A coin, around 200 BCE, of the Yaudheyas with depiction of Kumāra Karttikeya">Yaudheyas.html" ;"title="BCE, of the Yaudheyas">BCE, of the Yaudheyas with depiction of Kumāra Karttikeya Kumar (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: wikt:कुमार, कुमार ''kumārá'') is a title, given name, middle name, or a family name found in the Indian subcontinent, mainly in, but not limited to,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

, though not specific to any religion, ethnicity, or caste. It is a generic title which variously means ''prince'', ''son'', ''boy,'' or ''

chaste Chaste refers to practicing chastity. Chaste may also refer to: * Aymar Chaste (1514–1603), Catholic French admiral * Chaste (Marvel Comics), a fictional Marvel Comics martial arts enclave * Chaste (canton) - see List of townships in Quebec, Ca ...

''. It is the 11th most common family name in the world as of August 2019.https://forebears.io/surnames/kumar Kumar Surname at Forebears

History

The origin of ''kumar'' can be traced back to the early development of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

and its origin in

ancient India Anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. The earliest known human remains in South Asia date to 30,000 years ago. Sedentism, Sedentariness began in South Asia around 7000 BCE; ...

. The first usage of ''Kumar'' was for the Four Kumāras, the four sons of

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

from the Puranic texts of Hinduism named Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana, and Sanat. In ''Skanda Purana'', the largest '' Mahapurana'', a genre of eighteen

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

religious texts, the text is devoted mainly to the leelas of

Kartikeya Kartikeya (/Sanskrit phonology, kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda (Sanskrit phonology, /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/Sanskrit phonology, sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha (Sanskrit phonology, /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan ...

, son of

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

and

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

. "Kumar" is used to refer

Geographical distribution

As of 2014, 97.3% of all known bearers of the surname ''Kumar'' were residents of

. The frequency of the surname was higher than national average in the following states and union territories:Kumar Surname Distribution
/ref> * 1.

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

(1: 9) * 2.

Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...

(1: 10) * 3.

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

(1: 11) * 3.

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

(1: 11) * 4.

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

(1: 15) * 5.

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

(1: 16) * 5.

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

(1: 16) * 6.

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

(1: 28) * 7.

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

(1: 30) * 8.

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

(1: 39)

Notable people

First name

* Kumar Basnet, (born 1943) Nepalese folk singer *

Kumar Dharmasena Deshabandu Handunnettige Deepthi Priyantha Kumar Dharmasena (born 24 April 1971) is a Sri Lankan cricket umpire and former international cricketer. He is a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and the first person to participate in an ICC ...

, Sri Lankan cricketer and International cricket umpire * Kumar Gandharva (1924–1992), Indian singer * Kumar Gaurav, Indian film actor *

Kumar Kashyap Mahasthavir Bhante Kumar Kashyap Mahasthavir () (born Asta Man Shakya) (24 July 1926 – 26 February 2012) was a Nepalese Buddhist monk who was awarded the title of Tripitakacharya (Tripitaka Master). In 1944, he was expelled from Nepal by the Rana dynasty, ...

, Nepalese Buddhist monk * Kumar Malavalli, Indian businessman *

Kumar Mangalam Birla Kumar Mangalam Birla (born 14 June 1967) is an Indian billionaire businessman. He is the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, one of the largest Conglomerate (company), conglomerates in India. He is the chancellor of the Birla Institute of Techn ...

, Indian industrialist *

Kumar Pallana Kumar Valavhadas Pallana (23 December 1918 – 10 October 2013) was an Indian-American character actor. He performed on the Mickey Mouse Club as a plate spinner and juggler. Career Pallana moved to the United States in 1946 and spent 20 year ...

, Indian film actor *

Kumar Ponnambalam Gaasinather Gangaser Ponnambalam (: 12 August 1938 – 5 January 2000; known as Kumar Ponnambalam) was a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. Leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, he was the party's presidential candidate in 1982. He was shot de ...

(1940–2000), Sri Lankan lawyer and politician * Kumar Pradhan, Nepalese scholar * Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan, Indian race car driver * Kumar Rocker, American baseball pitcher *

Kumar Sangakkara Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara (; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan former professional cricketer who represented Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2015. A former captain in all formats. He was born in Matale, Central Province. In first-class cricke ...

