A coin, around 200 BCE, of the Yaudheyas with depiction of Kumāra Karttikeya">Yaudheyas.html" ;"title="BCE, of the Yaudheyas">BCE, of the Yaudheyas with depiction of Kumāra Karttikeya Kumar (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: wikt:कुमार, कुमार ''kumārá'') is a title, given name, middle name, or a family name found in the Indian subcontinent, mainly in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, and Nepal, though not specific to any religion, ethnicity, or caste. It is a generic title which variously means prince, ''son'', ''boy,'' or '' chaste''. It is the 11th most common family name in the world as of August 2019.http://forebears.co.uk/surnames/kumar Kumar Surname at Forebears

History

The origin of ''kumar'' can be traced back to the early development of Hinduism and its origin in ancient India. The first usage of ''Kumar'' was for the Four Kumāras, the four sons of Brahma from the Puranic texts of Hinduism named Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana, and Sanat. In ''Skanda Purana'', the largest '' Mahapurana'', a genre of eighteen

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

religious texts, the text is devoted mainly to the leelas of Kartikeya, son of Shiva and Parvati. "Kumar" is used to refer Kartikeya.

Geographical distribution

As of 2014, 97.3% of all known bearers of the surname ''Kumar'' were residents of

. The frequency of the surname was higher than national average in the following states and union territories:Kumar Surname Distribution
/ref> * 1. Himachal Pradesh (1: 9) * 2. Chandigarh (1: 10) * 3. Delhi (1: 11) * 3. Haryana (1: 11) * 4. Bihar (1: 15) * 5.

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

(1: 16) * 5. Uttar Pradesh (1: 16) * 6. Uttarakhand (1: 28) * 7. Rajasthan (1: 30) * 8. Punjab (1: 39)

Notable people

First name

Kumar Basnet Kumar Basnet (Nepali:कुमार बस्नेत) is a Nepalese folk singer, dancer and song writer. He started performing in his local village as early as 1957, he has been titled 'Nepalese Folk Legend' due to his successful singing caree ...

, (born 1943) Nepalese folk singer *

Kumar Dharmasena Deshabandu Handunnettige Deepthi Priyantha Kumar Dharmasena (born 24 April 1971), popularly as Kumar Dharmasena, is a Sri Lankan cricket umpire and former international cricketer. He is a member of the ICC Elite Panel Umpires and the first and ...

, Sri Lankan cricketer and International cricket umpire *

Kumar Gandharva Pandit Kumar Gandharva (pronunciation:, Kn: ಕುಮಾರ್ ಗಂಧರ್ವ; 8 April 1924 – 12 January 1992), originally known as Shivaputra Siddharamayya Komkalimath was an Indian classical singer, well known for his unique vocal style ...

(1924–1992), Indian singer * Kumar Gaurav, Indian film actor *

Kumar Kashyap Mahasthavir Bhante Kumar Kashyap Mahasthavir ( ne, कुमारकाश्यप महास्थविर) (born Asta Man Shakya) (24 July 1926 – 26 February 2012) was a Nepalese Buddhist monk who was awarded the title of Tripitakacharya ( Tripitaka ...

, Nepalese Buddhist monk * Kumar Malavalli, Indian businessman * Kumar Mangalam Birla, Indian industrialist *

Kumar Pallana Kumar Valavhadas Pallana (23 December 1918 – 10 October 2013) was an Indian American character actor and vaudevillian. He performed on the Mickey Mouse Club as a plate spinner and juggler. Career Pallana moved to the United States in 1946 ...

, Indian film actor *

Kumar Pradhan Kumar Pradhan ( 7 May 1937 – 20 December 2013) was an Indian historian and writer whose research interests include the History of the Eastern Himalayas, Genealogical studies and the Nepali literature. Pradhan has also edited and written a n ...

, Nepalese scholar * Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan, Indian race car driver * Kumar Rocker, American baseball pitcher * Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lankan cricketer and a former captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team * Kumar Sanu, Indian playback singer * Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji, cricketer who played for England *

Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji Colonel H. H. Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, (10 September 1872 – 2 April 1933), often known as Ranji or K. S. Ranjitsinhji, was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Nawanagar from 1907 to 1933, as Ma ...

