ChakmaচাকমাBengali From the name of the Chakma people of Bangladesh, India and Myanmar, derived from Sanskrit शक्तिमान (shaktimana) meaning "powerful" (composed of शक्ति (shakti) meaning "power" and the suffix मत् (mana) meaning "as, like, having the qualities of").
Chakravartiचक्रवर्तीMarathi, Hindi Derived from Sanskrit चक्रवर्तिन् (chakravartin) meaning "world-ruler, emperor, monarch" (literally "wheel-turner" or "one who's wheels are turning"), from चक्र (chakra) meaning "wheel, circle" and वर्तिन् (vartin) meaning "abiding, moving, turning"... [more]
Chandranചന്ദ്രൻ, சந்திரன்Indian, Malayalam, Tamil Derived from Sanskrit चन्द्र (candrá) meaning "glittering, shining" or "moon".
ChandrasekharIndian A Hindu name meaning literally "holder of the moon" (an epithet of the god Shiva). A notable bearer of this surname was the Indian-born US physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910-1995); the Chandrasekhar limit, i.e. the upper limit for the mass of a white dwarf star beyond which the star collapses to a neutron star or a black hole, is named after him.
Chawlaचावला, ਚਾਵਲਾIndian, Hindi, Punjabi, Indian (Sikh) Derived from the name of a clan in the Arora community, which is apparently named with Sanskrit तांडुल (cawal) meaning "rice". Originating from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, the name is also derived from Aror (now Rohri) a city in the Sukkur District, Sindh, Pakistan, and the community comprises both Hindus and Sikhs.
CheemaਚੀਮਾPunjabi Meaning unknown. This is the name of a Punjabi-speaking subclan of the Jat people found in India and Pakistan, with most members being either Muslim or Sikh.
Chettiarசெட்டியார், ചെട്ടിയാർIndian, Tamil, Malayalam Refers to a member of any of the various South Indian castes of traders, businessmen, and merchants. The name itself may be from the Tamil honorific எட்டி (eṭṭi) or from a Sanskrit word meaning "wealth".
Chhetriছেত্ৰীNepali, Indian, Bengali Derived from Sanskrit क्षत्रिय (kṣatríya), the name of the Hindu social class consisting of warriors and rulers.
ChishtiچشتیUrdu From the name of the town of Chisht in present-day Herat province, Afghanistan.
Chockalingamசொக்கலிங்கம்Indian, Tamil From a nickname referring to the Hindu god Shiva, composed of the Sanskrit words चोक्का (cokkā) meaning "alluring" and लिङ्गम् (liṅga) meaning "sign, symbol, mark".
Chokalingamசொக்கலிங்கம்Indian, Tamil Variant of Chockalingam. A famous bearer is American actress and comedienne Vera Mindy Chokalingam (1979-), who uses the stage name Mindy Kaling.
ChokshiIndian From Gujarati čoksi ‘jeweler’, ‘assayer of gold and silver’, from čokəs ‘precise’, ‘circumspect’, a compound of čo- ‘four’, ‘four-way’, ‘all-round’ (Sanskrit čatus- ‘four’) + kəs ‘assaying’ (Sanskrit kạsa ‘rubbing’, ‘touchstone’).
ChucklerIndian, Telugu Telugu occupational name for a leather worker, a job historically considered spiritually polluting and impure in India, where the surname belongs to Dalit, or "Untouchables" - members of the lowest caste.
ChughtaiچغتائیUrdu From the name of 13th-century Mongol ruler Chagatai Khan, borne by his present-day descendants in South Asia.
Contractorकाँट्रॅक्टरIndian (Parsi) Parsi occupational surname for a contractor, or someone who works on the basis of a contract. As the British rule of India demanded for all Parsees to adopt a surname, many adopted English vocabulary based on their occupation (i.e. Engineer or Merchant).
DadPunjabi A name found in the Punjab region of Pakistan and India. The meaning of this name is 'the one who gives'. Similar to Ditta or Dutt.
DaruwalaदारूवालाIndian (Parsi) Means "wine maker" or "wine seller" from Hindi दारू (dārū) meaning "liquor, wine, alcohol" and the suffix -वाला (-vālā) denoting an occupation.
Desaiदेसाई, દેસાઈIndian, Marathi, Gujarati From a feudal title derived from Sanskrit देश (desha) meaning "country, kingdom" and स्वामिन् (svamin) meaning "owner, master, lord".
