Punjabi Last Name Generator

Generate Punjabi last names one at a time: clan names like Sidhu, Sandhu, Dhillon and Grewal, family names like Kapoor, Malhotra and Chawla, craft-community names like Kalsi and Panesar, clans of Pakistani Punjab like Gondal, Tarar and Awan, and village names like Badal and Majithia. The list has 500 surnames, with Singh and Kaur once each.

About Punjabi last names

A Punjabi surname is usually a clan name. Most families of the Punjab countryside belong to a named clan, called a got, that passes down the father's line: Sidhu, Sandhu, Gill, Dhillon, Grewal, Brar, Randhawa. Clans are older than today's religious and national lines, so Bajwa, Cheema, Virk and Warraich are carried by Sikh and Muslim families, and by some Hindu ones, in India and in Pakistan alike. Other names belong to communities of traders and professionals (Kapoor, Khanna, Malhotra, Chawla, Sethi) or of craftsmen (Kalsi, Panesar, Matharu, Bhogal). The list mixes all of them and ranks none.

Singh and Kaur are a different kind of name. Since 1699 Sikh men have taken Singh, meaning lion, and Sikh women Kaur, meaning princess, as a shared name that sets family background aside. Many Sikhs use one of them as their whole last name. Many others place it in the middle and add the clan name after it, as in Harjot Singh Dhanoa or Gurleen Kaur Pannu. Each appears once in this list.

A third kind of surname comes from a home village or estate: Badal, Longowal, Barnala, Majithia from Majitha, Ahluwalia from Ahlu. Spellings shift with the script and the passport office, so Mann and Maan, Chaudhry and Chaudhary, Ghuman and Ghumman are one name each.

How to choose Punjabi last names

• For a Sikh character, put Singh or Kaur after the given name and a clan name last, as in Harjot Singh Dhanoa or Gurleen Kaur Pannu. Stopping at Singh or Kaur is just as correct.
• Many Sikh given names are used for both men and women, such as Harpreet, Manpreet and Gurpreet. Singh or Kaur is what tells the reader which it is, so keep it in the name when that matters.
• For a character from Pakistani Punjab, pair a clan name with the given names common there, as in Bilal Gondal or Sana Tarar. Chaudhry began as a title and often stands before or in place of the clan name.
• Pick one spelling and keep it. Dhaliwal and Dhariwal, Warraich and Waraich, Sehgal and Sahgal, Kapoor and Kapur are the same names in different hands.
• Do not read a religion into a clan name. Sandhu, Gill, Bhatti and Randhawa are found among Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Christians, so let the given name and the setting carry that detail.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common Punjabi last names?

Singh and Kaur are the most widespread, because they are shared by Sikhs of every family. Among clan names, Sandhu, Sidhu, Gill, Dhillon, Dhaliwal, Grewal, Brar and Randhawa are met everywhere Punjabis live, and Chaudhry, Cheema, Bajwa and Warraich are especially familiar in Pakistani Punjab.

Why do so many Punjabis have Singh or Kaur in their name?

They are Sikh names. Guru Gobind Singh gave Singh to Sikh men and Kaur to Sikh women in 1699 so that a name would no longer show a person's family background. Some families use them as a surname, and others keep them as a middle name before a clan name such as Sekhon or Aulakh.

Are Punjabi last names different for Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims?

Only partly. Clan names such as Bajwa, Cheema, Virk and Bhatti are shared by Sikhs and Muslims, and by some Hindu families, while names like Kapoor, Khanna and Malhotra are mostly Hindu and Sikh, and Gondal, Tarar and Ranjha are mostly Muslim. A surname is a hint at most and never proof of a person's faith.

Where do Punjabi clan names come from?

A clan name marks descent from a shared forefather and is inherited from the father. Some families are known by a village instead: Majithia means of Majitha and Attariwala means of Attari. Traditionally a person marries someone from a different clan, which is one reason the names are remembered so carefully.

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All 500 Punjabi last names