ARORAअरोड़ाIndian, Hindi, Punjabi From the name of the ancient city of Aror in what is now the Sindh province, Pakistan. The city's name may have been derived from Hindi और (aur) meaning "more, also".
BHASINभसीनIndian, Hindi, Punjabi Believed to be derived from Sanskrit भानु (bhānu) meaning "ray of light" or "sun".
BHATNAGARIndian, Hindi Derived from the name of a subgroup of the Kayasth community, denoting association with Hanumangarh (formerly named Bhatner), a city in Rajasthan, India.
CHANDRAचंद्राIndian, Bengali, Indonesian, Hindi, Telugu, Fijian Derived from Sanskrit चन्द्र (candrá) meaning "glittering, shining" or "moon". In Hindu belief, this is the name of a lunar deity.
DEWIदेवीIndonesian, Javanese, Indian, Hindi, Malay Means "goddess, deity" in Malay and Indonesian, of Sanskrit origin. In India, it can also be a variant transcription of DEVI.
DIKSHITदीक्षितIndian, Hindi, Odia From Sanskrit दीक्षित (dīkṣita) meaning "one who is initiated", ultimately from दीक्षा (dīkṣā) meaning "initiation, dedication". The term was historically used to refer to teachers and scholars of the Brahmin caste.
GANDHIगांधीIndian, Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, Punjabi Derived from Sanskrit गान्धिक (gāndhika) meaning "perfumier, perfume seller". Notable bearers include Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948), also known as Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian civil rights leader, and Indira Gandhi (1917-1984), the first female prime minister of India.
GOSWAMIगोस्वामीIndian, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Marathi Hindu surname derived from Sanskrit गो (go) meaning "cow, ox" or "earth" combined with स्वामी (svāmī) meaning "master, lord".
KAMATकामथIndian, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Konkani Means "people who work in soil" from काम (kām) meaning "work, task, labour" combined with मिट्टी (miṭṭī) meaning "soil, earth".
KHATUNख़ातूनIndian, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Odia Derived from Persian خاتون (xātūn) referring to a title of nobility and the feminine equivalent of the Turkic title khan meaning "leader, ruler".
LALलालIndian, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi From Sanskrit लाला (lālā) meaning "caressing, cajoling". It can also be interpreted to mean "garnet" or "red, ruby" from Persian لال (lâl) or لعل (la'l).
MAHAJANमहाजनIndian, Marathi, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati Means "great people", from Sanskrit महा (mahā) meaning "great, large, big" combined with जन (jána) "people, subjects".
MAHATOमहतोIndian, Nepali, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Odia From a secular title given to the head or chief of a village, possibly taken from Sanskrit महत् (mahát) meaning "great, large, big".
MASIHमसीहUrdu, Hindi From Urdu مسیح (masīh) and Hindi मसीह (masīh) referring to the Christian messiah (Jesus Christ), of Arabic origin. This is a common surname among Pakistani and Indian Christians.
PANDEYपांडेIndian, Nepali, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi Derived from Sanskrit पण्डित (paṇḍitá) meaning "scholar, teacher". In Hindi, the word also refers to a Brahman who either teaches or cooks.
PRADHANप्रधानIndian, Odia, Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Assamese, Nepali Derived from Sanskrit प्रधान (pradhāna) meaning "chief, foremost", used as a Hindu title equivalent to the Arabic وَزِير (wazīr) or vizier.
PRASADप्रसादIndian, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Odia, Kannada From Sanskrit प्रसाद (prasadā) meaning "clearness, brightness, purity, graciousness", ultimately from प्रसद् (prasad) "to fall into the power of". In Hinduism and Sikhism, the term refers to a type of religious food... [more]
RAJNEESHरजनीशIndian, Hindi From the given name RAJNISH. Can also be taken directly from the title रजनीश (rajanish) meaning "lord of the night".
RAJPUTराजपूतUrdu, Indian, Marathi, Hindi, Assamese, Punjabi Means "son of the king", derived from Sanskrit राजा (rājā) meaning "king, sovereign, prince" combined with पुत्र (putrá) meaning "son, child". This is also the name of a caste originating from the Indian subcontinent.
SAXENAसक्सेनाIndian, Hindi Traditionally believed to be derived from Sanskrit सखिसेना (sakhisenā) meaning "friend of the army", from सखा (sakhā) meaning "friend, companion" and सेना (sénā) meaning "army"... [more]
SETHसेठIndian, Odia, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi Derived from Hindi सेठ (seṭh) meaning "merchant, banker", ultimately from Sanskrit श्रेष्ठ (śreṣṭh) meaning "excellent, best".
SETHIसेठीIndian, Odia, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Thai Contraction of Sanskrit श्रेष्ठी (śreṣṭhi) denoting the head of a mercantile or other guild.
SHAKYAशाक्यNepali, Indian, Hindi From the name of an ancient clan that inhabited parts of present-day Nepal and northern India. The name may have been derived from Sanskrit शाक (śāka) or शक (śaka) referring to the Sakas, a group of nomadic Iranian peoples, or from शक्य (śakya) meaning "possible, capable".
SHANGujarati, Hindi A Gujarati and Hindi surname with an unknown meaning.
SHRIVASTAVश्रीवास्तवIndian, Hindi, Nepali Hindu Kayasth surname meaning "from Srivasta" in Sanskrit, referring to the Srivasta (श्रीवत्स) subgroup of the the Kayasth caste. The name itself means "beloved of Sri" or "child of Sri" from the name of the Hindu goddess SHRI (LAKSHMI) combined with वत्स (vatsá) meaning "child, offspring, son".
SHROFFIndian, Hindi Derived from Hindustani saraf meaning "bullion merchant", which in turn, is ultimately derived from Arabic ṣarrāf. It is a name originally given to a cashier (especially in a car park or identity card, car licensing offices and public service agents) in East Asia, and a money changer or banker in South Asia.
SOLANKIसोलंकीIndian, Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi Either from the name of the Rajput Solanki clan of India or the Solanki (Chaulukya) dynasty that once ruled Gujarat and Rajasthan.
SONIHindi A Suryavanshi Khatri family, the surname originating from the Punjab region of India. In India the term caste creates a crucial distinction between Varna and Jāti, even though jati does not fit into any of the four varnas and is more often referred to as Sudras.
SURIPunjabi, Hindi, Indian (Sikh) Based on the name of a clan in the Khatri community, from Sanskrit suri "sun", ‘priest’, ‘sage’. It is also an epithet of Krishna.
THAPAथापाNepali, Indian, Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Odia From an ancient military rank used in the Khasa Kingdom, which ruled parts of South Asia from the 11th to 14th centuries.
TRIVEDIत्रिवेदीIndian, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati Means "one who knows three Vedas", derived from Sanskrit त्रि (trí) "three" and वेद (véda) "Veda" or "knowledge".