, Sri Lankan cricketer and a former captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team *

Kumar Sanu Kedarnath Bhattacharya (born 20 October 1957), professionally known as Kumar Sanu, is a leading Indian playback singer who primarily sings in Hindi film songs. He is widely regarded as the Melody King of Bollywood. He holds the record for winn ...

, Indian playback singer *

Kumar Shahani Kumar Shahani (7 December 1940 – 24 February 2024) was an Indian film director and screenwriter, best known for his parallel cinema films '' Maya Darpan'' (1972), '' Tarang'' (1984), '' Khayal Gatha'' (1989) and '' Kasba'' (1990). His films w ...

(1940-2024), Indian film director * Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji, cricketer who played for England *

Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji Colonel Kumar Sri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, (10 September 1872 – 2 April 1933), often known as Ranji or K. S. Ranjitsinhji, was an Indian cricketer who later became ruler of his native Indian princely state of Nawanagar from 1907 ...

, AKA K. S. Ranjitsinhji, Indian prince, maharaja and Test cricketer *

Kumar Vishwas Kumar Vishwas (born Vishwas Kumar Sharma; 10 February 1970) is an Indian Hindi poet, a lecturer and former politician. He was one of the founding members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a former member of its National Executive. Life and car ...

, Hindi-language performance poet * Kumar Sapkota, Software developer

Middle name

* Abhas Kumar Ganguly, birth name of Kishore Kumar * Adarsh Kumar Goel, Indian judge * Ajith Kumar Siriwardena, Sri Lankan Briton professor of hepato-pancreatico-biliary surgery *

Akshay Kumar Datta Akshay Kumar Datta (also spelt Akshay Kumar Dutta) () (15 July 1820 – 18 May 1886) was a Bengali writer from India. He was one of the initiators of the Bengal Renaissance. Early life He was born as the son of Pitamber Dutta in Chupi villag ...

, Bengali writer * Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri, a leading physicist *

Amrit Kumar Bohara Amrit Kumar Bohara (), born April 27, 1948,K.C., Surendra. ''Aitihasik dastavej sangroh - bhag 2''. Kathmandu: Pairavi Prakashan, 2063 B.S.. p 460. is a leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML). He is a member ...

, Nepalese politician *

Anant Kumar Agarwal Anant Kumar Agarwal from the Cree Inc., Chapel Hill, NC was named Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2012 for contributions to silicon carbide Silicon carbide (SiC), also known as carborundum (), is a ...

, engineer * Ananth Kumar Hegde, Indian politician * Anil Kumar Jha, (born 1969) Nepalese politician * Anjani Kumar Sharma, Nepalese surgeon * Arjun Kumar Basnet, (born 1975) Nepalese marathon runner * General Arunkumar Vaidya, the former Chief of Indian Army * Arup Kumar Kundu, educationist, rheumatologist, clinician, orator, teacher, and author * Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, Nepalese politician *

Devendra Kumar Joshi Admiral (India), Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi, Param Vishisht Seva Medal, PVSM, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, AVSM, Yudh Seva Medal, YSM, Nausena Medal, NM, Vishisht Seva Medal, VSM (born 4 July 1954) is the Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and N ...

, the Indian Chief of Naval Staff * Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, serving four star

flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command. Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways: * ...

of the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

. * Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay, a Bengali singer, composer and producer *

Inder Kumar Gujral Inder Kumar Gujral (4 December 1919 – 30 November 2012) was an Indian diplomat, politician, and anti-colonial independence activist, who served as prime minister of India from April 1997 to March 1998. Born in Punjab, he was influenced by ...

, an Indian politician who served as the 12th Prime Minister of India * Keshav Kumar Budhathoki, Nepali politician *

Madhav Kumar Nepal Madhav Kumar Nepal (, ; born 6 March 1953), is a Nepalese politician and former Prime Minister of Nepal. He served as prime minister from 25 May 2009 to 6 February 2011. He previously served as the Deputy Prime Minister along with the charges o ...

, Former

Prime Minister of Nepal The prime minister of Nepal (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of Nepal. The prime minister leads the Council of Ministers of Nepal, Council of Ministers and holds the chief executive authority in the country. They must maintain ...

* Manoj Kumar Katiyar,

general officer A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

* Manoj Kumar Pandey, Indian Army officer, recipient of the Param Vir Chakra * Manoj Kumar Sharma,

Indian Police Service The Indian Police Service (IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became Partition of India, independent from the British Empire. Along with the Indian Admini ...

