19th century depiction of a Sikh woman from a Haveli

Kaur ( pa, ਕੌਰ (

Gurmukhi Gurmukhī ( pa, ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ, , Shahmukhi: ) is an abugida developed from the Laṇḍā scripts, standardized and used by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad (1504–1552). It is used by Punjabi Sikhs to write the language, commonl ...

), pa, کور (

Shahmukhi Shahmukhi (, ) is a Perso-Arabic alphabet script used historically by Punjabi Muslims (primarily in present-day Pakistani Punjab) to write the Punjabi language. It is generally written in the Nastaʿlīq calligraphic hand, which is also used for ...

) en, crown prince) (sometimes spelled as ''Kour''), is a surname or a part of a personal name primarily used by the

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ' ...

and Hindu women of

Punjab region Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

. "Kaur" is also sometimes translated as "lioness", not because this meaning is

etymologically Etymology () The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words ...

derived from the name, but as a parallel to the Sikh male name "

Singh Singh ( IPA: ) 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, it eventually became a common surname adopted by different commu ...

," which means "lion." "Kaur" is recognized as “Princess” or "Spiritual Princess". It also goes back to Sanskrit word "Kumari" meaning girl or daughter, which was abridged to "Kuar" and then changed into "Kaur" by metathesis. Etymologically it derived from the Rajput term Kanwar/Kunwar or prince and was used for persons of status.

History

The tenth

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

of Sikhs,

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708), born Gobind Das or Gobind Rai the tenth Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind ...

, introduced ''Kaur'' and ''

'' when he administered

Amrit Amrit ( ar, عمريت), the classical Marathus ( grc-gre, Μάραθος, ''Marathos''), was a Phoenician port located near present-day Tartus in Syria. Founded in the third millenniumBC, Marat ( phn, 𐤌𐤓𐤕, ) was the northernmost im ...

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''. 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.

References

* Karamjeet kaur, ''History of Sikhs: 1469-1838'', Vol I:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

, 2004, page 80, footnote 14. {{Sikhism Sikh names Indian surnames Sikhism and women

History

See also

References