Indian last names can be from a community, caste, profession, place of birth, or religion.
Nonetheless, Hindi is the most commonly spoken language in India.
Hindi belongs to the Indo-Aryan language and is a direct descendant of Sanskrit.
Sylwia Bartyzel
Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language and comes from a Sanskrit word meaning purified.
Along with Hindi, English is the second most commonly spoken language in India.
Other religions that are practiced are Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism.
Today, youll often notice that Indians have Parsi names, and thats because of this ancient religion.
According to varnathe Hindu social orderspeople are grouped by social class and characteristics of individuals.
There are 4 main caste groups: Brahmin, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Shudras.
Brahmin are the spiritual leaders or reflective ones, like teachers, priests, philosophers, and doctors.
Kshatriyas are nobles or warriors; they are those who protect society.
Vaisyas are craftsmen, farmers, and artisans, those who produce material goods.
Shudras are considered the laboring class or the maintenance people.
So what about surnames based on a caste name?
A Brahmin surname would beBhatwhich means scholar in Sanskrit.
Some Brahmins keep their given names (from birth) and some keep their names from marriage.
For Kshatriyas, the last name could beSingh,which means lion.
For Vaisyas,Agrawalmeaning people of Agroha and for Shudras,Patel,meaning leader of the village.
Other examples of Hindu surnames are Acharya (spiritual teacher) and Khatri (messenger).
Islam
About 12% of the Indian population practices the Islamic religion.
Muslim surnames typically take on a religious connotation.
For example, some names could be Abdullah meaning servant of God (-ullah meaning God).
Other names could beAbad(priest),Mohammed(praiseworthy), andSaad(blessed).
Sikhism
Sikhs make up only 2% of the Indian population.
In Sikh, there are no caste systems and everyone has equal rights.
Family is an essential social unit in Sikhism and if its strong enough, it can form whole communities.
For example, women are mothers while men are providers of the family.
Indian Names
Indian surnames can be from religions, family, and their specific language.
For example, those who speak the Tamil language typically use their fathers name as their first name.
Kapadia
A Parsi surname that derived as an occupational last name for acloth merchant.
Joshi
This occupational surname was given to someone known as an astronomer.
Khatri
This name is a synonym for Kshatriya and meansmessenger.
Bakshi
A Punjabi and Hindu surname that derives to meanpaymaster.
Varma
Most common in North India, this Indian last name meansarmor or protection.
Dara
A Parsi surname that stands for the wordpossessor.
Babu
A common surname that means father.
Isha
This Indian family name means master, lord.
Kumar
This can be a surname or a given name and stands forepithet of god Kartikeya.
Puri
A Punjabi last name that is most likely habitational and meanssmall town.
Anand
This last name translates from Sanskrit to mean happiness or bliss.
Gupta
Translates from Sanskrit to mean protected.
Kulkarni
An occupational surname that meansvillage clerk or revenue collectorin Marathi.
A popular surname that means boy, prince in Sanskrit.
Narang
A habitational surname thats linked to a Pakistani town that was undivided in India.
Jain
A surname given to a person that practiced the principles of Jainism.
Chopra
A familiar Indian surname with unknown origins.
Rai
A variant of the name Raj which means king in Sanskrit.
Agarwal
A geographical name linked to the town of Agroha in Haryana state, India.
Kapoor
Translated from Sanskrit to mean camphor.
Iyer
Linked to the Iyer caste that is traditionally dedicated to the God Vishnu.
Sharma
When derived from Sanskrit this name stands for shelter or comfort.
Mahajan
An occupational last name meaning tradesman or merchant in Sanskrit.
Jha
An occupational surname meaning teacher.
Chauhan
A common Indian surname with unknown origins.
Thakur
When taken from Sanskrit this name stands for deity.
Shah
A personal characteristic surname meaning virtuous or gentleman.
Deshpande
An occupational last name that stands for district accountant in Sanskrit.
Malhotra
Derived from the Punjabi surname Mehra meaning chief or master.
Mehta
A personal characteristic last name that means worshipped or esteemed.
FAQ About Indian Names:
Do Indian women take their husbands names?
It varies, depending on the religion and beliefs of the couple and the family.
What are some other Indian surnames?
There aremany other surnamesout there, all variously dependent on the religions and languages of India.
