Singh

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For the fictional global crime syndicate, see Singh Brotherhood.

Singh (Hindi: िसंह, Punjabi: ਿਸੰਘ, Gujarati: Sinh) is derived from the Sanskrit word Siṃha meaning "lion".[1] It is used as a common surname and middle name in North India by many communities, groups and peoples, especially the Rajputs and the Sikhs.[2]

Contents

[edit] Etymology

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The word "Singh" is derived from the Sanskrit Siṃha meaning lion. Several variants of the word are found in other languages:

  • In Hindi Devnagari script, the name is written as िसंह ("Siṅh", IPA: Siŋhə) and often pronounced as िसघ ("Singh", IPA: Siŋɣə). Other variants include Simha, Sinha, and Singhal.[3][4]
  • In Tamil, the word for lion is Singham or Singhe written as சிங்க, also derived from Sanskrit (see Malay words of Tamil origin, and Singapore).
  • In Punjabi (Gurmukhi script), the name is written as ਿੰਸਘ (Singh) and pronounced as Singh.
  • In Gujarati, it is spelled as Sinh. Another variant is Sinhji, the form of Singh used in Gujarat, where the 'g' is dropped and the suffix of respect, 'ji' is added.
  • Chinese also derived the word for Lion from Buddhist missionaries from India: thus the word Shizi 狮子.[5]
  • In Thailand, Singha, written as Thai: สิงห์ with final syllable marked as silent, refers to a mythical lion; the zodiac sign of Leo; a popular brand of beer, Singha; and is frequently used as a place name (for instance, Ban Singh Tha). Singhakhom Thai: สิงหาคม, in which the /ha/ is pronounced, is the Thai solar calendar month of August. Sing Toe Thai: สิงโต, which omits /ha/ entirely and adds Thai for big or grown up, refers to the lion. All except Toe are of Sanskrit origin.

[edit] History

Singh was first used as a surname by the Rajputs beginning in the 7th century[6]. It has been common practice among the Rajput men to have Singh as their middle name.[7] The Rajputs started using Singh in preference to the classical epithet of "Varman".[8]

The Sikhs adopted Singh as a surname in 1699, as per the wish of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru.[9] In the Spring of 1699, on the day of Baisakhi, Guru Gobind Singh (originally named Guru Gobind Rai), made it mandatory for all Sikh males to append the name suffix Singh after their name. Singh is used as a middle name or as a surname (see naming patterns section) by approximately 10 million adherents of Sikhism.[10]

Apart from the Sikhs and the Rajputs, several other groups in India have also adopted Singh as either a middle name or a surname. Some of these include the Yadavs (e.g. "Mulayam Singh Yadav"), the Bhumihars, the non-Sikh Punjabis, the Gujjars (e.g. "Nirbhay Singh Gujjar"), and the non-Sikh Jats (e.g. "Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana").

Contrary to the popular belief that Singh is only used by Punjabis, Singh is used by a wider population from Punjab to Uttar Pradesh and from Kashmir down into Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharastra to Nepal as well as the far eastern states of Manipur, Assam, Tripura, Sikkim and even Bhutan, spanning the entire subcontinent and even reaching Southeast Asia. It is also found in use among West Indians of Indian origin namely in places of Guyana, Trinidad and Surinam, as well as people of Indian origin found in Mauritius and Fiji Island.

The use of Singh in Hindus as a middle name or last name denotes automatically that they are from the Kshatriya varna and are of the Rajput sub-caste or are descended from them where intermarriages have happened with Jats and Gujjars etc..[citation needed] Original occupation of Kshatriyas and Rajputs was of being warriors and rulers, many families under different circumstances over the centuries intermarried or changed their profession to being farmers, carpenters etc. but retained Singh in their name denoting their ancestry and original family genealogy and caste.[citation needed]