(IPS) officer * Nirmal Kumar Verma, former senior

naval officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

Pawan Kumar Chamling Pawan Kumar Chamling Rai (born 22 September 1950) is an Indian politician and writer who served as the 5th Chief Minister of Sikkim from 1994 to 2019. He is the List of longest-serving Indian chief ministers, longest serving Chief Minister in ...

, an Sikkimese politician who served as the 5th Chief Minister of Sikkim * Pradip Kumar Rai known as

Byakul Maila Pradeep Kumar Rai, professionally known as Byakul Maila, is a Nepalese poet who composed the lyrics of the current Nepalese national anthem ''Sayaun Thunga Phulka''. His writing was selected to be the national anthem of the newly declared Feder ...

, Nepalese poet *

Prafulla Kumar Mahanta Prafulla Kumar Mahanta (born 23 December 1952) is an Indian politician who was the leader of the Assam Movement, and the 11th Chief Minister of Assam from 1985 to 1990 and again from 1996 to 2001 and the co-founder and former President of the ...

, Indian politician who was the leader of the

Assam Movement The Assam Movement, also known as the Anti-Foreigners Agitation, was a popular uprising in Assam, India, from 1979 to 1985, that demanded the Government of India detect, disenfranchise and deport illegal alien (law), aliens.: "The citizenship ...

, a former

Chief Minister of Assam The chief minister of Assam, an Indian state, is the head of the Government of Assam. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is the state's ''de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following e ...

. *

Prem Kumar Dhumal Prem Kumar Dhumal (pronounced ; born 10 April 1944) is an Indian politician who has twice served as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, from March 1998 to March 2003 and again from 1 January 2008 to 25 December 2012. He was the Bharatiya Ja ...

, chief minister of Indian state * Raj Kumar Saini, Indian politician * Raj Kumar Rao, Indian actor * Raj Kumar Kapoor, Indian actor, director * Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, retired

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

officer, who served as the Chief of the Air Staff of the

* Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Indian

freestyle wrestler Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

Ravi Kumar Dhingra Rear admiral (India), Rear Admiral Ravi Kumar Dhingra, Vishisht Seva Medal, VSM (born 25 July 1970) is a serving Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Flag Officer Commanding Tamil Nadu & Puducherry Naval Area. A submariner ...

, serving Flag officer in the

Roop Kumar Rathod Roopkumar Rathod an Indian playback singer, pop singer, and music composer. He has performed a number of songs in Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Nepali, Bhojpuri and Kannada films. Personal life Ratho ...

, an Indian playback singer and music director * Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, DANIPS officer. *

Santosh Kumar Ghosh Santosh Kumar Ghosh (9 September 1920 – 26 February 1985) was an Indian Bengali litterateur and a journalist of repute. Early life Born in Faridpur district of what is now in Bangladesh, Santosh Kumar had his ancestral house in Barisal distri ...

, Bengali writer and journalist * Santosh Kumar Gupta, former Indian Navy admiral, recipient of Maha Vir Chakra * Satinder Kumar Saini, vice chief of the Indian army * Selvar Kumar Silvaras (c. 1971–1998), Singaporean convicted murderer * Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Nepalese diplomat *

Shiv Kumar Batalvi Shiv Kumar Batalvi (23 July 1936 – 6 May 1973) was a Punjabi poet, writer and playwright of the Punjabi language. He was most known for his romantic poetry, noted for its heightened passion, pathos, separation and lover's agony, due to that ...

, a Punjabi language poet *

Siddharth Kumar Tewary Siddharth Kumar Tewary (born 23 January 1978) is an Indian television Film producer, producer and Film director, director. He is the founder of Swastik Productions, one of India's largest production house. Currently, he serves as the company's c ...

n television producer and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

Srinivas Kumar Sinha Lieutenant General Srinivas Kumar Sinha, PVSM, ADC (7 January 1926 – 17 November 2016) was an Indian Army General who served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff. After his retirement, he served as Governor of the states of Jammu and Kashmir, ...

, Indian military officer * Sunil Kumar Yadav, Nepalese politician *

Suniti Kumar Chatterji Suniti Kumar Chatterji (26 November 1890 – 29 May 1977) was an Indian linguist, educationist and litterateur. He was a recipient of the second highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Vibhushan. Life Childhood Chatterji was born on 26 Novem ...

