Kaur
Kaur (Punjabi: ਕੌਰ (Gurmukhi), Punjabi: کور (Shahmukhi) English: crown prince) (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".[2]
It also goes back to Sanskrit word "Kumari" meaning girl or daughter, which was abridged to "Kuar" and then changed into "Kaur" by metathesis.[1] Etymologically it derived from the Rajput term Kanwar/Kunwar or prince and was used for persons of status.[3]
History
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.[4]
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.[5]
| Punjabi | Transliteration | English translation |
|---|---|---|
ਭੰਡਿ ਜੰਮੀਐ ਭੰਡਿ ਨਿੰਮੀਐ ਭੰਡਿ ਮੰਗਣੁ ਵੀਆਹੁ ॥ |
Bẖand jammī▫ai bẖand nimmī▫ai bẖand mangaṇ vī▫āhu. |
From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to a woman he is engaged and married. |
See also
References
- ^ a b Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. p. 284. ISBN 9780199771691.
- ^ Brodd, Jeffrey (2003). World Religions A Voyage of Discovery. Saint Mary's Press. p. 113. ISBN 9780884897255.
- ^ McLeod, W.H. Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 175. ISBN 9781442236011.
- ^ Hawkins, John (2016). The Story of Religion The Rich History of the World's Major Faiths. Arcturus Publishing. p. 302. ISBN 9781784287368.
- ^ Cole, Owen (2010). Sikhism - An Introduction: Teach Yourself. John Murray Press. p. 51. ISBN 9781444131017.
- Karamjeet kaur, History of Sikhs: 1469-1838, Vol I: Oxford University Press, 2004, page 80, footnote 14.
