Punjabi Submitted Surnames

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

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.

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

ANWERUrdu, Punjabi, Arabic, Bengali
Variant transcription of Anwar.

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.

ASHIQPakistani, Punjabi, Urdu
From Arabic عَاشِق (ʿāšiq) meaning "in love with, enamored, infatuated" or "admirer, lover, adorer", ultimately from عِشْق (ʿišq) "being in love".

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

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

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

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).

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

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

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

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

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

CHANDERIndian, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi
Variant of Chandra.

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

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).

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.

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

DASSIndian, Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Malaysian
Variant of Das.

DEVIIndian, 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.

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

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.

GAUTAMNepali, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi
From the given name Gautama.

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

HAIDERUrdu, Sindhi, Punjabi, Arabic, Bengali
From the given name Haider.

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

HASHMIUrdu, 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.

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

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

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

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

KAPOORIndian, 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.

KHALSAIndian (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.

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

KUMARIIndian, 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.

LALIndian, 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

PANDEYIndian, 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.

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

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

PERVAIZUrdu, Punjabi
Variant transcription of Parvez.

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

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

RAJIndian, 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".

RAJPUTUrdu, 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SACHDEVAIndian, Hindi, Punjabi
Variant transcription of Sachdev.

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

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

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

SANDHUIndian (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.

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

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

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

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

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

SHARIFBengali (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.

SHEIKHIndian (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.

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

SIDDIQUEBengali (Muslim), Indian (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi
Variant of Siddiqui.

SIDDIQUIUrdu, Sindhi, Punjabi, 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.

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

SIINGHIndian (Sikh), Punjabi
Variant of Singh.

SRIVASTAVIndian, Hindi, Nepali, Punjabi, Telugu
Variant transcription of Shrivastav.

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

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.

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

ULLAHUrdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Indian (Muslim)
Derived from Arabic اللّٰه (allāh) referring to the monotheistic god in Islamic belief (see Allah).

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

WALIAIndian, Punjabi
Punjabi name of unknown meaning.

YADAVIndian, 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.

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