Punjabi Submitted Surnames

AGARWAL Indian, Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi
Hindu and Jain surname meaning "people of Agroha", referring to a town in the Indian state of Haryana.

AHLUWALIA Indian, Punjabi
From a village named Ahlu that existed as a misl (state) of the Sikh Confederacy during the 18th century.

AHUJA Indian, 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.

ANWAR Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali (Muslim), Indonesian, Arabic, Indian (Muslim)
From the given name Anwar.

ANWER Urdu, Punjabi, Arabic, Bengali
Variant transcription of Anwar.

ARORA Indian, 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.

ASHIQ Punjabi, Urdu
Derived from Arabic عَاشِق (ʿāšiq) meaning "enamored, infatuated" or "admirer, lover", ultimately from عِشْق (ʿišq) "being in love".

BAI Indian, Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Odia, Malayalam
Perhaps derived from Hindi बाई (bāī) meaning "lady".

BAJWA Pakistani, Urdu, Punjabi, Indian (Sikh)
From the Persian باز (bâz) meaning "hawk, falcon". Used by both Pakistani Muslims and Indian Sikhs.

BAKSHI Indian, Bengali, Punjabi
Derived from Persian بخشی (baxši) meaning "paymaster, scribe, secretary", used as a title for officials who distributed wages in Muslim armies.

BALI Punjabi (Rare)

BANSAL Indian, Hindi, Punjabi, Indian (Sikh)
Most likely from Sanskrit वंश (vaṃśa) meaning "bamboo, sugar cane" or "lineage, stock, pedigree".

BASRA Indian, Punjabi
From the name of a city in present-day Iraq, Basra (البصرة‎).

BATRA Indian, Hindi, Punjabi
Of unknown meaning, based on a clan of the Hindu and Sikh Arora community.

BAWA Punjabi
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.

BEGUM Indian (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).

BHAGAT Indian, Nepali, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi
Hindu and Jain name derived from Sanskrit भक्त (bhákta) meaning "devotee, adorer".

BHASIN Indian, Hindi, Punjabi
Believed to be derived from Sanskrit भानु (bhānu) meaning "ray of light" or "sun".

BHATTI Punjabi, Sindhi, Indian
Punjabi Rajput name derived from Sanskrit भट्ट (bhaṭṭa) meaning "lord".

BUTT Punjabi, Urdu
Most likely derived from Sanskrit भटट (bhatt) meaning "scholar".

BUX Sindhi, Urdu, Balochi, Punjabi
Derived from Persian بخش (baxš) meaning "part, district, section" or "fortune".

CHAND Indian, Fijian, Nepali, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Telugu, Odia
Derived from Sanskrit चन्द्र (candrá) meaning "glittering, shining" or "moon" (see Chand).

CHANDER Indian, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi
Variant of Chandra.

CHANDIA Punjabi
Surname rarely used in Pakistani Punjab. The origin of Chandia is Pali. Chandia is a variation of the name Chanda (English and Indian).

CHAUHAN Indian, 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).

CHEEMA Punjabi
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.

CHOHAN Pakistani, Urdu, Sindhi, Indian, Hindi, Punjabi
Variant of Chauhan.

CHOPRA Indian, Punjabi
Khatri Sikh, Hindu, and Jain name of unknown meaning.

DASS Indian, Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Malaysian
Variant of Das.

DAYAL Indian, Hindi, Punjabi
Means "kind, compassionate", derived from Sanskrit दया (dayā) meaning "compassion, pity".

DEVI Indian, Hindi, Punjabi, Assamese, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Odia
From Sanskrit देवी (devī́) meaning "goddess, female deity" (see the given name Devi). It is used as a surname by women who did not originally have a family name. In 2014, this was the second most common surname in the world and the most common in several Indian states.

DHALIWAL Indian (Sikh), Punjabi
Sikh name possibly from Daranagar, the name of an ancestral town in India.

GANDHI Indian, 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.

GAUTAM Nepali, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi
From the given name Gautama.

GOPAL Indian, Hindi, Odia, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Punjabi
From the given name Gopal.

GUL Pakistani, Pashto, Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi, Urdu, Persian
Derived from Persian گل (gol) meaning "flower" or "rose".

HAIDER Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, Bengali, Arabic
From the given name Haider.

HAQ Urdu, Bengali (Muslim), Indian (Muslim), Punjabi
Variant spelling of Haque.

HASHMI Urdu, Punjabi, Indian (Muslim), Arabic
From Arabic هاشم (hashim) meaning "crusher, breaker of bread" (see Hashim). It also refers to the Banu Hashim clan (also called Hashemites) of the Quraysh tribe that the Islamic Prophet Muhammad belonged to.

