Kaur surname meaning
A Sikh female name or title commonly translated as “princess,” with Sanskrit and Punjabi explanations.
Confidence: Likely. The main story is well supported; some details of the deeper root are less certain.
The short story
Kaur is a Sikh female name and epithet commonly translated as “princess.” It was promoted as an egalitarian identifier alongside Singh, and many Sikh women use Kaur as a surname or second name. Explanations of its deeper history differ: some connect it with Sanskrit kumari, “girl” or “daughter of a king,” while others relate it to Punjabi and Rajput forms such as Kanwar or Kunwar. The title’s social and religious use is clear, but its ultimate linguistic path is debated. This catalog places Kaur in the nickname/status category with likely confidence.
Also seen as: Kuar, Kour, Kaur Sahib
- Wikipedia 'Kaur' (Sikh female epithet and competing Sanskrit/Punjabi derivations)
- Ancestry/Dictionary of American Family Names entry 'Kaur' (South Asian surname and title)
- Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)