, an Indian linguist, educationist and litterateur *

Sushil Kumar Modi Sushil Kumar Modi (5 January 1952 – 13 May 2024) was an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party who was a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Bihar. He was a List of Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar, Deputy Chief Minister of ...

, is an Indian politician *

Tapan Kumar Pradhan Tapan Kumar Pradhan (born 22 October 1972) is an Indian poet, writer and translator from Odisha. He is best known for his poem collection "Kalahandi" which was awarded second place in Sahitya Akademi's Golden Jubilee ''Indian Literature'' Transl ...

, Indian bank, activist and poet * Tej Kumar Shrestha, Nepalese zoologist *

Vijay Kumar Malhotra Vijay Kumar Malhotra (born 3 December 1931) is an Indian politician and a sport administrator. He belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was born in the Lahore city of Punjab (British India), Punjab in British India which is now in Pakistan ...

, Indian politician * Vijay Kumar Pandey, Nepalese journalist *

Vijay Kumar Singh Vijay Kumar Singh may refer to: * Vijay Kumar Singh (politician, died 2021), Indian politician * V. K. Singh (born 1950), Indian politician and general in the Indian Army * Vijay Kumar Singh (Bihar), Indian politician * Vijay Kumar Singh, the prota ...

, Indian politician and a retired four star general in the Indian Army * Vijay Kumar Yadav, Indian

judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

Vineet Kumar Singh Vineet Kumar Singh (born 28 August 1978) is an Indian actor and writer known for his strong portrayal of an aspiring boxer Shravan Kumar Singh in Mukkabaaz (2018). An M.D. in Ayurveda from Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur, Vin ...

, Indian film actor * Vinod Kumar Shukla, modern Hindi writer * Vinod Kumar Yadav, Former Chairperson of the Railway Board, First Chief Executive Officer, Railway Board,

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha (born 4 October 1958) is a retired Indian diplomat who belongs to the Indian Foreign Service. He is the former High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom. He was sworn in as Central Information Commissioner on 1 ...

, retired Indian

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

* Yogesh Kumar Joshi, 17th and the current Commander, XIV Corps of the Indian Army *

Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal (14 January 1942 – 3 July 2015) was the 36th Chief Justice of India. Career Sabharwal worked as an advocate for Indian Railways from 1969 to 1981, as an advocate for Delhi administration from 1973 to 1976–1977, late ...

, the 36th

Chief Justice of India The chief justice of India (CJI) is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of India and the highest-ranking officer of the Indian judiciary. The Constitution of India grants power to the President of India to appoint, as recommended by the outg ...

Last name

* Ajayya Kumar, COO, author, art curator *

Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar Subramaniam (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. To date, he has starred in over 63 films, and won four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Ta ...

, an Indian actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema *

Akhil Kumar Akhil Kumar (born 27 March 1981) is an Indian boxer who has won several international and national boxing awards. He practices an "open guarded" boxing style. In 2005, the Indian government gave him the Arjuna Award for his achievements in int ...

, an Indian boxer who has won several international and national boxing awards *

Akshay Kumar Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...

, stage name of Indian-Canadian film actor, producer and martial artist, Rajiv Bhatia *

Amit Kumar Amit Kumar (born 3 July 1952) is an Indian playback singer, actor, music composer. Kumar launched his own music production company, named Kumar Brothers Music. He predominantly worked in Bollywood and regional film songs since the 1970s, ...

, Indian film playback singer, actor, and director * Amitava Kumar, Indian writer, journalist, professor *

Anand Kumar Anand Kumar (born 1 January 1973) is an Indian mathematics educator, best known for his Super 30 program , which he started in Patna, Bihar in 2002. He is known for coaching underprivileged students for Joint Entrance Examination – Main, JEE ...

, Indian mathematician *

Anil Kumar Anil Kumar (born 1958) is an Indian-American former senior partner and director at management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he co-founded McKinsey's offices in Silicon Valley and India and created its Internet practice (representi ...

, Indian businessman, consultant * Anup Kumar, Indian film actor *

Ashok Kumar Ashok Kumar (born Kumudlal Ganguly; 13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. He is considered to be the first Super-st ...

