evictions he experienced three times in his childhood affected his way of thinking and his leadership later on as the mayor of Surakarta (Solo) as he organised housing in the city.[13]
After primary school, he continued his studies in SMP Negeri 1 Surakarta (middle school).[14] He had wanted to continue his education in SMA Negeri 1 Surakarta (high school), but he failed the entrance exam and went to SMA Negeri 6 Surakarta instead.