Indian surnames and names: features, interesting facts

Today, the culture of India appears more and more adherents. Colorful clothing, incredible ethnic jewelry, amazing mehendi art, yoga, tantra, spicy cuisine and ancient traditions - this attracts those who love everything unusual and bright. Are you interested in Indian culture? Our article will tell you about the traditional names and names of the indigenous population of this ancient country. Indian surnames are very peculiar.

Well, if you have to communicate with partners or friends from India, prepare for it thoroughly. Not knowing the customs, you run the risk of getting into trouble. From our article you will learn more about how to properly refer to a man or woman from India.

Etymology of names

Surprisingly, anyone who understands this topic will easily be able to learn a lot about a man, only to find out what his name is. Religion, place of birth, membership of the caste - Indian names and surnames may suggest all this.

The traditions of the formation of names are rooted in antiquity. Since ancient times, the Hindus have formed names in honor of the patron gods. Men often hope for the help of Indra, Shiva and Krishna, and women - Sita and Lakshmi (although there are exceptions, for example, the male name Sitaram).

Shi'i-i-sampradayi in the formation of names use suffixes- puri, -giri, -nath . Buddhists of the Diamond Way insert a particle -a into the names. Suffixes -aajra, -are indicated that the bearer of the name refers to the siddhas.

Christian Hindus often choose English names. Protestants are more often called children in honor of biblical saints and martyrs, and Protestants use ordinary names, secular ones.

Indian surnames

Before the colonizers from Europe came to Hindustan, there were no surnames there at all. It can be said that the indigenous population adopted this tradition from the Old World. Today the surname can indicate the following:

• Belonging to the clan ( Kaushik, Tanvar );
• An indication of the caste ( Sharma, Gupta );
• Profession ( Patel - village head, Agnihotri - ritual, working with fire, Kapadiya - factory worker);
• Rank ( Pandit - teacher, Acharya - mentor, Chaturvedi - who knows the Vedas);
• A small homeland ( Japurkar, Agarwal ).

Among the Sikhs are used collective Indian surnames: masculine - Singh ("Lion") and female Kaur ("Princess"). It is worth noting that these names are found not only among the Sikhs.

Muslims in India do not have surnames, and after the name is required a particle of bean or bandage . For example, Osman bin Ali and Zeitun Binti Ali are the son and daughter of a man named Ali. After the wedding, the Muslim women do not join the husband's name to her.

Names and surnames in Northern India

The scheme for writing personal data in the north of the country is the closest to the European one. First comes the name, followed by a second name and, finally, a surname. In Maharashtra, the second name is the father's name. It is noteworthy that after the wedding, not only Indian surnames (women's) change. Wife as a second name, instead of patronymic, takes the name of her husband.

In some northern regions, the name of the state is used as the second name. And in Uttarakhand, the second name is usually the name of the caste.

Bengalis often take the names of both parents, and write them in any order.

Name Education in South India

The situation at the other end of the country is quite different. Southern Indian names also give a lot of information about a person, but personal data looks different: first comes the surname, followed by the father's name, then the personal name, followed by the name of the caste.

In most southern regions, this is the case, but there are exceptions. For example, Tamils do not have any names at all, they only manage their name and patronymic, and the patronymic is written at the beginning. Women instead of the father's name, as a rule, use the name of the husband.

The people of Telugu use only their first and last names. Traditionally, the surname is written first, but recently there has been a tendency to change this order in order to arrive at a common denominator with other cultures.

Rules for the use of names and surnames in circulation

When dealing with Hindus, a certain etiquette should be observed. Since ancient times in India there is a belief that every utterance of a name aloud shortens the life of its owner. Even in families, children are more often called nicknames: Guddy - doll, Chote - junior, Munna - baby, Pinky - little finger. This tradition is not common everywhere, but it's not worth the risk. Do not call a Hindu by name, it can turn into embarrassment. Only Muslims can be called an exception. They can be addressed by name.

Indian surnames can be pronounced. If you do not know how to address a person, use the generally accepted English statements: "Mr.", "Mrs.", "Miss." It is customary for the people of India , because English is one of the state languages, which means that its traditions are very familiar to Hindus.

Before the surname can be called the position or title of a person. Examples of appeals: Professor Mukherjee, Dr. Ghildiyal, Colonel Nehru.