IIRC,the man who founded Sikhism,Guru Nanak wanted a religion free from all impurities of caste & in North India,it's still a practise among Hindus to have their caste name as their last name(Yadav,Rajput etc).The use of a word like Singh eliminates that & also reflects the independent & warrior nature of Sikhs(embodied by the lion).Quiet a few Sikhs use their village name or extended family name along with their original names as a matter of distinction.
Thanks for the info.
I am aware that Sikhs are considered good warriors and many are in the army and act as palace guards.
I believe some observe the religious custom of not cutting their hair. So they wear a turban.
"IIRC,the man who founded Sikhism,Guru Nanak wanted a religion free from all impurities of caste & in North India,it's still a practise among Hindus to have their caste name as their last name(Yadav,Rajput etc).The use of a word like Singh eliminates that & also reflects the independent & warrior nature of Sikhs(embodied by the lion)."
No. Singh does NOT eliminate caste. In fact, its very meaning is rooted in caste. Especially the warrior caste. Singh denotes warrior caste and was in use long before Sikhism was born. Since most Sikhs were converts from the warrior caste, they used Singh. And all Sikhs, regardless of their caste, started using Singh.
It is spreading misinformation to say Singh came out of nowhere. It was used by Rajputs long before Sikhism.