, AKA Dadamoni in Bengali, Indian film actor * Ashok Kumar (Jammu and Kashmir politician), Member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly * Arun Kumar, Indian politician

Bandi Sanjay Kumar Bandi Sanjay Kumar (born 11 July 1971) is an Indian politician who is appointed as Minister of State for Home Affairs is a Member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, representing the Karimnagar constituency since 2019. ...

, Indian politician *

Bhushan Kumar Bhushan Kumar Dua (born 27 November 1977) is an Indian film producer and music producer. He is the chairman and managing director of Super Cassettes Industries Limited, also known as T-Series (company), T-Series. He is known for his work in Bol ...

, chairman and managing director of T-Series * Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Indian pace bowler * Chetan Kumar, Indian actor *

Darshan Kumar Darshan Kumar Gandas is an Indian actor who appears primarily in Hindi films. He made his debut with the film ''Tere Naam'' in which he played one of Salman Khan's friends and starred in ''Mary Kom'' (2014), opposite Priyanka Chopra, as a mal ...

, Indian actor * Deepak Kumar, several people, including: **

Deepak Kumar (historian) Deepak Kumar is a professor of History of Science and Education, at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. Kumar has lectured at numerous universities within India and abroad, held visiting fellowships at the universities of Cambridge, ...

, Indian historian ** Deepak Kumar (physicist), Indian condensed matter physicist and professor **

Deepak Kumar (sport shooter) Junior Warrant Officer Deepak Kumar (born 5 November 1987) is an Indian sport shooter and a Senior Non Commissioned officer (SNCO) in the Indian Air Force. He won a bronze medal at the 2018 ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara in the 10 metre air ri ...

, Indian sport shooter *

Dev Kumar Dev Kumar (born 4 February 1972) is a Dalit writer and dramatist from India. A member of the Bhangi community, he established the Apna Theatre in April 1992. This has performed in Kanpur Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), origina ...

, Indian actor * Digendra Kumar, Indian military officer *

Dilip Kumar Dilip Kumar (born Muhammad Yusuf Khan; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021) was an Indian actor and film producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated Hindi cinema from the 1950s throughout t ...

, Indian film actor known as the 'Tragedy King' and a former Member of Parliament *

Dinesh Kumar (basketball) Dinesh Kumar (born 13 December 1979) is an Indian professional basketball player and coach who was part of the Indian Masters Basketball Team. Dinesh is currently the coach of ONGC Basketball Team and Uttarakhand team. Early life Dinesh Kuma ...

, Indian professional basketball player *

Divya Khosla Kumar Divya Khosla Kumar (née Khosla) is an Indian model, actress, producer, and director who mainly works in Hindi cinema. She has directed two films; the romantic comedy Yaariyan (2014 film), ''Yaariyan'' (2014) and the romantic drama ''Sanam Re'' ...

, Indian film actress, producer and director *

E. Santhosh Kumar E. Santhosh Kumar is a Malayalam writer. He has won numerous awards, including Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award twice in 2006 and in 2012. Biography ''Galapagos'', which was later published as a collection, was his first published short story. ...

, Indian writer * Girish Kumar, Indian film actor * G. V. Prakash Kumar, Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer *

Gulshan Kumar Gulshan Kumar Dua (5 May 1951 12 August 1997), was an Indian film and music producer and businessman who was the founder of the Super Cassettes Industries Private Limited music label in the Bollywood industry. After founding T-Series in 1983, ...

, T-Series music label owner * Guru Rudra Kumar * Havildar Anuj Kumar, Indian professional bodybuilder * Himanshu Kumar, Indian activist *

Hiten Kumar Hiten Kumar, born Hiten Mehta, is an Indian actor in Gujarati cinema. Career He started in the Gujarati film industry with a role in ''Unchi Medina Uncha Mol'' (1998). His 1998 film '' Desh Re Joya Dada Pardesh Joya'' was a commercial superhit. ...

, Gujarati film actor *

Inder Kumar Inder Kumar (26 August 1973 – 28 July 2017) was an Indian actor best known for playing supporting roles in Hindi films such as '' Wanted'', '' Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge'', '' Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye'' and '' Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi''. He was a c ...

, Indian actor *

Indra Kumar Indra Kumar (born Indra Irani) is an Indian film director and producer. He had five Filmfare Awards, Filmfare nominations, has also appeared in number of Gujarati language, Gujarati-language films. His latest film produced is ''Thank God (film ...

