Kumar

For other uses, see Kumar (disambiguation).
A coin, around 200 BCE, of the Yaudheyas with depiction of Kumāra Karttikeya

Kumar ( pronunciation ; Sanskrit: कुमार) is a Hindu title, a given name, middle name, or a family name found in South Asia, though not specific to any caste or community. It is a generic title which means unmarried or chaste. It is the 9th most common family name in the world, 3rd most common in India and 2nd most common in Fiji.[1] It is more common in Northern India and the most common family name in Haryana, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.[1]

History

The origin of kumar can be traced back to early development of Hinduism and its origin in South Asia. The first usage of kumar was for the Four Kumāras, the four sons of Brahma from the Puranic texts of Hinduism named Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana, and Sanat.

In Skanda Purana, the largest Mahapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts, the text is devoted mainly to the leelas of Kartikeya, son of Shiva and Parvati. "Kumar" is used to refer Kartikeya.

Notable people

First name
Middle name
Last name

See also

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 http://forebears.co.uk/surnames/kumar Kumar Surname at Forebears
  2. "Land Forces Site - General Arunkumar Sridhar Vaidya". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 2014-01-10.