Indian Last Names

This list of Indian last names covers surnames from every major region and community in India, with meanings and native scripts. Many reveal region, language, profession or religion, so each one says a little about a family's background.

300 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Abidi आबिदी

Descendant of Imam Zayn al-Abidin
Abraham എബ്രഹാം

Father of many; Syrian Christian
Achar ಆಚಾರ್

Teacher; Madhwa Brahmin (Karnataka)
Acharya आचार्य

Teacher; spiritual master
Adiga ಅಡಿಗ

Kannada Brahmin surname (coastal Karnataka)
Agarkar आगरकर

From Agar village (Maharashtra)
Agarwal अग्रवाल

From Agroha; merchant community
Agnihotri अग्निहोत्री

Keeper of the sacred fire
Ahir अहीर

Cowherd community
Ahluwalia ਆਹਲੂਵਾਲੀਆ

From village Ahlu; Sikh misl
Ahmed अहमद

Most praised
Akhtar अख़्तर

Star; good fortune
Ali अली

Exalted; noble
Almeida अल्मेडा

Portuguese place name (Goa)
Alva ಆಳ್ವ

Tulu Bunt community; possibly linked to the Alupa dynasty
Amin અમીન

Trustworthy; Gujarati Patidar title
Anand आनंद

Bliss; joy
Ansari अंसारी

Helper; from the Ansar of Medina
Apte आपटे

Chitpavan Brahmin of Maharashtra
Arora अरोड़ा

From Aror; Punjabi merchant community
Aulakh ਔਲਖ

Jat Sikh clan
Awasthi अवस्थी

Kanyakubja Brahmin; settled one

B

Babu బాబు

Father; gentleman (Telugu)
Bafna बाफना

Oswal Jain clan
Bagchi বাগচী

Bengali Brahmin
Bagga बग्गा

Punjabi Khatri clan
Baig बेग

Chief; Turkic-Mughal title
Bains ਬੈਂਸ

Jat Sikh clan
Bajpai बाजपेयी

Performer of the Vajapeya sacrifice
Bajwa ਬਾਜਵਾ

Jat clan; possibly from baaj, hawk
Banerjee ব্যানার্জি

Bengali Brahmin; from village Bandoghati
Bansal बंसल

Agrawal gotra; merchant community
Baruah বৰুৱা

Assamese Ahom officer title
Batliwala बाटलीवाला

Bottle seller; Parsi
Batra बत्रा

Punjabi Arora clan
Bedi ਬੇਦੀ

Knower of the Vedas; Guru Nanak's clan
Behera ବେହେରା

Overseer; Odia community
Bhabha भाभा

Parsi family; physicist Homi Bhabha
Bhaduri ভাদুড়ী

Bengali Brahmin
Bhagat भगत

Devotee
Bhalla भल्ला

Good; Punjabi Khatri clan
Bhandari भंडारी

Treasurer; storekeeper
Bhardwaj भारद्वाज

Descendant of sage Bharadwaja
Bhargava भार्गव

Descendant of sage Bhrigu
Bharucha भरूचा

From Bharuch; Parsi family
Bhasin भसीन

Punjabi Khatri clan
Bhati भाटी

Rajput clan of Jaisalmer
Bhatia भाटिया

Punjabi merchant community
Bhatnagar भटनागर

From Bhatner; Kayastha subgroup
Bhatt भट्ट

Learned scholar; Brahmin
Bhattacharya ভট্টাচার্য

Learned teacher; Bengali Brahmin
Bhatti ਭੱਟੀ

Rajput clan of Punjab
Bhave भावे

Chitpavan Brahmin of Maharashtra
Bhavsar ભાવસાર

Dyer and cloth-printer community
Bhosale भोसले

Maratha clan of Shivaji
Bhowmick ভৌমিক

Landowner (Bengal)
Bhullar ਭੁੱਲਰ

Jat Sikh clan
Bhuyan ভূঞা

Landlord; Assamese chieftain
Bisht बिष्ट

Kumaoni Rajput; distinguished
Biswas বিশ্বাস

Trust; faith
Bohra बोहरा

Trader; Dawoodi Bohra community
Bora বৰা

Ahom officer commanding twenty men
Bose বসু

Wealth; Bengali Kayastha (Sanskrit Vasu)
Brar ਬਰਾੜ

Jat Sikh clan of Malwa
Bukhari बुख़ारी

From Bukhara
Bundela बुंदेला

Rajput clan of Bundelkhand

C

Cama कामा

Parsi family of Bombay
Chacko ചാക്കോ

From Jacob; Syrian Christian
Chadha चड्ढा

Punjabi Khatri clan
Chahal चहल

Jat clan of Punjab and Haryana
Chakraborty চক্রবর্তী

Universal ruler; Bengali Brahmin
Chandel चंदेल

Rajput clan of Bundelkhand
Chandra चंद्र

Moon
Chatha ਚੱਠਾ

Jat clan of Punjab
Chatterjee চ্যাটার্জি

Bengali Brahmin; from village Chatta
Chaturvedi चतुर्वेदी

Versed in four Vedas
Chaudhary चौधरी

Village headman title (North India); often explained as holder of four
Chauhan चौहान

