Singh

The origin of the surname Singh

Singh comes from the Sanskrit siṃha, “lion,” adopted by Sikhs and many Rajput communities.

What kind of surname is Singh?

As a descriptive surname (or nickname name), the surname Singh arose from a personal characteristic — a physical trait, a quality of temperament, or a distinguishing feature of its first bearer. Communities have always coined nicknames, and in the age before fixed surnames these vivid, affectionate or teasing labels — referring to hair colour, stature, complexion or character — frequently became hereditary. Descriptive surnames give an unusually human glimpse of an ancestor, hinting at how they looked or how they were regarded by the people around them.

How Indian surnames work

Indian surnames are extraordinarily diverse, varying by region, language, religion and community. They may indicate an ancestral village or place, an occupation, a community or title (Patel, historically a village headman; Sharma; Gupta; Reddy), or a father's name; in the south, patronymics and initials are common, and Sikh names traditionally use Singh (“lion”) and Kaur (“princess”). A single surname can therefore carry deep information about origin and heritage.