[edit] Naming patterns

Singh is often used the traditional way, as previously described, by having it as the middle name after the first name and followed by the clan/family name by many communities, groups & peoples.[11] For example, "Yogendra Singh Yadav", "Bhupinder Singh Hooda", "Mahendra Singh Dhoni" and "Bhairon Singh Shekhawat"). Sikh examples include, "Jassa Singh Ahluwalia" (Supreme leader of the Khalsa army), "Jassa Singh Ramgarhia" & "Hari Singh Nalwa" (General of Khalsa army). Thus Singh can be used as a middle name before the individual's surname, a common practice among many groups in India e.g. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia (Pattern, 1: First Name, 2: Singh, 3: Family name).Sometimes, but less often in modern times, Singh is used as a surname (for example, "Manmohan Singh", "Rhonda Singh" and "Harbhajan Singh").

Earlier, a common practice among the Rajput men was to have Kumar as their middle name and Singh as their last name, while Rajput women had the last name of Kumari or Kunwarani. However, many Rajput women have Singh in their name as well.[12] Several times during history due to various reasons Rajputs have migrated out of Rajputana their native region; many of those that got settled in other parts of India have since come to use Singh as their last name even though they belong to separate Rajput gotras and clans, this happened over several generations due to the local population preferring to popularly calling them just Singh in the new places they settled outside Rajputana, this was usually enough to denote that they belonged to the Kshatriya varna and were Hindu Rajput warriors by caste.[13]

A section of around a million adherents of Sikhism that live abroad in western countries only keep Singh or Kaur as an last name. This has caused legal problems in immigration procedures in Canada especially.[14]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Feuerstein, Georg [1998] (2002). The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice. Motilal Banarsidass/Hohm, 444. ISBN 8120819233. OCLC 39013819. 
  2. ^ Allen, Charles (1984). Lives of the Indian Princes. New York: Century, 344. ISBN 9780517556894. OCLC 11821681. 
  3. ^ Dahiya, Bhim Singh (1980). Jats, the Ancient Rulers: A Clan Study. New Delhi: Sterling, 5. OCLC 7086749. 
  4. ^ Vanita, Ruth (2005). Gandhi's Tiger and Sita's Smile: Essays on Gender, Sexuality and Culture. New Delhi: Yoda Press, 37. ISBN 978-8190227254. OCLC 70008421. 
  5. ^ The Wisdom of China and India - By Lin Yutang ISBN-10: 0394607597
  6. ^ History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India - 4 Vols. ; Till the Year A.D. 1612 by Mahomed Kasim Ferishta ISBN-10: 8170691222
  7. ^ Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan by Col. James Tod ISBN-10: 8175361883 ISBN-13: 978-8175361881
  8. ^ Qanungo, Kalika Ranjan (1960). Studies in Rajput History. Delhi: S. Chand, 99. OCLC 1326190. 
  9. ^ A History of the Sikh People (1469-1988) by Dr. Gopal Singh Isbn: 8170231396
  10. ^ Dr. McLeod, Head of Sikh Studies, Department of South Asian Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  11. ^ Khushwant Singh, A History of the Sikhs, Volume I
  12. ^ Kolff, Dirk H.A., The Rajput of Ancient and Medieval North India: A Warrior-Ascetic; Folk, Faith and Feudalism, Edited by NK Singh and Rajendra Joshi, Institute of Rajasthan Studies, Jaipur, India. Rawat Publications, Jaipur and New Delhi. isbn 81-7033-273-8
  13. ^ Joshi, Rajendra, Feudal Bonds; Folk, Faith and Feudalism, Edited by NK Singh and Rajendra Joshi, Institute of Rajasthan Studies, Jaipur, India. Rawat Publications, Jaipur and New Delhi. isbn 81-7033-273-8
  14. ^ Common Sikh names banned under Canada's immigration policy

[edit] External links

  • Rajput India [1]
  • The official website for the Royal Family of Udaipur/Mewar [2]
  • Manipur State Archives [3]
  • Singh - G5SikhMedia.co.uk
  • GAESO-Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organisation [4]
  • Rajput Regiment Global Securities [5]
  • Sikh Regiment Global Securities [6]
  • Sikhs [7]