Kaur

Kaur (Punjabi: ਕੌਰ (Gurmukhi), Punjabi: کور (Shahmukhi) English: crown princess) (sometimes spelled as Kour), is a surname or a part of a personal name primarily used by the Sikh and Hindu women of Punjab region.[1] "Kaur" is also sometimes translated as "lioness", not because this meaning is etymologically derived from the name, but as a parallel to the Sikh male name "Singh," which means "lion." "Kaur" is recognized as “Princess” or "Spiritual Princess Kaur, in modern day Punjabi means "princess" and is the name widely used as the second name by female Sikhs. This custom was first introduced in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru when he administered Amrit (baptism) to both males and female Sikhs. All female Sikhs were asked to use the name Kaur after their forename and males were to use the name Singh (lion). This custom further confirmed the equality of both genders as was the tradition set by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak.".[2]

For other uses, see Kaur (disambiguation).
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19th century depiction of a Sikh woman (a Kaur) from a Haveli

Etymology

The Dictionary of American Family Names states that the name is etymologically derived from the Sanskrit word "Kumari" meaning girl or daughter which was later abridged to "Kuar" and became "Kaur" by metathesis. Other scholars however assert that "Kaur" is a diminutive of and the Punjabi equivalent of Kanwar/Kunwar- a Rajput title meaning prince or bachelor that was used for people of status, and eventually became a common Rajput female designation. According to early sources, Kaur was used by both males and females in Punjab. The appellation appears in the Guru Granth Sahib retaining its traditional delineated meaning of "prince", whereas in the Dasam Granth it is used to refer to a woman's name.[3][4][5][6]

History
Detail of a folio from Colonel James Skinner’s ‘Tazkirat al-Umara’ (‘Biographies of the Nobles’) showing the unnamed widowed Sikh queen of Rup Singh of Radaur, circa 1836

The tenth guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, introduced Kaur and Singh when he administered Amrit to both male and female Sikhs; all female Sikhs were asked to use the name Kaur after their forename, and male Sikhs were to use the name Singh.[7]

The adoption of Kaur and Singh as religious surnames was also intended to reduce caste-based prejudice. Because familial last names often signal a person's caste status (or for women who adopted their spouse's surname, the caste of their spouse), substituting Kaur and Singh allowed Sikhs to implement the Sikh religion's rejection of the caste system.[8]


See also

References
  1. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. p. 284. ISBN 9780199771691.
  2. Brodd, Jeffrey (2003). World Religions A Voyage of Discovery. Saint Mary's Press. p. 113. ISBN 9780884897255.
  3. Jakobsh, Doris (1999). Relocating Gender in Sikh History: Transformation, Meaning and Identity. University of British Columbia. pp. 296–300.
  4. McLeod, W.H. (2014). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 175. ISBN 9781442236011.
  5. Atwal, Priya (2021). Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire. Oxford University Press. p. 34. ISBN 9780197566930.
  6. Singh, Pashaura (2019). A Dictionary of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 125. ISBN 9780192508430.
  7. Hawkins, John (2016). The Story of Religion The Rich History of the World's Major Faiths. Arcturus Publishing. p. 302. ISBN 9781784287368.
  8. Cole, Owen (2010). Sikhism - An Introduction: Teach Yourself. John Murray Press. p. 51. ISBN 9781444131017.
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