{{short description|Surname in the Indian subcontinent}} {{Distinguish|text = [[Sinha (footballer)]], a Brazlian-born Mexican footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
'''Sinha''' is a surname which originates in the [[Indian subcontinent]]. The surname is commonly used by many communities including the [[Bengali Kayastha]]<ref name="Inden" /> and the [[Chitraguptavanshi Kayastha]]s of the [[Hindi Belt]],<ref name="Kumar" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Koul |first=Ram Krishan |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Sociology_of_Names_and_Nicknames_of_Indi/U1lmAAAAMAAJ?hl=en |title=Sociology of Names and Nicknames of India: With Special Reference to Kashmir |date=1982 |publisher=Utpal Publications |pages=47 |language=en}}</ref> and is common in [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]], and [[Bangladesh]]. It comes from a [[Sanskrit]] word meaning "[[Asiatic lion|lion]]" or "brave person".<ref>{{cite book|title=Twenty-six Ways of Looking at a BlackBerry: How to Let Writing Release the Creativity of Your Brand|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8f66aoAfcQQC|author=John Simmons|publisher=A&C Black|page=173|accessdate=1 April 2009|isbn = 978-1-4081-0596-2|date = 1 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Ceylon's Foreign Policy Under the Bandaranaikes (1956–65): A Political Analysis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IesBAAAAMAAJ|author=Dhirendra Mohan Prasad|publisher=S. Chand|year=1973|page=217}}</ref>
==Usage==
===Indian subcontinent=== In India, Sinha is commonly used as a surname by the Kayasthas of the [[West Bengal]] and Bihar.<ref name="Inden">{{cite book | first=Ronald B. |last=Inden | year =1976|title=Marriage and Rank in Bengali Culture: A History of Caste and Clan in Middle Period Bengal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P8b9A7J_v-UC&pg=PA40|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-02569-1|page=40}}</ref><ref name="Kumar">{{cite book | first=Ashwani |last=Kumar | year =2008|title=Community Warriors: State, Peasants and Caste Armies in Bihar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=num2I4NFGqIC&pg=PA195|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-1-84331-709-8|page=195}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=India International Centre Quarterly|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p3pDAAAAYAAJ|publisher=India International Centre|year=2001|page=210|quote=In spite of the ubiquitous presence of the surname Singh/Sinha which itself is associated with a lion symbolic of power and status, we have a whole range of surnames particularly in Kashmir, Gujarat, Maharashtra}}</ref>
In Sri Lanka, the term 'Sinha' (or Siha/Sinhe/Singhe/Singha/Singho) has commonly been used by the [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] (or [[Sinhalese people|Sinhala]]). When it comes to the term 'Sinhala' itself, the first part of the word, 'Sinha' stands for [[lion]] while 'la' or 'le' stands for [[blood]], giving the meaning 'Lion's blood'.<ref>{{cite book|title=Spirit Versus Scalpel: Traditional Healing and Modern Psychotherapy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=khm6A1Z2Ln8C|author1=Leonore Loeb Adler|author2=B. Runi Mukherji|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1995|page=96|isbn = 978-0-89789-406-7}}</ref> The word Simhmam (or Singam / Singham / Singhai / Singai) is the [[Sri Lankan Tamil dialects|Sri Lankan Tamil]] derivative. In northeast India, ''Sinha''s held high positions as advisors during the times of the Mughal Empire. In northern and middle part of India as well as southern India Sinhraj/Sinharaj/Sinharaja or Rajasinha is also used, having the meaning Lion/Leo king.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia: Commercial, Industrial and Scientific, Products of the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures|url=https://archive.org/details/cyclopindiaeast03balfuoft|author=Edward Balfour|publisher=B. Quaritch|year=1885|page=[https://archive.org/details/cyclopindiaeast03balfuoft/page/659 659]–660}}</ref>
The more common surname [[Singh]] in India has the same root. [[Jayasinghe]] and other surnames like 'Wijesinghe', 'Weerasingha', 'Edirisinghe', 'Singaiariyan' in Sri Lanka may also share this root.
