MemonمیمنUrdu From the name of the Memon people who inhabit parts of India and Pakistan. The name itself is derived from Arabic مؤمن (mu'min) meaning "believer".
Mahatoमहतो, মাহাতো, ମାହାତୋIndian, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Odia, Nepali From a title given to the head of a village or a well-to-do peasant, possibly derived from Sanskrit महत् (mahat) meaning "great, large, big".
BediIndian Based on the name of a clan in the Khatri community. The name is derived from Sanskrit vedī ‘one who knows the Vedas’. Guru Nanak (1469–1539), the founder of the Sikh religion, was from the Bedi clan... [more]
Sethnaસેઠના, सेठनाIndian (Parsi) Gujarati Parsi name meaning "pertaining to the banker", derived from Hindi सेठ (seṭh) meaning "merchant, banker" (see Seth).
AgasheIndian According to Wikipedia, Agashe is a surname used by Chitpavan Brahmins of the Kaushik gotra in the Marathi populated Deccan in India and by the Chitpavan Brahmin diaspora across the globe.
BanglaবাংলাBengali 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".
Deyদে, ଦେIndian, Bengali, Assamese, Odia Derived either from Sanskrit देव (deva) meaning "god" or देय (deya) meaning "fit or proper (for a gift)".
Chandranചന്ദ്രൻ, சந்திரன்Indian, Malayalam, Tamil Derived from Sanskrit चन्द्र (candrá) meaning "glittering, shining" or "moon".
LoiPunjabi The surname Loi is predominantly associated with the Sikh Punjabi Jatt community, specifically within the Jatt caste. Originating from North East Punjab, the Lois constitute a relatively small Jatt clan known for their prowess in agriculture... [more]
Naskarনস্করIndian, Bengali Derived from Bengali লস্কর (loshkor) meaning "army, legion, soldier", ultimately of Persian origin.
TailwalतैलवालIndian Tailwal is a Garhwali Brahmin surname used in the state of Uttarakhand. Tailwal are Kanyakubja Brahmin. They came from western-Central part of India and settled in Taila village of Garhwal in 1600.
KushwahaIndian Kushwaha (sometimes, Kushvaha) is a community of the Indo-Gangetic plain which has traditionally been involved in agriculture. The term has been used to represent at least four subcastes, being those of the Kachhis, Kachwahas, Koeris and Muraos... [more]
LāndaPunjabi Lānda (ਲਾਨਦਾ) is a Punjabi surname that is used amongst families belonging to the Bhat tribe. The bearers of this surname belong to the gotra Lākhanpal, which is of Kshatriya origin.
TeliतेलीIndian From Sanskrit तेली (tēlī) meaning "oily" in Sanskrit. This is used by the Teli caste who traditionally specialized in oil pressing and trade.
GokhaleगोखलेIndian, Marathi Derived from Sanskrit गवाक्ष (gavaksha) meaning "round window" (literally "cow eye"), from गो (go) meaning "cow" and अक्षि (akshi) meaning "eye"... [more]
NaiduనాయుడుIndian, Telugu Means "chief" in Telugu, ultimately from Sanskrit नाय (naya) meaning "guide, leader" combined with the Telugu masculine suffix డు (du).
Babuबाबू, బాబు, ബാബു, பாபு, ಬಾಬುIndian, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada Derived from Hindi बाबू (babu) meaning "father, sir", used as a respectful term of address for a man as well as a term of endearment for a young boy.
Mandalমন্ডল, मंडल, মণ্ডল, ମଣ୍ଡଳIndian, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Odia, Marathi, Nepali Derived either from a title given to the head of a village or from Sanskrit मण्डल (mandala) meaning "circle, wheel, disk, halo".
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".
Rampersadरामप्रसादIndian, Trinidadian Creole, Mauritian Creole From Sanskrit राम (rāma) meaning "pleasing, pleasant, charming" combined with प्रसाद (prasāda) meaning "clearness, brightness, purity". It is primarily used by the Indian community in Trinidad and Tobago as well as Mauritius.
Khatriખત્રી, खत्री, ਖੱਤਰੀIndian, Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, Punjabi, Nepali Name for a member of the Kshatriya caste, derived from Sanskrit क्षत्रिय (kshatriya) referring to the Hindu caste consisting of kings, warriors and soldiers, ultimately from क्षत्र (kshatra) meaning "power, might, dominion".
DaruwalaदारूवालाIndian (Parsi) Means "wine maker" or "wine seller" from Hindi दारू (dārū) meaning "liquor, wine, alcohol" and the suffix -वाला (-vālā) denoting an occupation.
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.
Bulsaraબલસારા, बलसाराIndian (Parsi) From the name of the city of Valsad (historically known as Bulsar) in Gujarat, India. A famous bearer was British singer Farrokh Bulsara (1946-1991), better known as Freddie Mercury.
NawabنوابUrdu, Punjabi From a title traditionally used by Muslim officials in South Asia who acted as local governors and rulers of deputy states. It is ultimately derived from Arabic نائب (na'ib) via Persian.
KrishIndian Shortened form of Krishna or of any other name beginning with Krishna (such as Krishnan, Krishnaswami, Krishnamurthy, etc.), used in the U.S. by families from southern India. It is not in use in India.
RaghavanIndian (Kerala, Tamil Nadu): Hindu name from Sanskrit raghava ‘derived from Raghu’, ‘descendant of Raghu’ (an epithet of the god Rama, incarnation of Vishnu) + the Tamil-Malayalam third-person masculine singular suffix -n... [more]
SoomroPakistani, Sindhi From the name of the city of سامراء (Sāmarrāʾ) in present-day Iraq. This is the name of a Sindhi tribe in southeastern Pakistan, along with a historical regional dynasty in India (the Soomra).
DugalIndian Based on the name of a Khatri clan. In India the name is more commonly spelled Duggal.
ParekhપારેખGujarati Means "assayer, examiner" in Gujarati, ultimately from Sanskrit परीक्षक (parīkṣaka). It was used to denote a person who tested the authenticity of currency or jewels.
ChauguleचौगुलेMarathi Derived from Marathi चौगुला (chaugula) meaning "village officer".
DasariదాసరిIndian, Telugu Means "mendicant, servant (of Vishnu)" in Telugu, ultimately from Sanskrit दास (dasa) meaning "servant, slave".
Abdul-JabbarArabic, Indian This last name is famous for a basketball player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Parmarપરમાર, परमार, ਪਰਮਾਰIndian, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindi Derived from Sanskrit परमार (paramara) meaning "slayer of enemies", from पर (para) meaning "enemy, adversary" and मार (mara) meaning "killing, slaying, destroying".
Shastriशास्त्रीHindi, Marathi From a title meaning "scholar", itself derived from Sanskrit शास्त्रिन् (shastrin) denoting a person who was well-versed in the shastras.