, AKA K. S. Ranjitsinhji, Indian prince, maharaja and Test cricketer *

Kumar Vishwas Kumar Vishwas (born Vishwas Kumar Sharma; 10 February 1970) is an Indian Hindi poet, politician, and a lecturer. He was a founding member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a former member of its National Executive. Life and career Vishwas was ...

, Hindi-language performance poet

Middle name

* Abhas Kumar Ganguly, birth name of Kishore Kumar *

Ajith Kumar Siriwardena Professor Ajith Kumar Siriwardena MBChB, M.D., FRCS, Is the current professor of hepato-pancreatico-biliary surgery at the University of Manchester, and a consultant hepatobiliary surgeon at the Manchester Royal Infirmary Manchester Royal In ...

, Sri Lankan Briton professor of hepato-pancreatico-biliary surgery *

Akshay Kumar Datta Akshay Kumar Datta (also spelt Akshay Kumar Dutta) ( bn, অক্ষয় কুমার দত্ত) (15 July 1820 – 18 May 1886) was a Bengali writer from India. He was one of the initiators of the Bengal Renaissance. Early life He wa ...

, Bengali writer * Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri, a leading physicist * Amrit Kumar Bohara, Nepalese politician * Anil Kumar Jha, (born 1969) Nepalese politician * Anjani Kumar Sharma, Nepalese surgeon *

Arjun Kumar Basnet Arjun Kumar Basnet ( ne, अर्जुन कुमार बस्नेत) (born December 5, 1975) is a Nepalese marathon runner. Basnet represented Nepal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively roman ...

, (born 1975) Nepalese marathon runner * General Arunkumar Vaidya, the former Chief of Indian Army *

Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar ( ne, बिजयकुमार गच्छदार; born February 1, 1954) is a Nepalese politician and leader of the Nepali Congress. He has served five terms as deputy prime minister of Nepal under the government ...

, Nepalese politician * Devendra Kumar Joshi, the Indian Chief of Naval Staff * Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay, a Bengali singer, composer and producer * Inder Kumar Gujral, an Indian politician who served as the 12th Prime Minister of India * Keshav Kumar Budhathoki, Nepali politician * Madhav Kumar Nepal, Former Prime Minister of Nepal *

Manoj Kumar Pandey Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, Param Vir Chakra, PVC (25 June 1975 – 3 July 1999) was an officer of the Indian Army who was posthumously awarded India's highest military honour, the Param Vir Chakra, for his audacious courage and leadership dur ...

, Indian Army officer, recipient of the Param Vir Chakra * Pawan Kumar Chamling, an Sikkimese politician who served as the 5th Chief Minister of Sikkim * Pradip Kumar Rai known as

Byakul Maila Pradeep Kumar Rai, professionally known as Byakul Maila, is a Nepalese poet who composed the lyrics of the current Nepalese national anthem ''Sayaun Thunga Phulka "", or "" ( ne, सयौँ थुँगा फूलका, ; "Made of Hundre ...

, Nepalese poet * Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, Indian politician who was the leader of the Assam Movement, a former Chief Minister of Assam. * Prem Kumar Dhumal, chief minister of Indian state *

Raj Kumar Saini Raj Kumar Saini (born 1 July 1953) is an Indian politician. He was the MP of Kurukshetra, Haryana. In 2014 he became a member of 16th Lok Sabha by defeating 2 times MP from Indian National Congress Naveen Jindal. Personal life Rajkumar Saini ...

, Indian politician *

Raj Kumar Rao Rajkummar Rao (born Raj Kumar Yadav; 31 August 1984) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi films. He has appeared in more than 30 films since 2010, and is the recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award, three ...

, Indian actor *

Raj Kumar Kapoor Raj Kumar Kapoor ( 10 April 2019) was an Indian actor, producer and director. He was a colonel in Indian Army. He was also known as Raj Bharti and many movies credited this name. Biography Kapoor was the director of a television series titled ...

