Indian name
Indian names vary greatly depending on the ethnic, linguistic, religious and social origin of the wearer.
Transcription into Latin
During the centuries of British colonial rule, the transcription of the different characters of the languages of India into the Latin alphabet resulted in non-official customs, which, however, can differ from region to region.
Origin of the carrier
There are no bureaucratic restrictions on the choice of names, so that Indian parents have far more leeway when choosing a name than, for example, German parents with their children. In fact, however, what is decisive is the religion or religious orientation from which the wearer comes.
Hinduism
Hindus , who make up the vast majority of the population in India, usually have three names, with the second being mostly omitted these days. The first (first) name is of religious origin, for example derived from a god; the second has an unbound meaning, while the third (family) name marks the caste affiliation . It also happens that a name can serve as both a first and last name.
Example:
| First name | Second name | Third name |
| Shankar | Kumar | Gupta |
| Krishan | Sharma |
Shankar Kumar Gupta would be a member of the Vaishya ; its origins lie with the merchants and farmers. His first name comes from the popular god Shiva .
Krishan Sharma would be a Brahmin , i.e. a priest, and thus belong to the traditional elite. "Krishan" is the derived name of the god Krishna .
There is no deviation from family names for women and men; it is customary for a woman to take the man's family name when she marries.
Islam
Muslim names can come from both Indian and Arabic , the latter especially when derived from Mohammed and Allah . As with the Hindus, there are usually two or more rarely three parts of the name today. Here, too, the first is the first name, the second (third) the surname. Although the caste system has no meaning for Muslims, the family name often depends on the social position or the occupation of the bearer (or his ancestors).
Sikhism
In the monotheistic Sikhs , a first name is not gender-specific, but is indicated by an addition, a male Sikh is called Singh and a female follower is Kaur . Here, too, the family name usually makes the social origin clear.
Christianity
With Christian Indians, classic Christian names like Peter mix with Hindu or Muslim names, so that there are also three-part names here.