Indian surnames are last names that originate from the Indian subcontinent and that can be found throughout the Indian Diaspora, especially the United Kingdom, Canada, the English Caribbean, South Africa, the Persian Gulf and Fiji, representing a wide range of linguistic, religious, and regional backgrounds. Many Indian surnames are a product of both religious and cultural traditions, as well as historical factors such as migration, acculturation, assimilation, and persecution. Some Indian surnames are distinctive and easily recognizable, like Devi[1] and Patel,[2] and they often carry important cultural and historical significance. Due to India being a multi-ethnic and religiously diverse country, there are many significant regional variations, with some unique to certain areas and communities, with the caste-derived surnames being a unique part of Indian culture.
History of Indian Surnames
The use of surnames in India dates back to ancient times, with different regions and communities adopting unique naming conventions. However, the use of surnames in India is a relatively new convention, introduced during British colonization and adapted to local culture,[3] with most parts of northern India following English-speaking Western naming conventions and some parts of the south like the Telugu people use the Eastern name order (surname, first name). [4] In some cases, surnames were derived from an individual's occupation, such as "Sharma" for a priest or "Patel" for a village headman. In other instances, surnames were based on an individual's place of origin, like "Kashyap" for someone from the Kashmir region.
Indian naming conventions
As in most of the world nowadays, wives adopt the surname of their husband after marriage, which is the surname their children will inherit. However, this practice is not universal and some wives either add their husband's surname to theirs, while some retain their maiden surname. In the southern part of India, where Dravidian culture predominates, wives adopt their husbands' surnames after marriage. Indian surnames vary significantly across different regions, religions, and communities. There is a big linguistic and cultural divide in the Indian subcontinent, with the northern region speaking Indo-Aryan languages and the south speaking Dravidian languages,[5] with the exception of the northern and northeastern areas, where languages of Tibeto-Burmese languages are spoken. In some parts of southern India, surnames are little used and it is not uncommon to find individuals with only one name.[6]
As with most languages, there are different categories of hereditary family names in Indian surnames, some of which can be found across India:
- Patronymic surnames: Derived from the father's name, these surnames are prevalent in North India. Examples include Sharma, Verma and Gupta.
- Matronymic surnames: Derived from the mother's name, these surnames are less common but can still be found in some communities.
- Occupational surnames: Based on an individual's profession, examples include Patel (village headman), Bhat (cook), and Kapoor (perfume maker).
- Geographical surnames: Derived from an individual's place of origin, examples include Kashyap and Punjabi (from Punjab).
- Caste-derived surnames: These surnames originate in the complex social stratification system of the castes, unique to Indian culture and, while commonly associated with Hinduism and occupations, it has permeated other religious communities.[7] Some of the surnames that indicate the caste (or the previous one, in case the person converted to Christianity or Islam) of the bearer are Agrawal, Mudartha, Kothapalli and Syed.[8]
Geographic Locations for Indian Surnames
North Indian surnames
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See also: Hindi surnames, Bengali surnames, Punjabi surnames, Gujarati surnames, Marathi surnames, Bene Israel surnames, Goan surnames, Odia surnames, Parsi surnames
Most Indian surnames in the northern and parts of the center of the country are from Indo-Aryan languages, which are part of the larger Indo-European family of languages, with the exception of the Tibetan surnames found along the Himalayas and other Tibeto-Burmese languages such as the Kuki-Mizo surnames found in the northeastern corner of the country. It is believed by many that the Indo-Aryan peoples started to migrate from Central Asia into the northern Indian subcontinent migrations around 1,800 BCE, after the invention of the war chariot.[10]
South Indian surnames
See also: Tamil surnames, Malayali surnames, Telugu surnames, Kannada surnames, Cochini Jewish surnames
The southern part of the Indian subcontinent differs significantly in culture and language to the north of the country, and is home to the Dravidian languages, which are also spoken in north-east Sri Lanka as well as some places of the Indian diaspora. They are considered indigenous to the Indian subcontinent,[11] but some linguists and geneticists propose they may have deeper pre-Neolithic roots from Western Asia, specifically from the Iranian plateau.[12]
Popular Indian Surnames and Their Origins
- Sharma: A common Brahmin surname, derived from the Sanskrit word "Sharman," meaning "teacher" or "priest."
- Patel: A popular Gujarati surname, meaning "village headman" or "landowner."
- Singh: A common North Indian surname, derived from the Sanskrit word "Simha," meaning "lion." It is often used by Sikhs and Rajputs.
- Reddy: A prominent Telugu surname, associated with the landowning class in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and some small communities in Karnataka.[9]
- Iyer: A Tamil Brahmin surname, denoting a priestly caste.
- Chatterjee: A Bengali Brahmin surname, derived from the Sanskrit word "Chaturvedi," meaning "one who knows the four Vedas."
- Desai: A Marathi and Gujarati surname, meaning "landlord" or "revenue collector."
- Nair: A Malayali surname, associated with the warrior and landowning class in Kerala.
- Khatri: A Punjabi surname, traditionally associated with the merchant and business class.
- Bhat: A Kashmiri Pandit surname, derived from the Sanskrit word "Bhatta," meaning "scholar" or "learned man."
Celebrities with Indian Surnames
- Priyanka Chopra, Bollywood and Hollywood actress
- Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood actor
- Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer
- Rishi Sunak, current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Ravinder Bulsara), Zanzibar-born UK singer
- Nimarata Nikki Haley (née Randhawa), US former Ambassador to the United Nations
Explore More About Indian Surnames
- Last names on MyHeritage
- Historical records from India on MyHeritage
- National Archives of India
References
- ↑ Here Are Some Of The Most Common Surnames Around The World. Babbel Magazine
- ↑ Top 100 Most Common Last Names in the United States. ThoughtCo
- ↑ Indian Culture. Cultural Atlas
- ↑ Brown, Charles Philip (1857). A Grammar of the Telugu Language. printed at the Christian Knowledge Society's Press. p. 209.
- ↑ North India-South India Divide – Is there a Growing Regional Divide in India? ClearIAS
- ↑ Agency, United States Central Intelligence (1964). Telugu Personal Names. Central Intelligence Agency. p. 5.
- ↑ Caste Among Indian Muslims Is a Real Issue. So Why Deny Them Reservation?. The Wire
- ↑ A Peak Inside Hindu Name Origins: Caste-based Surnames. Ethnic Technologies
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Karnataka: The Lingayats are no longer as united as they were?. Deccan Chronicle
- ↑ How genetics is settling the Aryan migration debate. The Hindu
- ↑ Avari, Burjor (2007). Ancient India: A History of the Indian Sub-Continent from C. 7000 BC to AD 1200. Routledge. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-134-25162-9
- ↑ Kumar, Dhavendra (2004). Genetic Disorders of the Indian Subcontinent. Springer. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-4020-1215-0.