# Punjabi: Kaur



## lcfatima

Do only Sikh women use Kaur? Are there Muslims Kaurs?


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## Qureshpor

1) Yes.

2) No. Have you come across any?


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## JaiHind

क्या यह प्रश्न "language forum" के अनुकूल है?


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## lcfatima

Jaihind jab main kissi dusre section mein preshn karti hoon kisi ko pata bhi nahin chalta aur mujhe koi jawaab nahin milta isiliye maine apna sawaal yahin kiya.

What is the meaning of Kaur? Aab theek hai.

Now, as to if I have seen Muslim Kaur, there is a new serial in Pakistan which I have seen promos for but which I don't think has started yet. In the promos it seems to be a Muslim family but the serial is entitled Bilqees Kaur and this is one of the main characters. She is the mother of the family. Perhaps why she is a Kaur will be explained in the future during the serial.

I have never seen a Muslim Kaur but I googled Aisha Kaur and Fatima Kaur and found one of each on Facebook. Who knows the circumstances? I know Sikhs use Persio-Arabic names (Iqbal, Daler, Bahadur, etc) and that there are many, many caste or title names used as surnames which are shared by Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs, especially in Punjab (Rajput, Jatt, Butt, Bhatt, Bhatti, Cheema, Chaudhery and on and on). I was just wondering why the character in the show had this name and if my assumption that there were only Sikh Kaurs was erroneous.


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## Qureshpor

lcfatima said:


> Jaihind jab main kissi dusre section mein preshn karti hoon kisi ko pata bhi nahin chalta aur mujhe koi jawaab nahin milta isiliye maine apna sawaal yahin kiya.
> 
> What is the meaning of Kaur? Aab theek hai.
> 
> Now, as to if I have seen Muslim Kaur, there is a new serial in Pakistan which I have seen promos for but which I don't think has started yet. In the promos it seems to be a Muslim family but the serial is entitled Bilqees Kaur and this is one of the main characters. She is the mother of the family. Perhaps why she is a Kaur will be explained in the future during the serial.
> 
> I have never seen a Muslim Kaur but I googled Aisha Kaur and Fatima Kaur and found one of each on Facebook. Who knows the circumstances? I know Sikhs use Persio-Arabic names (Iqbal, Daler, Bahadur, etc) and that there are many, many caste or title names used as surnames which are shared by Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs, especially in Punjab (Rajput, Jatt, Butt, Bhatt, Bhatti, Cheema, Chaudhery and on and on). I was just wondering why the character in the show had this name and if my assumption that there were only Sikh Kaurs was erroneous.



I hope the TV serial will reveal all.

In the mean time I have spent a few minutes trying to find out about Aisha Kaur and the like. There are place names in Pakhtunkhwa such as 3aaishah Kor where I believe the word "kor" means "home". It is possible then Bilqees Kaur is really Bilqees Kor. Here is a short article in Urdu, which I hope you will be able to read, that includes such place names.

http://www.jasarat.com/unicode/detail.php?category=3&newsid=3503


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## lcfatima

Thanks, I'll have a look at the article. I am sure Bilquis Kaur is a Kaur and not a Kor. I might watch the serial to find out.


 I knew a Filipina Catholic Singh whose grandfather had been a Sikh and a Pakistani Muslim with a Polish last name because her grandfather had been a Pole. One can't always read too much into names. But incongruous names do pique my curiosity.


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## Qureshpor

lcfatima said:


> Thanks, I'll have a look at the article. I am sure Bilquis Kaur is a Kaur and not a Kor. I might watch the serial to find out.



What is the basis of your certainty?


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## marrish

IMHO there is no need to categorize anybody on basis of name, origin or religion. I wouldn't experience any surprise at anyone following any religion of choice.

Just in order to bring this discussion onto the linguistic track, means Punjabi language and _kaur_, what do you think it means?


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## lcfatima

Qureshpor: Did you see the promos of the serial?

Episode one aired, I am going to watch it to see if the name is addressed.


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## Qureshpor

lcfatima said:


> Qureshpor: Did you see the promos of the serial?



I did see a 43 second promotion video and part of part 1 (of 4) Youtube videos. I did n't hear any mention of Bilqees Kaur. If you are so certain that Muslim females have Kaur as a surname, then there was no need to start this thread at all. At least this seems logical to me. There are bound to be mixing of names in inter-religion relationships. But your topic is not about inter-religion/cultural relations but Kaur as a Muslim name full stop. I have attempted to offer an explanation behind your mentioning Fatima Kaur and Aisha Kaur. I might be wrong.


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## lcfatima

Okay within the first few minutes it became clear that she was a Sikhni that converted to Islam. Thanks all for your input.


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## lcfatima

I never said I was certain. I didn't think Muslims used the name but I wasn't sure...that is why I asked.


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## Qureshpor

lcfatima said:


> I never said I was certain. I didn't think Muslims used the name but I wasn't sure...that is why I asked.



I had in mind your statement, "I am sure Bilquis Kaur is a Kaur and not a Kor".


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## tonyspeed

lcfatima said:


> I knew a Filipina Catholic Singh whose grandfather had been a Sikh .



I know we are discussing Kaur, but Singh is not exclusive to Sikhs. The name was already in use by certain castes before it was adopted as the Sikh last name for men.


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## lcfatima

Yes, good point to make, there are lots of Hindu Singhs, most commonly Rajputs, and female Hindus use Singh as a surname, too. This woman specifically told me her grandfather was a Sikh. Incidentally, I don't believe there are Muslim Singhs either.


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## marrish

lcfatima said:


> Yes, good point to make, there are lots of Hindu Singhs, most commonly Rajputs, and female Hindus use Singh as a surname, too. This woman specifically told me her grandfather was a Sikh. Incidentally, I don't believe there are Muslim Singhs either.


Faith moves mountains!

^ Since this thread has dealt with nothing but religion and castes and races, not with the language.


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