Desaiदेसाई, દેસાઈIndian, Marathi, Gujarati From a feudal title derived from Sanskrit देश (desha) meaning "country, kingdom" and स्वामिन् (svamin) meaning "owner, master, lord".
MohilaryমহিলাৰীBodo, Assamese Associated with tax collections from the Mahallas.
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.
Mirajkarमिरज्कर्Marathi Means "one from Miraj" in Marathi. Miraj is a city located in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
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]
Sethnaસેઠના, सेठनाIndian (Parsi) Gujarati Parsi name meaning "pertaining to the banker", derived from Hindi सेठ (seṭh) meaning "merchant, banker" (see Seth).
AttwalਅਟਵਾਲPunjabi Alternate transcription of Punjabi Gurmukhi ਅਟਵਾਲ (see Atwal).
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.
LokhandeलोखंडेIndian, Marathi Derived from Marathi लोखंड (lokhanda) meaning "iron", either a nickname for a person who was strong and well-built or an occupational name for a blacksmith.
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).
Cawasقوس, कावसIndian (Parsi), Persian, Indian, Arabic Cawas is an Indian (Parsi) surname which means “Arch” in Persian and ultimately Arabic. John Cawas of Toofani Tarzan fame was a notable person with that surname.
VindaवृंदाHindi Taken from Mitravinda, one of the eight principal queen-consorts of the Hindu god Krishna.
Dayalदयाल, ਦਯਾਲIndian, Hindi, Punjabi From Sanskrit दयालु (dayālu) meaning "kind, compassionate, merciful".
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.
Kumbhakarকুম্ভকর, कुम्भकारIndian, Bengali, Hindi From Sanskrit कुम्भकार (kumbhakara) meaning "potter", derived from कुम्भ (kumbha) meaning "jar, urn, pot" and कार (kara) meaning "maker, doer".
Sujanthanசுஜந்தன்Tamil, Sanskrit Sujanthan is of South Asian origin, specifically Tamil. The name is derived from the Tamil and Sanskrit roots, with "Sujan" meaning "good-hearted" or "virtuous," and "-than" being a suffix meaning "person" or "one."
ChauguleचौगुलेMarathi Derived from Marathi चौगुला (chaugula) meaning "village officer".
Rajputराजपूत, ৰাজপুত, ਰਾਜਪੂਤ, راجپوتIndian, Marathi, Hindi, Assamese, Punjabi, Pakistani, Urdu From Sanskrit राजपुत्र (rajaputra) meaning "prince" (literally "son of the king"), derived from राज (raja) meaning "king" combined with पुत्र (putra) meaning "child, son".
KambleकांबळेIndian, Marathi, Konkani Occupational name for a weaver of blankets or a nickname for a person who often carried blankets with them, derived from Sanskrit कम्बल (kambala) meaning "blanket".
Tyagiत्यागीIndian, Hindi Derived from Sanskrit त्यागिन् (tyagin) meaning "leaving, abandoning, sacrificing", so named because some members of this caste may have chosen to leave their traditional practice of agriculture in favor of learning and teaching-based occupations (or vice versa).
Bhatnagarभटनागर, ନଗରIndian, Hindi, Marathi, Odia Derived from the name of a subgroup of the Kayasth community, denoting association with Hanumangarh (formerly named Bhatner), a city in Rajasthan, India.
Bajajਬਜਾਜ, बजाजIndian, Punjabi, Hindi Occupational name for a clothier from Punjabi ਬਜਾਜ (bajaj) meaning "cloth merchant", ultimately derived from Arabic بزاز (bazzaz).
Bediਬੇਦੀ, बेदीIndian, Punjabi, Hindi Derived from Sanskrit वेदिन् (vedin) meaning "knowing, learned", used as a name for someone who was familiar with the Vedas.
KindikeriకిందికేరిTelugu The word ‘Kindi’ meaning “lower or down” in the Telugu language, while ‘Keri’ means “area,”land or street” in Kannada.... [more]
Sarmaশৰ্মা, শর্মা, शर्मा, శర్మ, ಶರ್ಮಾAssamese, Bengali, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Nepali Alternate transcription of Assamese শৰ্মা, Bengali শর্মা, Hindi/Nepali शर्मा, Telugu శర్మ or Kannada ಶರ್ಮಾ (see Sharma).
Aggarwalअग्रवाल, ਅਗਰਵਾਲHindi, Marathi, Punjabi Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi अग्रवाल or Punjabi Gurmukhi ਅਗਰਵਾਲ (see Agarwal).
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]
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.
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.
Mallikমল্লিকBengali Means "owner, proprietor, head, leader" in Bengali, ultimately from Arabic مالك (mālik).
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]
MatharuIndian (Sikh, Modern) Matharus were fierce warriors especially during, the time when the Matharu tribe, had converted to Sikhism; they fought numbers of wars for Guru Gobind Singh, Banda Singh Bahadur and Jassa Singh Ramgarhia.... [more]
Sachdevसचदेव, ਸਚਦੇਵਾIndian, Marathi, Hindi, Punjabi From Sanskrit सत्य (satya) meaning "true, virtuous, good" and देव (devá) meaning "deity, god".
Thapaथापा, থাপা, ଥାପାNepali, 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.
MenonമേനോൻMalayalam Means "accountant" in Malayalam, itself derived from the title മേലവൻ (melavan) meaning "overseer, boss, exalted one", from മേല (mel) meaning "top, above, high" and the third person pronoun അവൻ (avan) meaning "he".
NaiduIndian The surname Naidu occurs in communities of Andhra Pradesh. It is composed of a stem word ‘naya’, which means leader or chief. The suffix ‘du’ is a third person masculine suffix in Telegu.
KalitaকলিতাIndian, Assamese Meaning uncertain. One theory suggests that the name is derived from Sanskrit कुल (kula) meaning "family, caste" and लुप्त (lupta) meaning "lost, gone", though this has been criticised as a false etymology.
Khanumখানম, خانمBengali, Urdu From an aristocratic title traditionally used as an honorific for Muslim women in the Middle East and South Asia. It is derived from a feminine form of the title khan meaning "king, ruler", which is probably of Mongolian origin.
GujaratiગુજરાતીIndian Denoted a person of Gujarat descent. From Gujarati ગુજરાત (gujrāt), inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀕𑀼𑀚𑁆𑀚𑀭𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀸 (gujjarattā) "country of the Gurjaras”, itself comes from Sanskrit *गुर्जरत्रा (gurjaratrā), of the same meaning... [more]
BhuttoSindhi Meaning uncertain. This is the name of a prominent Pakistani political family of Sindhi origin. Two of its members, ZulfikarAli Bhutto (1928-1979) and Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007) served as prime ministers of Pakistan.
AntalaઅંટાળાGujarati ANTALA SURNAME CAME FROM MANDALIYA SURNAME (HINDU PATEL'S SURNAME), ANTALA FAMILIES LIVED IN MANDALDESH IN VIKRAM SAVANT 1416. IN VIKRAM SAVANT 1416, built a temple OF SHIVA IN ANTALESHWAR AND THEN MANDLIYA BECOME ANTALA.... [more]
NakaiPunjabi This surname originates from the Punjab. It is a sub-cast of Sandhu Jats and are descendants of Nakai Misl, a principality of the Sikh Empire from 1748 to 1810.