Rajput warrior clan
Chavan चव्हाण

Maratha clan; from Chauhan
Chawla चावला

Punjabi Arora clan
Cheema ਚੀਮਾ

Jat Sikh clan
Chettiar செட்டியார்

Merchant; Tamil trading community
Chishti चिश्ती

From Chisht; Sufi order
Chitnis चिटणीस

Secretary; Maratha court scribe
Chopra चोपड़ा

Punjabi Khatri clan
Chordia चोरड़िया

Oswal Jain clan
Chowdary చౌదరి

Kamma community title (Andhra)
Chowdhury চৌধুরী

Landlord or headman title; often explained as holder of four
Chudasama ચુડાસમા

Rajput clan of Junagadh
Contractor कॉन्ट्रैक्टर

Parsi occupational surname
Coutinho कुटिन्हो

Portuguese surname (Goa)
D'Cruz डिक्रूज

Of the cross; Portuguese (Goa)

D

Daga डागा

Marwari merchant clan
Dahiya दहिया

Jat clan of Haryana
Dalal દલાલ

Broker; agent
Dar डार

Kashmiri Muslim clan
Darji દરજી

Tailor
Daruwala दारूवाला

Liquor seller; Parsi
Das दास

Servant; devotee
Dasgupta দাশগুপ্ত

Protected servant; Bengali Vaidya
Dash ଦାଶ

Servant; Odia Brahmin title
Dastur दस्तूर

High priest; Parsi
Dave દવે

Versed in two Vedas; Gujarati Brahmin
Deka ডেকা

Young man; Ahom officer
Deol ਦਿਓਲ

Jat Sikh clan
Desai देसाई

Landlord; provincial governor
Deshmukh देशमुख

District head (Maharashtra)
Deshpande देशपांडे

District record keeper (Maharashtra)
Dey দে

From Deva; Bengali Kayastha
Dhaliwal ਧਾਲੀਵਾਲ

Jat Sikh clan
Dhankhar धनखड़

Jat clan of Haryana
Dhar धर

Holder; Kashmiri Pandit
Dhawan धवन

Punjabi Khatri clan
Dhillon ਢਿੱਲੋਂ

Jat Sikh clan
Dixit दीक्षित

Initiated; performer of Vedic rites
Doshi દોશી

Cloth merchant (Gujarat)
Dua दुआ

Blessing; Punjabi Arora clan
Dubey दुबे

Versed in two Vedas
Dutta দত্ত

Given; gift
Dwivedi द्विवेदी

Versed in two Vedas

E

Engineer इंजीनियर

Parsi occupational surname

F

Farooqui फ़ारूक़ी

Descendant of Caliph Umar al-Faruq
Fernandes फर्नांडिस

Son of Fernando; Portuguese (Goa)