, an Indian film director and producer * Jainendra Kumar (1905–1988), Indian writer * Jeeva Kumar, Indian kabbadi player *

Jitender Kumar (flyweight boxer) Jitender Kumar (born 18 July 1988) is an Indian flyweight boxer. He won the bronze medal in the flyweight category at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. He represented India at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Career At the 2006 Junior World Ch ...

, an Indian flyweight boxer * Jitendra Kumar, Indian film actor * Kanhaiya Kumar, Indian politician *

Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar (born Abhas Kumar Ganguly; ; 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer, musician and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of modern India ...

, Indian film playback singer, actor, lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter *

M Kiran Kumar Kiran Kumar is an Indian businessman and the chairman of Lalitha Jewellery and philanthropist from Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. He is also the managing director of Lalitha Jewellery, one of India's largest retail jewellery advertiser on TV and world' ...

, Indian businessman *

Manoj Kumar (disambiguation) Manoj Kumar (1937–2025) was an Indian actor and filmmaker. Manoj Kumar may also refer to: * Manoj Kumar (chess player) (born 1977), Fijian chess player * Manoj Kumar (Jharkhand politician) (born 1964), member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India * Ma ...

, several people, including: **

Manoj Kumar (boxer) Manoj Kumar (born 10 December 1986), is an Indian boxer who won a gold medal in the light welterweight division at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He hails from the village of Rajound in the Kaithal district of Haryana. Early life and debut in ...

, Indian boxer who won a gold medal in the light welterweight division at the 2010 Commonwealth Games **

Manoj Kumar Manoj Kumar (born Harikrishan Giri Goswami; 24 July 1937 – 4 April 2025) was an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most successful actors in t ...

, an award-winning Indian actor and director in the Bollywood * María Teresa Kumar, a political organizer and

voting rights Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in ...

activist for Latinos in the United States *

Meira Kumar Meira Kumar (born 31 March 1945) is an Indian politician and former diplomat. A member of the Indian National Congress, she was the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004 to 2009, the Minister of Water Resources for a brief peri ...

, an Indian politician and a five time Member of Parliament * Mukesh Kumar, several people, including: **

Mukesh Kumar (cricketer) Mukesh Kumar (; born 12 October 1993) is an Indian international cricketer. Mukesh plays as right fast bowler for the India national cricket team in international cricket, for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and for Bengal ...

, Indian cricketer **

Mukesh Kumar (field hockey) Nandanoori Mukesh Kumar (born 16 April 1970), also known as Mukesh Kumar Nandanoori, is an Indian field hockey player. He was born in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Career He made his international debut for the Men's National Team in early ...

, Indian field hockey player **

Mukesh Kumar (golfer) Mukesh Kumar (born 1 August 1965) is a professional golfer from India who currently plays on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). He has won six Order of Merit titles on the PGTI and on earlier Indian tours. In terms of professional win ...

, Indian golfer *

Mukul Kumar Mukul Kumar is an Indian civil servant and writer. He works for the Indian Railway Traffic Service in New Delhi. His published works include four novels, ''As Boys Become Men'', ''Seduction By Truth'', ''Aarzoo-Arshan(e-book)'', "Lost in the L ...

, Indian civil servant and writer * Navin Kumar *

Navleen Kumar Navleen Kumar was a human rights activist in Maharashtra, India. She was murdered on 19 June 2002 in her apartment building in Mumbai.Bavadam, Lyla FrontlineOnNet. Volume 19. Issue 16. 3–16 August 2002. Career Navleen worked for more than a ...

, Indian human rights activist * Nirmalya Kumar, professor and businessman *

Niru Kumar Niru Kumar is an Indian social activist. In 2021, she was awarded Padma Shri by the Indian Government for her contribution in social work. Career Kumar started her career in 2012 with the work of gender empowerment and diversity. She worked as ...

, Indian social activist *

Nish Kumar Nishant Kumar (born 1985) is a British stand-up comedian, television presenter and podcaster. He became known as the host of ''The Mash Report'' on BBC Two and U&Dave, Dave. He has also presented ''Newsjack'' on BBC Radio 4 Extra, ''Joel Domme ...

, British comedian *

Nitish Kumar Nitish Kumar (born 1 March 1951) is an Indian politician who has been serving as the 22nd chief minister of Bihar since 22 February 2015, having previously held the office from 2005 to 2014 and for a short period in 2000. He is Bihar's longest ...

