Today, the culture of India appears more and more adherents. Colorful clothes, incredible ethnic jewelry, the amazing art of mehendi, yoga, tantra, spicy cuisine and ancient traditions - this attracts those who love everything unusual and bright. Interested in Indian culture? Our article will tell you about the traditional surnames and names of the indigenous people 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 also learn how to properly contact a man or woman from India.
Etymology of names
Surprisingly, one who understands this topic can easily learn a lot about a person only by knowing his name. Religion, place of birth, caste - Indian names and surnames can tell about all this.
The tradition of naming is rooted in antiquity. For a long time, Hindus have been forming names in honor of patron gods. Men more 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).
Shivaites-sampradayas in the formation of names use the suffixes -puri, -giri, -nath . Diamond Way Buddhists insert a -pa particle in their names. The suffixes -vajra, -ratna indicate that the bearer of the name refers to the siddhas.
Hindu Christians often choose English names. At the same time, Protestants often call children in honor of the biblical saints and great martyrs, and Protestants use ordinary names, secular.
Indian last names
Before the colonialists from Europe came to Hindustan, surnames did not exist there at all. We can say that the indigenous population adopted this tradition from newcomers from the Old World. Today, the surname may indicate the following:
- Clan affiliation ( Kaushik, Tanwar );
- indication of caste ( Sharma, Gupta );
- profession ( Patel - the village head, Agnihotri - ritual, working with fire, Kapadia - factory worker);
- title ( Pandit - teacher, Acharya - mentor, Chaturvedi - knowing the Vedas);
- small homeland ( Japurkar, Agarwal ).
Among the Sikhs, collective Indian surnames are used: male - Singh ("Leo") and female Kaur ("Princess"). It is worth noting that these surnames are found not only among Sikhs.
Muslims in India do not have surnames, and after the name a particle of bin or binti is obligatory. For example, Osman bin Ali and Zeytun binti Ali are the son and daughter of a man named Ali. After the wedding, Muslim women do not attach the name of the husband to their own.
Names and Surnames in North India
The scheme for writing personal data in the north of the state is closest to the European one. First comes the name, followed by the middle name and, finally, the last name. In the state of Maharashtra, the middle name is the name of the father. It is noteworthy that after the wedding, not only Indian surnames (female) change. The spouse, as a middle name, takes her husband's name instead of a middle name.
In some northern regions, the state name is used as a middle name. And in Uttarakhand, the middle name is usually the name of the caste.
Bengalis often take the names of both parents, and they write them in any order.
Name Education in South India
Things are quite different on the other side of the country. South Indian surnames also give a lot of information about a person, but personal data looks different: first comes the surname, followed by the name of the father, then the personal name, and after it the name of the caste.
Most of the southern regions do just that, but there are exceptions. For example, Tamils do not have any last names at all, they only cost by name and patronymic, and the middle name is written first. Women instead of the name of the father, as a rule, use the name of the husband.
Telugu people use only their first and last name. By tradition, the surname is written first, but lately there has been a tendency to change this order in order to come to a common denominator with other cultures.
Rules for the use of first and last names in circulation
When dealing with Indians, certain etiquette should be observed. From ancient times in India there is a belief that every pronunciation of a name out loud shortens the life of its owner. Even in families, children are often called nicknames: Guddy - a doll, Chote - the youngest, Munna - the baby, Pinky - the little finger. This tradition is not common everywhere, but it’s not worth the risk. Do not call a Hindu by name, it may result in embarrassment. Only Muslims can be called an exception. You can contact them by name.
Indian surnames can be pronounced. If you don’t know how to turn to a person, use generally accepted English messages: “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, “Miss.” The inhabitants of India are familiar with it, because English is one of the official languages, which means that its traditions are well known to the Indians.
Before a surname it is possible to name a position or a rank of the person. Examples of appeals: Professor Mukherjee, Dr. Ghildiyal, Colonel Nehru.