G

Gaikwad गायकवाड

Cow protector; royal house of Baroda
Gandhi गांधी

Perfume seller; grocer
Ganesan கணேசன்

Lord Ganesha
Ganguly গাঙ্গুলী

Bengali Brahmin; from village Gangul
Garg गर्ग

Descendant of sage Garga
Gautam गौतम

Descendant of sage Gautama
Gehlot गहलोत

Rajput clan of Mewar
George ജോർജ്

Farmer; Kerala Christian name
Ghorpade घोरपडे

Monitor lizard; Maratha clan
Ghosh ঘোষ

Cowherd; to proclaim (Bengali)
Gill ਗਿੱਲ

Jat Sikh clan
Godbole गोडबोले

Sweet-spoken
Godrej गोदरेज

Parsi industrialist family
Goel गोयल

Agrawal gotra; merchant community
Gogoi গগৈ

Assamese Ahom surname
Gohil ગોહિલ

Rajput clan of Saurashtra
Gokhale गोखले

Chitpavan Brahmin of Maharashtra
Gomes गोम्स

Man; Portuguese (Goa)
Goswami गोस्वामी

Master of cows; religious title
Goud గౌడ్

Toddy-tapper community (Telangana)
Gounder கவுண்டர்

Chief; Tamil landowning community
Gowda ಗೌಡ

Village headman (Karnataka)
Grewal ਗਰੇਵਾਲ

Jat Sikh clan
Grover ग्रोवर

Punjabi Arora clan
Guha গুহ

Cave; Bengali Kayastha
Gujral गुजराल

Punjabi Khatri clan
Gupta गुप्ता

Protected; guardian

H

Halder হালদার

Plough holder
Hansda हांसदा

Santal clan; wild goose
Hashmi हाशमी

From the Banu Hashim clan
Hazarika হাজৰিকা

Ahom officer commanding a thousand men
Hebbar ಹೆಬ್ಬಾರ್

Kannada Brahmin community
Hegde ಹೆಗ್ಡೆ

Village chief; coastal Karnataka
Hembrom हेम्ब्रम

Santal clan; betel nut
Hooda हुड्डा

Jat clan of Haryana
Hussain हुसैन

Handsome; grandson of the Prophet

I

Irani ईरानी

From Iran; Zoroastrian community
Iyengar ஐயங்கார்

Tamil Vaishnava Brahmin community
Iyer ஐயர்

Respected one; Tamil Brahmin

J

Jadhav जाधव

Maratha clan descended from Yadavas
Jain जैन

Follower of Jainism
Jha झा

Maithil Brahmin; from upadhyaya
Jindal जिंदल

Agrawal gotra; merchant community
Joshi जोशी

Astrologer; from jyotishi

K

Kadam कदम

Maratha clan from the Kadamba dynasty
Kamble कांबळे

Blanket; community of Maharashtra
Kannan கண்ணன்

Krishna; beloved
Kapoor कपूर

Camphor; Punjabi Khatri clan
Kashyap कश्यप

Descendant of sage Kashyapa
Kaur ਕੌਰ

Princess; surname of Sikh women
Kaushik कौशिक

Descendant of sage Vishwamitra
Khan खान

Chief; leader (Central Asian origin)
Khandelwal खंडेलवाल

From Khandela; merchant community
Khanna खन्ना

Punjabi Khatri clan
Khatri खत्री

Warrior; from Kshatriya
Kohli कोहली

Punjabi Khatri clan
Krishnan കൃഷ്ണൻ

Devotee of Krishna; dark one
Kulkarni कुलकर्णी

Village accountant (Maharashtra)
Kumar कुमार

Prince; young boy
Kushwaha कुशवाहा

Descendant of Kusha; agrarian community

L

Lal लाल

Red; beloved

M

Mahajan महाजन

Great person; banker
Maheshwari माहेश्वरी

Devotee of Shiva; merchant community
Majumdar মজুমদার

Record keeper; revenue officer
Malhotra मल्होत्रा

Punjabi Khatri clan
Malik मलिक

King; master; chief
Mann ਮਾਨ

Honor; Jat Sikh clan
Mathew മാത്യു

Gift of God; Kerala Christian
Mathur माथुर

From Mathura; Kayastha subgroup
Maurya मौर्य

From the Maurya dynasty; agrarian community
Mehra मेहरा

Punjabi Khatri clan
Mehta मेहता

Accountant; chief
Menon മേനോൻ

Exalted one; Kerala Nair title
Mir मीर

Chief; leader (Kashmir)
Mirza मिर्ज़ा

Prince; Mughal noble title
Mishra मिश्रा

Mixed; honorable (Brahmin)
Mitra মিত্র

Friend; Bengali Kayastha
Mittal मित्तल

Agrawal gotra; merchant community
Modi મોદી

Grocer; grain dealer (Gujarat)
Mohanty ମହାନ୍ତି

Odia Karana community title
Mondal মণ্ডল

Village head; circle
More मोरे

Maratha clan descended from the Mauryas
Mudaliar முதலியார்

First; Tamil upper community
Mukherjee মুখার্জি

Bengali Brahmin; from village Mukhati
Murthy मूर्ति

Idol; embodiment

N

Nadar நாடார்

Ruler of the land; Tamil community
Naidu నాయుడు

Leader; chief (Telugu)
Naik नाईक

Leader; chief
Nair നായർ

Leader; Kerala warrior community
Natarajan நடராஜன்

Lord of the dance; Shiva
Nath नाथ

Lord; protector
Nayak ନାୟକ

Leader; hero (Odisha)

