Sikh titles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sikh titles are positions or honorifics appended to the names of members of the Sikh community. Their form may be prefixes or suffixes to names, or the title may be used alone, in place of the name. They may denote social status or relationship, occupational field, or religious standing. When used as a form of address, they are often intended to convey respect.
History
After the formation of the Sikh Confederacy in 1748, the title Jathedar began to fall into disuse from that point onwards, as leaders of Sikh misls preferred the term Sardar to refer to themselves, due to Afghan influence.[1] In 1883, Richard Carnac Temple noted that descendants of the Sikh gurus prefixed the titles Bedi, Bawa, and Sodhi to their names to mark their lineage.[2]
List of Sikh titles and honorifics
Unisex
Males
- Baba
- Bhagat 'devotee': Bhagat Puran Singh
- Bhai, 'brother': Bhai Gurdas, Bhai Santokh (Suraj Parkash)
- Bhai Sahab
- Choudhary
- Das, a surname regularly encountered among Sikhs, which has also been applied as a title, signifying "devotee" or "votary" (in the context of religion); also, Dasa[3]
- Guru 'revered teacher (of a disciple)', 'enlightener': Sikh gurus
- Gyani or Giani 'philosopher': Giani Sant Singh Maskeen
- Jathedar, 'General', 'leader'
- Kunwar
- Maharaja
- Ragi
- Raja
- Rai
- Rana
- Rao
- Sant, 'enlightened' or 'holy': Sant Fateh Singh
- Sardar, male honorific attached to names as a prefix.[4]
- Sahib
- Shaheed, 'martyr': Baba Deep Singh, Bhai Mani Singh
- Singh
- Swargwasi, 'deceased [male]' ('late' in English)
- Thakur
- Ustad, 'Master' (teacher)
- Yuvraj
- Zamindar
Females
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