Status is often determined by a person's age, university education, caste, and profession. Be aware that government employment is considered to be more prestigious than private business.
Traditional Hindus do not have family surnames.
Muslim names are usually derived from Arabic. A Muslim woman is known by her given name plus "binti" ("daughter of") plus her father's name.
Indian Sikhs will have their given name followed by either "Singh" for men or "Kaur" for women.
Some Westernized Indians drop the "bin" or "binti" from their name