P

Pal পাল

Protector (Bengal)
Panda ପଣ୍ଡା

Temple priest; Odia Brahmin
Pandey पांडेय

Learned scholar; from pandit
Pandit पंडित

Learned scholar
Pandya પંડ્યા

Learned; Gujarati Brahmin
Pant पंत

Learned man; Kumaoni Brahmin
Parmar परमार

Rajput clan; slayer of enemies
Patel પટેલ

Village headman; landowner (Gujarat)
Pathak पाठक

Reciter; teacher of scriptures
Pathan पठान

Pashtun; of Afghan descent
Patil पाटील

Village headman (Maharashtra)
Patnaik ପଟ୍ଟନାୟକ

Chief of the district (Odisha)
Pawar पवार

Maratha clan; from the Paramara dynasty
Pillai பிள்ளை

Child; prince (Tamil and Kerala)
Pradhan ପ୍ରଧାନ

Chief; headman (Odisha)
Prajapati प्रजापति

Lord of creatures; potter community
Prasad प्रसाद

Divine blessing; offering
Puri पुरी

From the city; Punjabi Khatri clan

Q

Qureshi क़ुरैशी

From the Quraysh tribe

R

Rahman रहमान

Merciful
Rai राय

King; ruler (Bihar, Karnataka)
Rajan ராஜன்

King
Rajput राजपूत

Son of a king
Raju రాజు

King; Andhra Kshatriya community
Ram राम

Lord Rama; pleasing
Raman ராமன்

Lord Rama; pleasing
Ramaswamy ராமசாமி

Lord Rama
Rana राणा

King; Rajput title
Randhawa ਰੰਧਾਵਾ

Jat Sikh clan
Rao राव

King; noble (Telugu, Kannada, Marathi)
Rastogi रस्तोगी

Merchant community of Uttar Pradesh
Rathore राठौड़

Rajput clan of Marwar
Rawat रावत

Kingly; Rajput title
Reddy రెడ్డి

Village headman; landed community of Andhra
Rodrigues रॉड्रिग्स

Son of Rodrigo; Portuguese (Goa)
Roy রায়

King; honorific from raja

S

Saha সাহা

Merchant; Bengali trading community
Sahoo ସାହୁ

Merchant; moneylender (Odisha)
Sahu साहू

Merchant; moneylender
Saini ਸੈਣੀ

Agrarian community of Punjab
Sandhu ਸੰਧੂ

Jat Sikh clan
Sarkar সরকার

Government; overseer
Sastry శాస్త్రి

Scholar of the scriptures
Sawant सावंत

Chieftain; Maratha clan
Saxena सक्सेना

Kayastha subgroup; often explained as friend of the army
Sen সেন

Army; Bengali Vaidya and Kayastha
Sengupta সেনগুপ্ত

Army protector; Bengali Vaidya
Sethi सेठी

Merchant; wealthy man
Shah शाह

King; merchant (Gujarat)
Sharma शर्मा

Joy; shelter; Brahmin title
Sheikh शेख

Elder; chief
Shekhawat शेखावत

Rajput clan of Shekhawati
Shetty ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ

Merchant; Tulu Bunt community
Shinde शिंदे

Maratha clan of Maharashtra
Shukla शुक्ला

Bright; white
Siddiqui सिद्दीक़ी

Truthful; descendant of Abu Bakr
Sidhu ਸਿੱਧੂ

Jat Sikh clan of Punjab
D'Silva डिसिल्वा

From the forest; Portuguese (Goa)
Singh सिंह

Lion
Singhal सिंघल

Agrawal gotra; merchant community
Sinha सिन्हा

Lion; Kayastha of Bihar
Solanki सोलंकी

Rajput clan; the Chaulukya dynasty
Soni સોની

Goldsmith
D'Souza डिसूजा

From Sousa; Portuguese (Goa, Mangalore)
Srinivasan ஸ்ரீநிவாசன்

Abode of Lakshmi; Vishnu
Srivastava श्रीवास्तव

Abode of Shri; Kayastha subgroup
Subramanian சுப்ரமணியன்

Devotee of Subramanya (Murugan)
Syed सैयद

Master; descendant of the Prophet

T

Thakkar ઠક્કર

Lord; Gujarati Lohana community
Thakur ठाकुर

Lord; landowner
Thevar தேவர்

God-like; Tamil warrior community
Thomas തോമസ്

Apostle Thomas; Syrian Christian
Tiwari तिवारी

Versed in three Vedas
Tomar तोमर

Rajput clan; founders of Delhi
Tripathi त्रिपाठी

Versed in three Vedas; Brahmin
Trivedi त्रिवेदी

Versed in three Vedas
Tyagi त्यागी

Renouncer; Brahmin community of west UP

U

Upadhyay उपाध्याय

Teacher; spiritual guide

V

Varghese വർഗീസ്

From George; Syrian Christian
Vashisht वशिष्ठ

Descendant of sage Vasishtha
Venkatesan வெங்கடேசன்

Lord of Venkata hill (Vishnu)
Verma वर्मा

Armor; protection (Kshatriya title)
Vishwakarma विश्वकर्मा

Divine architect; artisan community
Vyas વ્યાસ

Compiler; descendant of sage Vyasa

Y

Yadav यादव

Descendant of Yadu; cowherd community

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Tiwari

तिवारी

Versed in three Vedas
Kotian

ಕೋಟ್ಯಾನ್

Tulu Bunt community
Lodhi

लोधी

Agrarian community of North India
Yadav

यादव

Descendant of Yadu; cowherd community
Goel

गोयल

Agrawal gotra; merchant community
Sachdeva

सचदेवा

Truthful god; Punjabi Arora clan

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What Indian surnames can tell you

An Indian surname often points to a region, a language and sometimes a community or traditional occupation. Patel, from a word for village headman or landholder, is especially common in Gujarat. Reddy is linked to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and also referred to village chiefs. Kulkarni, a Marathi name, meant village accountant, and Deshpande a regional record keeper. Joshi comes from jyotishi, an astrologer, and Gandhi from a Gujarati word for a grocer or perfume seller.

Many surnames were titles or honorifics that became hereditary. Singh means lion and was adopted by Sikh men after the founding of the Khalsa in 1699, while Sikh women use Kaur, meaning princess. Singh is also used by Rajput and other North Indian families. Bengali names such as Banerjee, Chatterjee and Mukherjee are anglicized forms of Bandyopadhyay, Chattopadhyay and Mukhopadhyay, which combine a village name with upadhyay, a teacher.

Regional patterns in Indian last names

Naming practices differ sharply between regions. In much of North India a fixed family surname is the norm, with names like Sharma, Gupta, Verma, Agarwal and Yadav. In Kerala, names such as Nair, Menon and Pillai were traditionally community titles. In Tamil Nadu, many people do not use a family surname at all. Instead they place an initial for the father's given name before their own name, as in A. R. Rahman, and write the father's name in full when a form demands a surname.

In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh a house or village name is often used, and it may come first. Muslim families across India use names such as Khan, Qureshi, Siddiqui, Sheikh and Ansari, some with Arabic or Persian roots. Christian communities in Goa and Mangalore carry Portuguese names from the colonial era, including D'Souza, Fernandes, Pereira and Rodrigues. Parsi surnames often describe a trade, sometimes in English, as in Contractor and Engineer, or end in -wala, as in Daruwala and Batliwala.

Using these names thoughtfully

Some surnames carry caste associations, and that history is sensitive. In recent decades many Indians have chosen neutral surnames, used a father's name, or dropped the surname entirely to avoid signalling caste. Kumar, which means son or prince, is widely used as a surname or middle name across communities partly for this reason. When writing a character, it is worth understanding what a name may suggest to Indian readers rather than choosing one purely for its sound.

For a realistic character, start with the state or language the family comes from, then pick a surname common there. A Gujarati businessman named Shah or Patel, a Punjabi Sikh named Gill or Sandhu, a Bengali academic named Chatterjee and a Malayali nurse named Thomas or Nair all feel grounded. The meanings in the list above help you choose, and the native script shows how each name is written in Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Bengali or another language.

Frequently asked questions

Which Indian surnames are the most common?

Singh, Kumar, Sharma, Patel, Das, Khan, Reddy and Yadav are among the most frequent surnames in India. Their spread differs by region: Patel is concentrated in Gujarat, Reddy in the south, and Das in Bengal, Odisha and Assam.

Are Indian last names linked to caste?

Some are. Certain surnames historically marked a community or traditional occupation, while many others describe a place, a title or a religion. Because of this history, some families have adopted neutral names like Kumar or dropped surnames altogether, so caste-linked names deserve careful use in fiction.

Why do some Indians have no family name?

In parts of South India, especially Tamil Nadu, people traditionally use an initial for the father's name instead of a surname. Others have dropped surnames that indicate caste. On passports, the father's name or the person's own given name is often placed in the surname field.

What is the difference between Singh and Kaur?

Both are Sikh names given by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. Singh, meaning lion, is used by Sikh men, and Kaur, meaning princess, by Sikh women. They were meant to remove caste distinctions. Many Sikhs also use a family name, such as Gill, Sidhu or Dhillon.