IQBAL Urdu, Bengali (Muslim), Indian (Muslim), Punjabi, Kashmiri, Arabic, Pashto, Indonesian
From the given name Iqbal.

JAHAN Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi
From the given name Jahan.

JAHANGIR Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali (Muslim), Indian (Muslim)
From the given name Jahangir.

JHA Indian, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, Nepali
Derived from Sanskrit उपाध्याय (upādhyāya) meaning "teacher (of the Vedas)".

KALSI Punjabi, Indian (Sikh)
Meaning unknown. Kalsi is a clan to Sikhs while it is a sub-caste to Lohars.

KAPOOR Indian, Punjabi, Hindi
Punjabi Kshatriya name derived from Sanskrit कर्पूर (karpūra) meaning "camphor" (referring to a white crystalline substance used in medicine), itself possibly of Proto-Austronesian origin.

KAPUR Indian, Hindi, Punjabi
Alternate transcription of Kapoor.

KAZIM Urdu, Punjabi, Arabic
From the given name Kazim.

KHALSA Indian (Sikh), Punjabi
Theorised to be derived from Arabic خَلَصَ (ḵalaṣa) meaning "to be pure, to be clear". In Sikhism, the term refers baptised or initiated Sikhs.

KHAN Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi, Urdu, Kashmiri, Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim)
Derived from the Turkic military title khan, which is ultimately from Mongolian ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ (qaɣan) meaning "king, emperor, sovereign".

KUMARI Indian, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Sinhalese, Pakistani
From the given name Kumari, the feminine form of Kumar. It is exclusively used by women.

LAL Indian, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Malayalam, Nepali, Bengali
Means "darling, precious, beloved", from Sanskrit lala meaning "cajoling". It can also mean "boy" or "red, ruby" in Hindi, Urdu, and Bengali.

LĀNDA Punjabi
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.

MADANPOTRA Indian (Rare), Sindhi (Rare), Punjabi (Rare)
Surname of the Arora caste of the Punjab and Sindh.

MAHAJAN Indian, Marathi, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati
Means "great people", from Sanskrit महा (mahā) meaning "great, large, big" combined with जन (jána) "people, subjects".

MAHI Indian, Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi
From the given name Mahi.

MAHMOOD Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali (Muslim), Arabic
Variant transcription of Mahmud.

MALIK Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi, Arabic, Indonesian
From the Arabic title ملك (malik) meaning "king, sovereign, monarch".

MASIH Indian, Urdu, Punjabi
Derived from Arabic مَسِيح (masīḥ) referring to the Messiah in Islam (Isa) or Christianity (Jesus).

MEHTA Indian, Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi
Derived from Sanskrit महत् (mahát) meaning "great, large, big".

MOHAMMAD Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Pashto, Punjabi
From the given name Mohammad.

NAKAI Punjabi
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.

NATH Indian, Assamese, Hindi, Bengali, Odia, Punjabi, Khmer
From Sanskrit नाथ (nātha) meaning "refuge, help" or "protector, owner".

NOOR Pakistani, Urdu, Bengali (Muslim), Punjabi, Malay, Pashto, Arabic, Indian (Muslim), Muslim
From the given name Noor, from the Arabic نُور (nūr) "light".

PANDEY Indian, 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.

PARVEZ Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi, Kashmiri
From the given name Parvez.

PATHAK Indian, Nepali, Hindi, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi
Derived from Sanskrit पाठक (pāṭhaka) meaning "reader, learner".

PERVAIZ Urdu, Punjabi
Variant transcription of Parvez.

QURESHI Sindhi, Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Balochi, Indian (Muslim)
Derived from Arabic قُرَيْش (Qurayš), which refers to an ancient Bedouin tribe of the Arabian peninsula that the Islamic Prophet Muhammad was a member of. The name itself is derived from Arabic قَرَشَ (qaraša) meaning "to gnash, to grind, to chew".

RAFIQUE Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali
Variant of Rafiq used in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

RAI Indian, Nepali, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Marathi, Punjabi, Bhutanese, Urdu
From Sanskrit राज (rāja) meaning "king, chief, sovereign" (see Raj, Raja, or Rajan).

RAJ Indian, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Odia, Urdu, Nepali, Sinhalese
From Sanskrit राज (rāja) meaning "king, chief, sovereign", ultimately from राजन् (rājan) meaning "king, sovereign, prince, chief".

RAJPUT Urdu, 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.

RAJU Indian, Bengali, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi
Means "king" from Sanskrit राज (rāja) meaning "king, sovereign, chief".

RAM Indian, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Kashmiri, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Indian (Sikh)
Derived from the given name Ram (2).

RAMADAN Urdu, Punjabi, Arabic
From Arabic رَمَضَان (ramaḍān) referring to the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is marked by fasting in Muslim tradition.

