Is "Kaur" always a Sikh surname, or can it also be a middle name or surname for hindus?

Question

Is "Kaur" always a Sikh surname, or can it also be a middle name or surname for hindus?

Answer 1

This is what www.ancestry.com has to say about the  name,

Kaur Name Meaning and History

Indian (chiefly Panjab): term used by Hindu and Sikh women either as the final element of a compound personal name or as a last name. It cannot be regarded as a true surname or family name. It goes back to Sanskrit kumari ‘girl’, ‘daughter’, which was reduced to kuar and then changed into kaur by metathesis. Among Sikhs, female names are often derived from male names by the addition of Kaur to the male name: e.g. Mahinder Kaur, from the male name Mahinder.

hope this helps.

Answer 2

I'll tell you this - last year the Canadian immigration dept kicked up a huge stink when they BANNED Kaur as a surname because everyone had it.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2...  (july 23/2007)

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/07/2... (july 25/2007)

http://www.canadavisa.com/citizenship-an... (july 26/2007)

Answer 3

For what this is worth, I once knew a Hindu whose middle name was Singh--a VERY Sikh name.  If one Sikh surname can be given to a Hindu as  middle name, I should think another also could.