Indian/Sri Lankan surnames?

Question

what does the -appa mean at the end of an Indian or Sri Lankan surname?

I think these are surnames of Tamil origin, they end in -appa like:

Muniyappa, Nanjappa, Krishnappa, Narasappa, etc...

what is the meaning of -appa

Answer 1

Appa literally means 'father'

In some Indian states (in South India), men are actually called by Appa and women by Amma, just how we call people, using 'Hey, man!'