AHLUWALIAIndian, Punjabi From a village named Ahlu that existed as a misl (state) of the Sikh Confederacy during the 18th century.
AHUJAIndian, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Sindhi, Indian (Sikh) Sikh name meaning "descendant of Ahu", based on the name of a clan in these communities (see ARORA). Ahu is presumably the name of an ancestor; the suffix -jā is patronymic.
ALAMArabic, Bengali, Urdu, Persian Means "world, universe" (عالم) or "flag, sign, mark" (علم) in Arabic. This spelling represents two separate words in Arabic.
ALVIUrdu, Bengali (Muslim), Indian (Muslim) Derived from Arabic علوي (ʿalawiyy) meaning "pertaining to ALI (1)". The Alvi are a Muslim clan from India and Pakistan claiming descent from Ali ibn Abi Talib (601-661), a cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic Prophet MUHAMMAD.
ARADHYAIndian, Sanskrit Means "one who worships god". Commonly seen in India, Karnataka and other parts of India like kashi. They wear holy thread (yagnopaveetha).
ARORAIndian, Hindi, Punjabi, Sindhi Hindu and Sikh name derived from اروهڙ (Aror), the name of the former capital of Sindh, India (now a part of Pakistan and known as Rohri). The name itself is derived from Hindi and Punjabi Aur meaning "someone else", used by the past Aroras to escape persecution.
ASHIQPunjabi, Urdu Derived from Arabic عَاشِق (ʿāšiq) meaning "enamored, infatuated" or "admirer, lover", ultimately from عِشْق (ʿišq) "being in love".
BAKSHIIndian, Bengali, Punjabi Derived from Persian بخشی (baxši) meaning "paymaster, scribe, secretary", used as a title for officials who distributed wages in Muslim armies.
BALPunjabi Bal is an sikh and muslim jat family. they will few found in Pakistan and India Punjab. Basically they will found from bal kalan tehsil verka 5 District Sri Amritsar Punjab India. In the 2011 Census Bal Kalan Local Language is Punjabi... [more]
BALPunjabi Bal is an sikh and muslim jat family. they will few found in Pakistan and India Punjab. Basically they will found from bal kalan tehsil verka 5 District Sri Amritsar Punjab India. In the 2011 Census Bal Kalan Local Language is Punjabi... [more]
BANGLABengali From বাংলা (Bangla), the endonym of the Bengali people, the region of Bengal (including Bangladesh), and the Bengali language. The word itself is derived either from Vanga, the name of an ancient kingdom on the Indian subcontinent, or from an Austric word meaning "sun god".
BASUMATARYIndian, Bodo, Assamese From a Sanskritized form of the Bodo name बसुमातारी (Baisamatari), which meant "mother earth" or "earthly folks". The name was originally used by landowners or landlords.
BATRAIndian, Hindi, Punjabi Of unknown meaning, based on a clan of the Hindu and Sikh Arora community.
BAWAPunjabi Sikh name based on the name of a Jat clan. It is also a title given to the male descendants of the first three Sikh gurus.
BEGUMIndian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Kashmiri, Urdu, Punjabi, Turkish From the Persian title بیگم (beygom) meaning "lady, madam", traditionally used as a royal title for Muslim females in Central and South Asia. It is the feminine equivalent of the Ottoman Turkish title بك (beg).
BHULLARIndian, Punjabi Probably from the name of a village in Punjab, India, which is of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a Jat clan found in India and Pakistan.
BHUYANIndian, Bengali, Assamese, Odia Means "landlord, chieftain", derived from Sanskrit भूमि (bhū́mi) meaning "earth, soil".
BOURASSAIndian Seems to be an Indian name. I am in touch with a relative whose family were Pottawatomi Indians in Oklahoma. This name comes from that reservation.
BULSARAIndian (Parsi) Indian Parsi surname derived from the name of the city of Bulsar (today known as Valsad) in Gujarat, which served as a centre for Zoroastrian culture in the 17th century. A notable bearer was British singer and songwriter Freddie Mercury (1946-1991), who was born as FARROKH Bulsara.
CHAKRABORTYIndian, Bengali, Assamese Means "ruler of a country" or "emperor", from Sanskrit चक्र (cakrá) meaning "wheel, circle" combined with वर्तते (vártate) meaning "to turn, to roll". The name literally means "turning wheels" or "rolling wheels", but metaphorically denotes a ruler whose chariot's wheels roll without hindrance or obstruction.
CHANDIAPunjabi Surname rarely used in Pakistani Punjab. The origin of Chandia is Pali. Chandia is a variation of the name Chanda (English and Indian).
CHANDIOPakistani, Sindhi, Balochi From the given name CHAND, referring to a past ancestor of Kurdish-Balochi origin. This is the name of a Sindhi and Balochi tribe in Pakistan.
CHANDRAIndian, 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.
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.
CHAUHANIndian, Marathi, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, Assamese, Punjabi, Gujarati Of unknown meaning. Folk etymologies derive it from Sanskrit चतुर् (cátur) meaning "four" or possibly from a hero named Chahamana (of whom members of the caste trace their ancestry from).
CHAVALITelugu Brahmin last name of South India, Andhra Pradesh
CHEEMAPunjabi 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.