, Indian politician who served as the 22nd Chief Minister of Bihar * Oil Kumar, aa Indian ganglord and organized crime boss * Pawan Kumar, several people, including: **

Pawan Kumar (director) Pawan Kumar (born 29 October 1982) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor who primarily works in Kannada cinema. Pawan Kumar is well known for writing the films '' Manasaare'' and '' Pancharangi''. His directorial debut '' Lifeu Is ...

, Indian film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter **

Pawan Kumar (wrestler) Pawan Kumar (born 16 October 1993), is an Indian freestyle wrestler. He represented India at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the 86 kg weight class in which he won the bronze medal. He also represented India at the 2014 Asian Games in the 8 ...

, Indian wrestler *

Pradeep Kumar Pradeep Kumar (4 January 1925 – 27 October 2001) was an Indian actor who is recognized for his work in Hindi, Punjabi and English-language films. (Dinesh RahejaEver the royalRediff.com website, Published 2 June 2003, Retrieved 16 February 2 ...

, Indian actor in Hindi, Bengali and English-language films *

Praveen Kumar (cricketer) Praveenkumar Sakat Singh (, born 2 October 1983) is a former Indian cricketer who bowled right-arm medium-pace. In first-class cricket, he played for Uttar Pradesh cricket team. He relied on his ability to swing the ball both ways along with l ...

, Indian medium-pace swing bowler * Prem Kumar, several people, including: ** Prem Kumar (footballer) (born 1989), Indian footballer **

Prem Kumar (Malayalam actor) Prem Kumar is an Indian actor known for his roles in Malayalam films. He has acted in more than 100 films, and played lead roles in 18 films. In 2022 he was appointed as vice-chairman of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. Personal life and e ...

, Indian film actor in Malayalam films **

Prem Kumar (Tamil actor) Prem Kumar is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil films. He rose to fame starring in television serials, and was also the winner of season 1 of the reality dance show '' Jodi Number One''. In the Nadigar Sangam elections held on 18 October 201 ...

, Indian film actor in Tamil films * R Sri Kumar (born 1949), Indian vigilance commissioner *

Raaj Kumar Raaj Kumar (born Kulbhushan Pandit; 8 October 1926 3 July 1996) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi films. In a career that spanned over four decades, he went on to star in 70 films and is regarded as one of the most successful actors of ...

, Indian film actor *

Rajendra Kumar Rajendra Kumar (born as Rajendra Kumar Tuli; 20 July 1927 – 12 July 1999), was an Indian actor who starred in Bollywood films. Starting his career in 1949, he appeared in more than 80 films in a career spanning over four decades. Kumar was on ...

, Indian film actor *

Ratan Kumar Ratan Kumar (19 March 1941 – 12 December 2016) was the screen name of the Indian born child artist who later migrated to Pakistan. He acted in Indian and Pakistani movies. He was born as Syed Nazir Ali Rizvi. He is best known for his work ...

, Film actor * Ravi Kumar (Indian footballer) *

Ravish Kumar Ravish Kumar (born Ravish Kumar Pandey; 5 December 1974) is an Indian journalist, author, media personality and YouTuber. He was the Senior Executive Editor of NDTV India. He hosted a number of programmes including the channel's flagship wee ...

, Indian Journalist at NDTV India *

Ritu Kumar Ritu Kumar is an Indian fashion designer. Early life and education The lack of educational opportunities in Amritsar led her to move to Simla for her schooling, where she attended Loreto Convent, Tara Hall, Shimla, Loreto Convent. She later stud ...

, Indian fashion designer * Rohit Kumar, several people, including: ** Rohit Kumar (footballer), Indian professional footballer **

Rohit Kumar (kabaddi) Rohit Kumar is an Indian professional Kabaddi player who plays for Gujarat Giants in the Pro Kabaddi League. He was the captain of Bengaluru Bulls which won the Pro Kabaddi League in Season 6. He is regarded as one of the best players of the g ...

, Indian professional Kabaddi player ** Rohit Kumar (rower), Indian professional rower * Sai Kumar, Malayalam actor * Sanjay Kumar, several people, including: ** Sanjay Kumar (business executive), former CEO of

Computer Associates CA Technologies, Inc., formerly Computer Associates International, Inc., and CA, Inc., was an American multinational enterprise software developer and publisher that existed from 1976 to 2018. CA grew to rank as one of the largest independent ...

