In Meitei, the surname or family name is a Yumnak, and is used in the Meitei community including Meitei Pangal and Meitei Bamon. The Meitei communities lie largely in the Northeast India (viz. Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur), Bangladesh, Myanmar. Meitei have migrated not only in the capital city of India, New Delhi, throughout India and abroad, and in the process, their names are often changed.
Contents
Historical background
In Meitei society, there are seven Yek Salais: Mangang, Luwang, Khuman, Angom, Moirang, Khaba Nganba, and Chenglei (Sarang Leisangthem).
Yumnaks are the sub-clans of these seven Yek Sarais, formed by collection of different Yumnaks. Yumnaks inhabited specific areas, and formed collectives. Later, these family members migrated to different areas, dispersing their Yumnaks.
Uniqueness of Yumnak
The person's Yumnak is used as a prefix to their surname. Through these Yumnaks, the genealogy of Meitei can be traced. They also use gender identification as their middle name--"Chanu" or "Devi" for female gender and for male gender, "Singh" or "Meitei/Meetei".