Singh

For a list of people with the surname, see List of people with surname Singh.

Rajput ruler Rana Sangram Singh (1482-1528).
Creation of the Khalsa by Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, 1699 CE.
Prime Minister of Nepal and Commander-in-Chief of the Nepalese Army, Mukhtiyar Mathabar Singh Thapa, (1843-1845) of the Chhetri Thapa dynasty.
Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh of Raj Darbhanga in Bihar, published in Graphic Magazine, December 1888.

Singh (IPA: /ˈsɪŋ/ SING) is a title, middle name, or surname that means "lion" in various South Asian and Southeast Asian communities. Traditionally used by the Hindu Kshatriya community,[1] it was later mandated in the late 17th century by Guru Gobind Singh (born Gobind Das) for all male Sikhs as well, in part as a rejection of caste-based prejudice[2] and to emulate Rajput naming conventions.[3][4][5][6] As a surname or a middle name, it is now found throughout the world across communities and religious groups, becoming more of a generic, caste-neutral, decorative name—similar to names such as Kumar and Lal.[7][8][9]

  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick (2013). Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. p. 354. ISBN 9780199771691.
  2. ^ James Minahan (2012). Ethnic Groups of South Asia and the Pacific An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 289. ISBN 9781598846591. The use of the two names by baptized Sikhs was originally intended to end the prejudice created by names pertaining to the various Hindu castes
  3. ^ Atwal, Priya (15 January 2021). Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire. Oxford University Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-19-756693-0. Singh was a common name utilised by Rajputs, the Hindu ruling or warrior caste.
  4. ^ Singh, Pashaura (2014-03-01). "An Overview of Sikh History". In Singh, Pashaura; Fenech, Louis E. (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. OUP Oxford. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8. The male members were given the surname Singh (lion) and female members were given the surname Kaur (princess), with the intention of creating a parallel system of aristocratic titles in relation to the Rajput hill chiefs of the surrounding areas of Anandpur.
  5. ^ Jakobsh, Doris (2004). "What's in a Name: Circumscribing Sikh Female Nomenclature". In Singh, Pashaura; Barrier, Norman Gerald (eds.). Sikhism and History. Oxford University Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-19-566708-0. As the term 'Singh' meaning 'lion' was adopted from the Rajputs, so too was the name 'Kaur'
  6. ^ Shackle, Christopher (2004-01-14). "Sikhism". In Hardy, Friedhelm; Houlden, Leslie (eds.). The World's Religions. Routledge. p. 722. ISBN 978-1-136-85185-8. The code of conduct (rahit) expected of all initiates of the Khalsa, as laid down by Guru Gobind Singh and subsequently eloborated, emphasises both the equality of its members and the martial spirit expected of them by awarding the Rajput titles of Singh ('lion') to men and Kaur ('princess') to women, irrespective of caste origin.
  7. ^ Adhikari, Krishna P.; Sapkota, Bhimsen (2018-06-09). "Fiji Nepals: Reviving Connections Lost for Over a Century". In Gellner, David N.; Hausner., Sondra L. (eds.). Global Nepalis: Religion, Culture, and Community in a New and Old Diaspora. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-909337-3. In the process of forming a casteless society, many first generation Nepalis (and Indians) changed their surnames to Singh, which is a neutral and now common surname.
  8. ^ Deshpande, Ashwini (2011-08-03). "Theories of Discrimination and Caste". The Grammar of Caste: Economic Discrimination in Contemporary India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-908846-1. Some individuals often drop their surnames and use generic names such as Kumar, Lal, Singh, or Chowdhary that are not jati specific.
  9. ^ Kumar Suresh Singh (1996). Communities, segments, synonyms, surnames and titles. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 32. ISBN 9780195633573. Going by the usage, Singh is more a title than a surname, cutting across communities and religious groups.