RANDHAWA Pakistani, Indian, Punjabi, Indian (Sikh)
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a Sikh and Jat tribe in Punjab.

RASHEED Urdu, Punjabi, Arabic, Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim)
Variant transcription of Rashid.

RASHID Arabic, Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi, Swahili, Malay, Persian
From the given name Rashid.

REHMAN Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Pashto
Variant transcription of Rahman.

SACHDEV Indian, Marathi, Hindi, Punjabi, Thai
From Sanskrit सत्य (satya) meaning "true, virtuous, good" combined with देव (devá) meaning "deity, god".

SACHDEVA Indian, Hindi, Punjabi
Variant transcription of Sachdev.

SAEED Urdu, Punjabi, Arabic, Bengali (Muslim), Persian
Variant transcription of Sa'id.

SAHNI Indian (Sikh), Punjabi
Possibly from Sahni, the name of a village in Punjab.

SALEEM Urdu, Punjabi, Arabic, Indian (Muslim), Pashto
From the given name Saleem.

SANDHU Indian (Sikh), Punjabi
Sikh name derived from Sindhu, a historical name of the Indus River flowing through Pakistan, ultimately from Sanskrit सिन्धु (síndhu) meaning "river, stream". The Sandhus are the largest Jat clan in Punjab.

SARAI Indian, Punjabi

SAWHNEY Indian (Sikh), Punjabi
Variant of Sahni, which is possibly from Sahni, a village in Punjab.

SAYAL Punjabi

SETH Indian, Odia, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi
Derived from Hindi सेठ (seṭh) meaning "merchant, banker", ultimately from Sanskrit श्रेष्ठ (śreṣṭh) meaning "excellent, best".

SETHI Indian, Odia, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Thai
Contraction of Sanskrit श्रेष्ठी (śreṣṭhi) denoting the head of a mercantile or other guild.

SHAH Indian, Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi
Derived from Sanskrit साधु (sādhú) meaning "gentleman, virtuous man".

SHAIKH Indian (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Bengali (Muslim)
Variant transcription of Sheikh.

SHARIF Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Indian (Muslim), Persian, Arabic, Somali
From the Arabic title شَرِيف (šarīf) meaning "noble, honoured, excellent", denoting a Muslim ruler, religious leader, or descendant of Muhammad.

SHEIKH Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Somali, Arabic, Persian, Punjabi
From the Arabic title شَيْخ (šayḵ) meaning "chief, chieftain, head", used as title to denote a political or spiritual leader of a Muslim community.

SHUKLA Indian, Nepali, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi
Derived from Sanskrit शुक्ल (śukla) meaning "white, bright, pure".

SIDDIQUE Punjabi, Urdu, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, Bengali (Muslim), Indian (Muslim)
Variant transcription of Siddiqui.

SIDDIQUI Urdu, Sindhi, Punjabi, Balochi, Pashto, Bengali, Indian (Muslim)
Derived from Arabic صَادِق (ṣādiq) meaning "true, truthful, veracious". It was traditionally used as an honorific title or a nickname for a trustworthy person.

SIDHU Indian (Sikh), Punjabi
Sikh clan name derived from Sanskrit सिद्ध (siddha) meaning "accomplished, proven".

SIINGH Indian (Sikh), Punjabi
Variant of Singh.

SRIVASTAV Indian, Hindi, Nepali, Punjabi, Telugu
Variant transcription of Shrivastav.

SRIVASTAVA Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Nepali, Kannada
Variant transcription of Shrivastav.

SURI Punjabi, 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.

TANDON Indian, Hindi, Punjabi
Punjabi Hindu (Khatri) and Sikh surname of unknown meaning.

THAKUR Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Odia, Assamese, Gujarati, Nepali
From an feudal title used for noble classes in India and Nepal derived from Sanskrit ठक्कुर (ṭhakkura) meaning "deity, chief, lord".

TRIPATHI Indian, Hindi, Odia, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi
Means "one that has studied three Vedas", derived from Sanskrit त्रि (trí) meaning "three" combined with पाठ (pāṭha) meaning "recitation, reading, studying".

ULLAH Pakistani, Pashto, Urdu, Punjabi, Balochi, Sindhi, Bengali, Indian (Muslim)
Derived from Arabic اللّٰه (allāh) referring to the monotheistic god in Islamic belief (see Allah).

UPPAL Punjabi

VERMA Indian, Burmese, Nepali, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Kannada
Variant of Varma.

WALIA Indian, Punjabi
Punjabi name of unknown meaning.

YADAV Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Nepali, Punjabi
From Sanskrit यादव (yādava) meaning "descendant of Yadu", referring to a legendary Hindu king and an alleged ancestor of Krishna. The term traditionally refers to a peasant caste in India and Nepal.

ZAHID Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali (Muslim), Afghani
From the given name Zahid.