, Indian actor, director *

Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria (born 15 September 1959), is a retired Indian Air Force officer, who served as the Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, having assumed office on 30 September 2019 after the retirem ...

, retired

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

officer, who served as the Chief of the Air Staff of the

* Roop Kumar Rathod, an Indian playback singer and music director *

Sanjeev Kumar Yadav Sanjeev Kumar Yadav is an officer of DANIPS cadre. He currently serves as Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Special Cell, in Delhi Police. He received the President's Police Medal eleven times for Gallantry. Early life and education San ...

, DANIPS officer. He currently serves as Deputy Commissioner of Police(DCP), Special Cell, in

Delhi Police The Delhi Police (DP) is the law enforcement agency for the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). Delhi Police comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India. In 2015, sanctioned strength of Delhi ...

. * Santosh Kumar Ghosh, Bengali writer and journalist *

Santosh Kumar Gupta Rear Admiral Santosh Kumar Gupta, MVC, NM is a former flag officer of the Indian Navy. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, the nation's second-highest gallantry award for his command of INAS 300 during the Indo-Pak War of 1971. Maha Vir Chakr ...

, former Indian Navy admiral, recipient of Maha Vir Chakra * Satinder Kumar Saini, vice chief of the Indian army *

Selvar Kumar Silvaras Mathavakannan Kalimuthu (Tamil language: மாதவக்கண்ணன் காளிமுத்து; born 10 May 1978) is an Indian Singaporean who, together with his two friends, murdered a gangster named Saravanan Michael Ramalingam ...

(c. 1971–1998), Singaporean convicted murderer *

Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay Dahal ( ne, शैलेन्द्र कुमार उपाध्याय) (April 17, 1929 – May 9, 2011) was a Nepalese politician. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs for Nepal from 1986 to 1990. He was Nepal's ...

, Nepalese diplomat * Shiv Kumar Batalvi, a Punjabi language poet * Siddharth Kumar Tewary,

n television

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

and director *

Srinivas Kumar Sinha Lieutenant General Srinivas Kumar Sinha, PVSM, ADC (January 7, 1926 – November 17, 2016) was an Indian Army General who served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff. After his retirement, he served as Governor of the states of Jammu and Kashmir, ...

, Indian military officer *

Sunil Kumar Yadav Sunil Kumar Yadav (Jitendra) (born Sunil Kumar Yadav) Nepali: सुनील कुमार यादव) is a Nepali politician. He is a current member of the Nepalese Constituent Assembly and the Legislative Parliament. Sunil Kumar Yadav Bo ...

, Nepalese politician *

Suniti Kumar Chatterji Bhashacharya Acharya Suniti Kumar Chatterjee (26 November 1890 – 29 May 1977) was an Indian linguist, educationist and litterateur. He was a recipient of the second-highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Vibhushan. Life Childhood Chatterji ...

, an Indian linguist, educationist and litterateur * Tapan Kumar Pradhan, Indian bank, activist and poet *

Tej Kumar Shrestha Tej Kumar Shrestha (born February 11, 1948) is a Nepalese naturalist and zoologist. Shrestha is founder secretary of the Zoological Society of Nepal. He is also a founder member of the Bird Watching Club of Nepal and has been closely associated ...

, Nepalese zoologist * Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Indian politician * Vijay Kumar Pandey, Nepalese journalist * Vijay Kumar Singh, Indian politician and a retired four star general in the Indian Army * Vineet Kumar Singh, Indian film actor *

Vinod Kumar Shukla Vinod ( hi, विनोद , mr, विनोद , gu, વિનોદ) is a male given name used in India and Nepal, meaning "delight", "enjoyment", or "pleasure". People *Vinod Agarwal, Indian-American businessman and scientist * Vinod Agg ...

, modern Hindi writer * Yogesh Kumar Joshi, 17th and the current Commander, XIV Corps of the Indian Army * Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal, the 36th

Chief Justice of India The chief justice of India (IAST: ) is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of India as well as the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Judiciary. The Constitution of India grants power to the president of India to appoint, in consultation w ...