DeshmukhदेशमुखIndian, Marathi From the historical title देशमुख (deśmukh) meaning "district head", derived from Sanskrit देश (deśá) meaning "country, district" combined with मुख (múkha) meaning "face".
DeshpandeदेशपांडेIndian, Marathi Means "district accountant", derived from Sanskrit देश (deśá) meaning "country, kingdom, province" combined with पण्डित (paṇḍitá) meaning "learned, wise man".
Dewanদেওয়ান, दीवान, دیوانIndian, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali From a title for a high-ranking government official or minister, derived from Persian دیوان (divan) meaning "royal court, tribunal, ministry, assembly".
DewanIndian, Pakistani Status name for a treasurer or court official, from Arabic diwan "royal court", "tribunal of justice", or "treasury". Under the Mughal administration in India the dewan was usually the highest official in a state.
Deyদে, ଦେIndian, Bengali, Assamese, Odia Derived either from Sanskrit देव (deva) meaning "god" or देय (deya) meaning "fit or proper (for a gift)".
Dikshitदीक्षित, ଦୀକ୍ଷିତIndian, Hindi, Odia From Sanskrit दीक्षित (dikshita) meaning "one who is initiated", ultimately from दीक्षा (diksha) meaning "initiation, dedication". The term was historically used to refer to teachers and scholars of the Brahmin caste.
Dwivediद्विवेदीIndian, Hindi From Sanskrit द्विवेदी (dvivedi) meaning "one who has studied two Vedas", from द्वि (dvi) meaning "two" and वेद (veda) meaning "Veda".
Engineerએન્જીનિયરIndian (Parsi) Parsi name literally meaning "engineer", referring to someone who made machines or engines. As the British rule of India demanded for all Parsees to adopt a surname, many used English vocabulary based on their occupation.
Gaddamగడ్డంIndian, Telugu Derived from Telugu గడ్డము (gaddamu) meaning "beard".
Gaddamగడ్డంTelugu This surname means "on the hill" It is derived from the Telugu words "gadda (గడ్డ)" which means hill and "meeda (మీద)/meedi (మీది)" which means on. The two words were put together and shortened to Gaddam.
Gaddamuగడ్డముTelugu Variant of Gaddam. This surname means "on the hill" It is derived from the Telugu words "gadda (గడ్డ)" which means hill and "meeda (మీద)/meedi (మీది)" which means on. The two words were put together and shortened to Gaddamu.
Gandhiગાંધી, गांधी, ਗਾਂਧੀIndian, Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, Punjabi Derived from Sanskrit गान्धिक (gandhika) meaning "perfumier, perfume seller". Notable bearers include Indian civil rights leader Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948), also known as Mahatma Gandhi, and Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi (1917-1984).
GanesanIndian Indian (Kerala, Tamil Nadu): Hindu name from Sanskrit gaṇeṣa ‘lord of the army’ ( see Ganesh ) + the Tamil-Malayalam third-person masculine singular suffix -n. This is found only as a given name in India, but has come to be used as a family name in the U.S.
GanjiIndian Derived from the Sanskrit word “ganja”, which means “cotton”.
GanjooगंजूIndian, Urdu, Persian Ganjoo is a surname from Kashmiri Pandit clan . The original name was Ganwar, meaning Person in charge of Treasury in Kings court. This name gradually changed to Ganjoo or Ganju.
GardeIndian Found among the Konkanasth Brahmins, probably from Marathi gəṛda ‘belch’.
GilaniگیلانیArabic, Urdu, Persian, Pashto Originally indicated a person from the Gilan province in Iran, or the Gelani tribe mentioned in ancient records.
GillਗਿੱਲIndian, Punjabi Derived from Punjabi ਗਿੱਲਾ (gila) meaning "wet, damp, moist".
GokhaleगोखलेIndian, Marathi Derived from Sanskrit गवाक्ष (gavaksha) meaning "round window" (literally "cow eye"), from गो (go) meaning "cow" and अक्षि (akshi) meaning "eye"... [more]
Goswamiগোস্বামী, गोस्वामीIndian, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese Derived from Sanskrit गोस्वामिन् (gosvamin) meaning "religious mendicant" (literally "owner of cows" or "lord of cows"), from गो (go) meaning "cow" and स्वामिन् (svamin) meaning "owner, lord, master".