CHHETRIHindi, Nepali Chhetri was a caste of administrators, governor and military elites in medieval Khas Kingdom and Gorkha Kingdom (later unified Kingdom of Nepal). The nobility of Gorkha Kingdom were mainly based from Chhetri families and they had a strong presence in civil administration affairs.
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.
CONTRACTORIndian (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).
DARUWALAIndian (Parsi) Means "wine maker" or "wine seller" from Hindi दारू (dārū) meaning "liquor, wine, alcohol" and the suffix -वाला (-vālā) denoting an occupation.
DEBNATHIndian, Bengali, Assamese Derived from Sanskrit देव (devá) meaning "deity, god" combined with नाथ (nāthá) meaning "possessor, owner".
DESAIIndian, Marathi, Gujarati From Sanskrit देश (deśá) meaning "province, country, kingdom" combined with स्वामिन् (svāmin) meaning "lord, master, owner".
DESHMUKHIndian, Marathi From the historical title देशमुख (deśmukh) meaning "district head", derived from Sanskrit देश (deśá) meaning "country, district" combined with मुख (múkha) meaning "face".
DESHPANDEIndian, Marathi Means "district accountant", derived from Sanskrit देश (deśá) meaning "country, kingdom, province" combined with पण्डित (paṇḍitá) meaning "learned, wise man".
DEVAIndian, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil Derived from Sanskrit देव (devá) meaning "heavenly, divine" or "deity, god".
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.
DEWIIndonesian, 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.
DEYIndian, Bengali, Assamese, Odia Either a variant or Dev or DEVA meaning "deity, god" (from the Sanskrit देव (devá)) or derived from the Sanskrit deya meaning "suitable for a gift".
DHARIndian, Bengali Most likely from Bengali ধার (dhāra) meaning "credit"; ultimately from Sanskrit उद्धार (uddhara) "deliverance, salvation, release".
DIKSHITIndian, Hindi, Odia Derived from Sanskrit दीक्षित (dīkṣita) meaning "one who is initiated", ultimately from दीक्षा (dīkṣā) "initiation, dedication". It was historically used to refer to teachers and scholars of the Brahmin caste.
DWIVEDIIndian This surname has multiple meanings, the most commonly accepted etymology is that Dwivedi means a person who has the knowledge of two Vedas, but there exists a conflicting view since Dwivedis are given higher status than Chaturvedis or Chaubeys... [more]
ENGINEERIndian (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.
GANDHIIndian, Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil Means "perfume seller", derived from Sanskrit गन्ध (gandha) meaning "odour, fragrance, perfume". Notable bearers include Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948), an Indian civil rights and independence leader, and Indira Gandhi (1917-1984), the first female Prime Minister of India.
GANGOPADHYAYBengali From the name of the Ganges River (also the name of a villge) combined with Sanskrit उपाध्याय (upadhyaya) meaning "teacher, instructor, priest".
GANJOOIndian, 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.
GOSWAMIIndian, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Marathi Hindu surname derived from Sanskrit गो (go) meaning "cow, ox" or "earth" combined with स्वामी (svāmī) meaning "master, lord".
GOVANIIndian The meaning of the word is made up of two parts i.e. Go and vani ... [more]
HIMALAYAIndian (Rare), Indonesian (Rare) Possibly from the name of the Himalaya mountain range in Asia, derived from Sanskrit हिमालय (himā-laya) meaning "snow dwelling".
IRANIPersian, Indian (Parsi) Denotes an Iranian person or something from Iran, as well as the Irani Zoroastrian ethnic group in India. It is widely used among Indian Parsis.
ISLAMArabic, Bengali, Indian (Muslim), Urdu From the name of the monotheistic religion which is derived from Arabic إِسْلَام (ʾislām) meaning "submission (to God)".
JUNEJOPakistani, Sindhi Means "(sons) of Juno", derived from the name of a past ancestor, Jam Juno, combined with Sindhi جي (jy) meaning "of". The Junejo are a Sindhi tribe mainly concentrated in Pakistan and parts of India.
KAJALIndian, Gujarati, Bengali Derived from Sanskrit कज्जल (kajjala) meaning "collyrium, lotion" or "ink, soot", though it also refers to kohl, a dark powder used as a eye makeup.
KALITAIndian, Assamese Meaning unknown. This is the name of a Hindu caste in the Indian state of Assam.
KALSIPunjabi, Indian (Sikh) Meaning unknown. Kalsi is a clan to Sikhs while it is a sub-caste to Lohars.
KAMATIndian, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Konkani Means "people who work in soil" from काम (kām) meaning "work, task, labour" combined with मिट्टी (miṭṭī) meaning "soil, earth".
KAMBLEIndian, Marathi, Telugu, Konkani Occupational name for a weaver of blankets, derived from Marathi कंबल (kãmbal) meaning "blanket".
KANDHALIndian, Gujarati People with the last name of "Kandhal" are commonly descendants of Rao Kandhal who belonged to the "Rathore" clan of Rajputs (warrior class) in India. "Rao" is a royal title. Rao Kandhal was younger brother of Rao Jodha who founded the princely state of Jodhpur in western Rajasthan, India... [more]