Last name

Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil films. To date, he has starred in over 60 films. His awards include four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil N ...

, an Indian actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema * Akhil Kumar, an Indian boxer who has won several international and national boxing awards * Akshay Kumar, stage name of Indian-Canadian film actor, producer and martial artist, Rajiv Bhatia * Amit Kumar, Indian film playback singer, actor, and director *

Amitava Kumar Amitava Kumar (born 17 March 1963) is an Indian writer and journalist who is Professor of English on the Helen D. Lockwood Chair at Vassar College. Early life Kumar was born in the city of Arrah in the Indian state of Bihar on 17 March 1963. He ...

, Indian writer, journalist, professor * Anand Kumar, Indian mathematician *

Anil Kumar Anil Kumar (born 1958) is an Indian-American former senior partner and director at management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he co-founded McKinsey's offices in Silicon Valley and India and created its Internet practice (representin ...

, Indian businessman, consultant * Ashok Kumar, AKA Dadamoni in Bengali, Indian film actor * Arun Kumar, Indian politician * Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Indian pace bowler *

Bandi Sanjay Kumar Bandi Sanjay Kumar (born 11 July 1971) is an Indian politician who is a Member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, representing the Karimnagar constituency since 2019. In 2020, he was appointed the state president of t ...

, Indian politician *

Chetan Kumar Chetan Kumar ( kn, ಚೇತನ್ ಕುಮಾರ) (born 24 February 1983), also known as Chetan Ahimsa, is an American Kannada-language film actor and a public intellectual. He is a socio-political activist based in India. Chetan made his o ...

, Indian actor * Darshan Kumar, Indian actor * Dev Kumar, Indian actor * Digendra Kumar, Indian military officer * Dilip Kumar, Indian film actor known as the 'Tragedy King' and a former Member of Parliament * Divya Khosla Kumar, Indian film actress, producer and director *

E. Santhosh Kumar E. Santhosh Kumar is a Malayalam writer. He has won numerous awards, including that of Kerala Sahitya Academy. Biography ''Galapagos'', which was later published as a collection, was his first published short story. He won his first Keral ...

, Indian writer * Girish Kumar, Indian film actor *

G. V. Prakash Kumar G. V. Prakash Kumar is an Indian composer, actor, producer and singer known for his work in Tamil films and a few Telugu films as well. His first film was S Pictures' ''Veyil'' (2006) and he became popular in Tamil cinema by the early 2010s. He ...

, Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer * Gulshan Kumar, T-Series music label owner *

Guru Rudra Kumar Guru Rudra Kumar (born 23 July 1977) is an Indian politician. He is member of the Indian National Congress. He was minister in Baghel ministry. He previously served as member of the legislative assembly of Chhattisgarh from Ahiwara Ahiwara ...

* Hiten Kumar, Gujrati film actor * Inder Kumar, Indian actor * Indra Kumar, an Indian film director and producer *

Jeeva Kumar Jeeva Kumar Sivachandraswaran (born 1 June 1971) is representative for India in the sport of Kabaddi. He was a member of the Kabaddi team that won a gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as ...

, Indian kabbadi player *

Jitender Kumar (flyweight boxer) Jitender Kumar (born 18 July 1988) is an Indian flyweight boxer. He won the bronze medal in the flyweight category at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. He represented India at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Career At the 2006 Junior World Ch ...

, an Indian flyweight boxer * Kanhaiya Kumar, Indian politician *

Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music. He ...

, Indian film playback singer, actor, lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter * Manoj Kumar (boxer), Indian boxer who won a gold medal in the light welterweight division at the 2010 Commonwealth Games * Manoj Kumar, an award-winning Indian actor and director in the Bollywood * María Teresa Kumar, a political organizer and voting rights activist for Latinos in the United States * Meira Kumar, an Indian politician and a five time Member of Parliament * Mukesh Kumar, Indian cricketer *

Navin Kumar Navin Kumar (born 29 August 1952), is a retired Indian Administrative Service (I.A.S.) officer of Bihar cadre in India. He also served as the first chairman of Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) in India from 2013 to August 2017. He has als ...

