Singh

Singh, meaning "Lion", is the surname given by Guru Gobind Singh the tenth Sikh Guru to all the males in the Sikh community. Females Sikhs were all given the surname Kaur, which means "Princess".

One of the reasons for this was to rid the society of the caste system that was very prevalent on the Indian sub-continent.

All Sikhs were taught to treat all in the community as equals; no distinction was made between different tiers of craftsmen and professions.

See also: Sikhism.

Also worthy of note is that while all male Sikhs are Singhs, not all Singhs are Sikh. It was a name in use before the Sikhs and signified someone of high caste. Therefore you often get Hindu Singhs who are not Sikhs.

Migration of Sikhs to Northern Mexico at the turn of the last century has led to the existence of Roman Catholic Mexicans with Singh as a surname. A variant spelling of 'Sigh' – but pronounced Singh – has also emerged there.