** Sanjay Kumar (soldier), Indian Army soldier who received the

Param Vir Chakra The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest Awards and Decorations of the Indian Armed Forces, military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates roughly as the "Wheel of Supre ...

Sanjeev Kumar Sanjeev Kumar (born Harihar Jethalal Jariwala; 9 July 1938 – 6 November 1985) was an Indian actor. Considered as one of the greatest actors of Indian Cinema, he is well remembered for his versatility and genuine portrayal of his characters. ...

, Indian film actor * Satish Kumar (pastor), Indian pastor *

Saurabh Kumar (engineer) Saurabh Kumar (1983–2015) was an engineering officer with the Indian Railways, hailed as one of several whistleblowers against Corruption in India. He was killed under mysterious circumstances in Kharagpur after informing his family about ...

, Indian engineer * Sejal Kumar, Indian YouTuber * Shashi Kumar, or Shashikumar, Indian actor and politician *

Srini Kumar Srini Kumar (srini), is the founder of the ''Unamerican.com'' website in 1994, which sold stickers and other paraphernalia showcasing counterculture. Srini has written the book ''StickerNation'', a book of 432 stickers published by Disinformation ...

Sushil Kumar Sushil Kumar (born 26 May 1983) is a former Indian wrestler and two-time Olympic medallist. His 2008 Olympic bronze medal was only the second for India in wrestling, and the first since Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav's bronze medal at the 1952 Summ ...

, several people, including: **

Sushil Kumar (wrestler) Sushil Kumar (born 26 May 1983) is a former Indian wrestler and two-time Olympic medallist. His 2008 Olympic bronze medal was only the second for India in wrestling, and the first since Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav's bronze medal at the 1952 Summ ...

, Indian World Champion wrestler *

Tulsi Kumar Tulsi Kumar Dua popularly known as Tulsi Kumar, is an Indian playback singer, radio jockey, musician, and actress in the Bollywood industry. She was born to businessman Gulshan Kumar, the former owner of T Series who also worked as a singer, ...

, an Indian playback singer for Bollywood films *

Udai Kumar Udai Kumar is the managing director and CEO of the Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India Ltd (MSEI) since February 2016. MSEI is India's youngest and one of the three stock exchanges recognized by country's securities market regulator - Securiti ...

* Udaya Kumar (director), Kannada film director *

Uttam Kumar Uttam Kumar (born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), widely known as Mahanayak (), was an Indian film actor, producer, director, screenwriter, composer, and playback singer who predominantly worked in Bengali cinema ...

, Indian (Bengali) cinema actor and contemporary of Dilip Kumar *

Uttar Kumar Uttar Kumar is an Indian actor, writer, director, who mainly works in West U.P. films. He has acted in more than forty films including ''Dhakar Chhora'' released in 2004, which broke box office records by earning around 85 million for film ...

, famous actor in north India * Varun Kumar (journalist), Indian journalist * Venkatesh Kumar, Hindustani vocalist *

Vikram Kumar Vikram K. Kumar is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema, Telugu and Tamil cinema. He is known for directing ''Yavarum Nalam'' (2009; ''13B'' in Hindi), ''Ishq (2011 film), Ishq'' (2011), ''Manam (film), Manam'' ( ...

, Indian film director and screenwriter * Vijay Kumar (sport shooter), Indian champion shooter, Olympic 2012 silver medalist * Vimal Kumar, Indian badminton player * Vinay Kumar, Indian

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

player *

Vinay Kumar (pathologist) Vinay Kumar (Born Dec 24, 1944, Okara) is the Lowell T. Coggeshall Distinguished Service Professor of Pathology at the University of Chicago, where he was also the Chairman (2000-2016) of the Department of Pathology. He is a recipient of Life Tim ...

, the Alice Hogge & Arthur Baer Professor of Pathology at the University of Chicago * Vinay Kumar (academician) * Vinoth Kumar, Indian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player *

Yuva Kumar Yuva Kumar is an Indian Motorcycle rider, Motorcycle Rally Racer/Pilot. He was born in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, Chittor, Andhra Pradesh and raised in Bangalore, Bengaluru, Karnataka. He did his schooling and college education in Bangalore an ...

Notes

{{reflist Surnames of Indian origin Surnames Gujarati-language surnames

History

Geographical distribution

Notable people

First name

Middle name

Last name

See also

Notes