* Nirmalya Kumar, professor and businessman * Nish Kumar, British comedian * Nitish Kumar, Indian politician who served as the 22nd Chief Minister of Bihar *

Oil Kumar Benakanahalli Alappa Shivakumar (1951–1990) (a.k.a. Boot House Kumar, Oil Kumar), was a ganglord and organized crime boss who headed the Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital ...

, aa Indian ganglord and organized crime boss * Pawan Kumar, several people, including: ** Pawan Kumar (director), Indian film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter ** Pawan Kumar (wrestler), Indian wrestler * Pradeep Kumar, Indian actor in Hindi, Bengali and English-language films * Praveen Kumar, Indian medium-pace swing bowler * Prem Kumar, several people, including: ** Prem Kumar (Malayalam actor), Indian film actor in Malayalam films ** Prem Kumar (Kannada actor), Indian film actor in Kannada films * Raaj Kumar, Indian film actor * Rajendra Kumar, Indian film actor * Ravi Kumar (Indian footballer) * Ravish Kumar, Indian Journalist at NDTV India *

Ritu Kumar Ritu Kumar is an Indian fashion designer. Early life and education The lack of educational opportunities in Amritsar led her to move to Simla for her schooling, where she attended Loreto Convent. She later studied at Lady Irwin College, wher ...

, Indian fashion designer * Sanjay Kumar, several people, including: ** Sanjay Kumar (business executive), former CEO of Computer Associates **

Sanjay Kumar (soldier) Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar PVC (born 3 March 1976) is a Junior Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army, and recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military award. Early life Sanjay Kumar was born in village Kalol Bakain in Bilasp ...

, Indian Army soldier who received the Param Vir Chakra * Sanjeev Kumar, Indian film actor * Shashi Kumar, or Shashikumar, Indian actor and politician *

Sushil Kumar Sushil Kumar Solanki (born 26 May 1983) is a former Indian wrestler. He carried the Indian flag at the opening ceremony of 2012 London Olympics. His 2008 Olympic medal was second for India in wrestling, and the first since Khashaba Dadasaheb Ja ...

, several people, including: **

Sushil Kumar (wrestler) Sushil Kumar Solanki (born 26 May 1983) is a former Indian wrestler. He carried the Indian flag at the opening ceremony of 2012 London Olympics. His 2008 Olympic medal was second for India in wrestling, and the first since Khashaba Dadasaheb Ja ...

, Indian World Champion wrestler * Tulsi Kumar, an Indian playback singer for Bollywood films * Uttam Kumar, Indian (Bengali) cinema actor and contemporary of Dilip Kumar * Uttar Kumar, famous actor in north India *

Venkatesh Kumar Pandit M. Venkatesh Kumar (born July 1, 1953) is an Indian Hindustani classical music, Hindustani vocalist. He is best known for his rendition of devotional songs composed by Swami Haridas. Kumar belongs to the Kirana Gharana, Kirana and Gwalior ...

, Hindustani vocalist. * Vikram Kumar, madman and sad Spurs fan *

Vijay Kumar (sport shooter) Honorary Captain Vijay Kumar Sharma, AVSM, SM (born 19 August 1985) is an Indian sport shooter. He won the silver medal in the individual 25 metre rapid fire pistol event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Kumar hails from Barsar village of Hamirp ...

, Indian champion shooter, Olympic 2012 silver medalist * Vimal Kumar, Indian badminton player * Vinay Kumar, Indian

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

player *

Vinay Kumar (pathologist) Vinay Kumar (Born Dec 24, 1944, India) is the Lowell T. Coggeshall Distinguished Service Professor of Pathology at the University of Chicago, where he was also the Chairman (2000-2016) of the Department of Pathology. He is a recipient of Life Time ...

, the Alice Hogge & Arthur Baer Professor of Pathology at the University of Chicago * Vinoth Kumar, Indian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player

Notes

{{reflist Indian surnames Surnames Gujarati-language surnames