===Brazil=== Sinha is also an unrelated name found in [[Brazil]]. "Sinhá moça" is a Brazilian colloquialism that may be translated "miss" or "missy".<ref>{{cite book|title=Iaiá Garcia|author=Machado de Assis|publisher=University Press of Kentucky}}</ref>
==Notable persons with the surname Sinha== * [[A. P. B. Sinha|Akhoury Purnendu Bhusan Sinha]] (1928–2021), Indian solid state chemist * [[Amara Sinha]] (c. AD 375), Sanskrit grammarian and poet * [[Anindya Sinha]], Indian primatologist * [[Anubhav Sinha]] (b. 1965), Indian film director * [[Anugrah Narayan Sinha]] (1887–1957), Indian politician * [[Anupam Sinha]], Raj Comics artist * [[Badri Narain Sinha]] (1930-1979), Indian Police Service officer * [[Basawon Singh (Sinha)]] (1909–1989), Indian nationalist and freedom fighter * [[Bejoy Kumar Sinha]] (1909–1992), Indian revolutionary * [[Bidya Sinha Saha Mim]], Bangladeshi film actress * [[Bikash Sinha]] (1945–2023) Indian physicist, Padma Bhusan awardee * [[Gayatri Sinha]], Indian art critic and curator based in New Delhi * [[Gunjan Sinha]] (b. 1967), Indian-American entrepreneur and business executive * [[Indra Sinha]] (b. 1950), Indian/British author * [[J. K. Sinha]], Indian Police Service officer * [[Jagmohanlal Sinha]] (1920–2008), Indian lawyer, former judge * [[Kaliprasanna Sinha]] (1841(?)–1870), also known as Hootum Pyancha, Bengali author, playwright, and philanthropist * [[Krityunjai Prasad Sinha]], Indian theoretical physicist * [[Kumares C. Sinha]], Indian-American engineer, researcher, and educator * [[Mala Sinha]] (b. 1936), Indian actress * [[Man Mohan Sinha]] (1933–2018), Air Marshal I.A.F * [[Maniklal Sinha]] (1916–1994), Indian writer, novelist, historian, Archaeologist * [[Manjul Sinha]], Indian television director * {{anbl|Manodeb Sinha}} * [[Manoj Sinha]] (b. 1959), Indian politician, Ghazipur * [[Mizanur Rahman Sinha]] (1943–2026), Bangladeshi politician * [[Mukul Sinha]], Indian human rights lawyer * [[Nirmal Chandra Sinha]] (1911–1997), Indian Tibetologist and author * [[Paul Sinha]] (b. 1970) British Bengali stand-up comedian, general practitioner, and professional quizzer * [[Raja Radhika Raman Sinha]] (1937–2008), Indian civil engineer and a writer of Hindi literature * [[Rameshwar Prasad Sinha]] (d. 1965), Indian politician * [[Ranjit Sinha]] (1953–2021), Indian police officer and former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation * [[Rashmi Sinha]] (b. 1960), Indian businesswoman, CEO of SlideShare * [[Ratan Kumar Sinha]] (b. 1951), Indian nuclear scientist and mechanical engineer * [[Ravindra Kumar Sinha (biologist)|Ravindra Kumar Sinha]] (b. 1954), Indian biologist and environmentalist * [[Sachidanand Sinha]] (1871–1950), Indian lawyer, statesman, administrator, and educationist * [[Sandali Sinha]] (b. 1971), Indian actress * [[Sarat Chandra Sinha]] (1914–2005), Indian writer and politician * [[Satyendra Narayan Sinha]] (1917–2006), Indian politician * [[Satyendra Prasanna Sinha, 1st Baron Sinha]] (1863–1928), Indian lawyer and statesman * [[Shantha Sinha]], Indian professor and activist * [[Sharda Sinha]] (1952–2024), Indian folk and classical singer * [[Shatrughan Sinha]] (b. 1946), Indian actor and politician * [[Shumona Sinha]] (b. 1973), naturalised French writer born in Calcutta * [[Siddharth Sinha]], Indian filmmaker * [[Smrity Sinha]] (b. 1989), Indian film actress * [[Sonakshi Sinha]], Indian actress and model * [[Sri Krishna Sinha]] (1887–1962), Indian nationalist known as Bihar Kesari, first Chief Minister of Bihar * [[Srinivas Kumar Sinha]] (1926–2016), Indian politician and military officer * [[Surajit Chandra Sinha]] (1926–2002), Indian anthropologist * [[Surendra Kumar Sinha]] (b. 1951), Bangladeshi lawyer and jurist * [[Tapan Sinha]] (1924–2009), Indian and Bengali film director, Dadasaheb Phalke and Padma Shri awardee * [[Tapan Sinha (admiral)]], Indian admiral * [[Tarak Sinha]] (1950–2021), Indian cricket coach * [[Toshi Sinha]], Indian voice actress * [[U K Sinha]] (b. 1952), Indian businessman and politician * [[Vidya Sinha]] (1947–2019), Indian film and television actress * [[Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha]] (b. 1958), Indian diplomat * [[Yashwant Sinha]] (b. 1937), Indian politician
==Fictional characters== * Akash Sinha and Siddharth Sinha in [[Armaan (2003 film)|''Armaan'' (2003 film)]] * Baldev Sinha, Shanti Sinha, and Virender Sinha in [[Soldier (1998 Indian film)|''Soldier'' (1998 Indian film)]] * Professor Sinha's five daughters in ''[[Kahiin To Hoga]]'' (soap opera) * Shekher Sinha, Sandhaya Sinha, and Jai Sinha in ''[[Dil Jo Bhi Kahey...]]'' (2005 film) * Siddharth Sinha in ''[[Dil Chahta Hai]]'' (2001 film) * Vikram Sinha in ''[[Krrish]]'' (2006 film)
==Places named after Sinha== * [[Sigiriya]], fortress in Sri Lanka; its short name derives from 'Sinha Giriya' meaning "The rocky place of lions" * [[Singapore]], named from 'Singa Pura' / 'Sinha Pure', which means Lion City in Sanskrit, before 1819
==See also== * {{intitle|Sinha}} {{lion-surname}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{surname}}
[[Category:Surnames of Indian origin]] [[Category:Surnames of Hindu origin]] [[Category:Bengali Hindu surnames]]