Why Sikhs are named Singh and Kaur

Singh and Kaur are the names taken at initiation into the Khalsa. Men take the name Singh, women take the name Kaur, and both names come from the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh Ji at Anandpur Sahib on Vaisakhi in 1699. Initiation means leaving a caste-indicating surname behind and taking one of these two names in its place.

What happened at Vaisakhi in 1699

Guru Gobind Singh Ji instituted the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib on Vaisakhi in 1699. Tens of thousands of Sikhs had assembled. He drew his sword and called for a head. Nobody moved. He asked again, and one man stood up. Then a second, a third, a fourth and a fifth.

The five came from five different castes. Among them were a calico printer, a barber and a water carrier. They were the first to receive Khande di Pahul (ਖੰਡੇ ਦੀ ਪਾਹੁਲ), the ceremony of initiation into the Khalsa, and they all drank from the same bowl. After that, no distinction of caste or lineage remained. The Guru told them that from that day they were all of Anandpur, and he called them the Panj Piare, the Beloved Five.

Then the order was turned around. The five initiated Guru Gobind Singh Ji in turn, so the Guru took Khande di Pahul from his own disciples. That reciprocal initiation established a radical equality at the heart of the Khalsa.

Mata Sahib Kaur Ji stands in the account of that day too. The amrit was prepared with the khanda and completed with her patase, the sugar sweets stirred into the water.

Traditional accounts differ on some details of that day, including where the five came from.

What Singh and Kaur mean

Singh means lion. Kaur means princess.

Men initiated into the Khalsa take the name Singh. Women take the name Kaur. The Kaur naming was there at the founding and not added later, so the two names were set as a pair from the start.

Why the names replace caste surnames

Taking the name means giving up a surname that indicated caste. That is one of the things the ceremony does. It dissolves caste identification at the point of initiation, and it gives every initiate the same name.

You can see it in the Panj Piare themselves. They are remembered as Bhai Daya Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh, Bhai Himmat Singh, Bhai Mohkam Singh and Bhai Sahib Singh. Earlier they were known as Bhai Daya Ram, Bhai Dharam Das, Bhai Himmat Rai, Bhai Mohkam Chand and Bhai Sahib Chand.

From the day it was instituted, Khande di Pahul was open to members of any caste and any regional origin. Among the earliest members of the Khalsa was Ram Chand, an artisan who took the name Ram Singh and became a trusted confidant of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

How the names are given

The name comes with Khande di Pahul, initiation into the Khalsa. It is also called Amrit Sanchar, or simply Amrit, and it is the formal way a Sikh joins the collective body of the Khalsa.

• Five initiated Sikhs conduct the ceremony, acting in the role of the Panj Piare.
• The amrit is prepared: water with patase added, stirred with a khanda, the double-edged sword, while the Five Banis are recited.
• Each initiate drinks the amrit five times, and it is sprinkled five times on the eyes and the hair.
• Initiates affirm the Rehit Maryada, the Khalsa code of conduct.
• Initiates accept the Five Ks:
• kesh, unshorn hair
• kangha, a comb
• kara, a steel bangle
• kachera, breeches
• kirpan, a sword, which signals the commitment to defend the oppressed
• Initiates take the new name, Singh or Kaur, and leave the caste-indicating surname behind.

Initiation is not a private act. It is witnessed by the assembly, and the initiate becomes a member of the collective Khalsa body.

If you teach Sikh children, the names come up in the classroom too; see a Sikh student in your class.

A Sikh who has been through the ceremony is called Amritdhari. The discipline comes with the name. Hair is never cut, intoxicants including tobacco are not used, and life is lived according to the teachings of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Common questions

What do Singh and Kaur mean?

Singh means lion and Kaur means princess. Both names were given when Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the Khalsa, and both are taken at initiation. What they replace is a surname that indicated caste.

Do Sikh women take the name Singh?

The two names are given as a pair, Singh for men and Kaur for women. Kaur was part of the founding of the Khalsa, not something added afterwards, and it carries the same standing as Singh.

Does every Sikh have one of these names?

The name comes with Khande di Pahul, initiation into the Khalsa, so the name follows the ceremony. A Sikh who has taken that initiation is called Amritdhari, and in Sikh tradition it is the fullest expression of the faith.

Why did the Guru give everyone the same name?

A shared name dissolves caste identification at the moment a person joins the Khalsa, and it does that in front of the assembly rather than in private. The five who received it first came from five different castes, and they left with one name between them.