India is a land of diverse cultures, languages, and traditions, and this richness is reflected in its surnames. Indian last names often carry deep historical, occupational, or regional significance, telling stories of ancestry, caste, profession, or even personal traits.
Whether you’re curious about your own surname or just fascinated by Indian heritage, this list will guide you through some of the most common and meaningful Indian last names.
Let’s explore them by category!
Occupational Surnames
Many Indian surnames originate from traditional professions passed down through generations.
- Patel – A common Gujarati surname meaning “village headman” or “landowner.”
- Sharma – A Brahmin surname meaning “joy” or “shelter.”
- Gupta – Derived from Sanskrit, meaning “protector” or “governor,” often associated with traders and merchants.
- Mehta – Means “chief” or “accountant,” common among Gujaratis and Punjabis.
- Reddy – A dominant caste in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, meaning “village head.”
- Naidu – A title used by the Telugu Kamma and Kapu communities, meaning “leader.”
- Joshi – A Brahmin surname meaning “astrologer.”
- Choudhary – A title for landlords or village chiefs, common in North India.
- Agarwal – A merchant community surname meaning “son of Agar,” a legendary king.
- Seth – Means “merchant” or “banker.”
- Gowda – A Kannada surname for village leaders or landowners.
- Malhotra – Derived from “Mal” (wealth) and “hotra” (sacrifice), linked to the Khatri community.
- Kapoor – A Punjabi Khatri surname, possibly linked to “camphor” traders.
- Ahuja – Means “descendant of Ahu,” associated with the Yadav community.
- Bajaj – A surname from the Marwari business community.
- Khatri – A Punjabi surname for the warrior and merchant caste.
- Soni – Means “goldsmith.”
- Lohar – Means “blacksmith.”
- Chauhan – A Rajput clan name meaning “four-armed,” symbolizing warriors.
- Tandon – A Punjabi surname for merchants or administrators.
Regional & Clan-Based Surnames
Many surnames denote ancestral origins or clan affiliations.
- Singh – Means “lion,” used by Sikhs, Rajputs, and other warrior communities.
- Kaur – Means “princess,” exclusively used by Sikh women.
- Rajput – Denotes the warrior caste of Rajasthan and North India.
- Yadav – A pastoral community surname, linked to Lord Krishna.
- Jain – Followers of Jainism.
- Maratha – Associated with the warrior community of Maharashtra.
- Iyengar – A Tamil Brahmin surname for followers of Ramanuja.
- Iyer – Another Tamil Brahmin surname.
- Nair – A dominant caste in Kerala.
- Pillai – A Tamil and Malayali surname meaning “child” or “noble.”
- Menon – A title for scribes in Kerala.
- Pawar – A Maratha clan surname.
- Solanki – A Rajput clan name.
- Rathore – A Rajput dynasty surname.
- Shetty – A Kannada and Tuluva surname for landlords.
- Gounder – A Tamil landowning caste surname.
- Varma – A royal surname used by Kshatriyas in South India.
- Naicker – A Tamil title for village heads or warriors.
- Biswas – A Bengali surname meaning “trust.”
- Banerjee/Bandyopadhyay – A Bengali Brahmin surname meaning “teacher.”
- Chatterjee – Another Bengali Brahmin surname.
- Mukherjee – Means “chief teacher” in Bengali.
- Ghosh – A Bengali Kayastha surname.
- Das – Means “servant” (often of God), common in Bengal and Odisha.
- Sen – A Bengali surname meaning “army” or “warrior.”
- Bose/Basu – Means “wealth” in Bengali.
- Dutta – A Bengali and Punjabi surname meaning “given by God.”
- Chakraborty – A Bengali surname meaning “emperor.”
Religious & Spiritual Surnames
Some surnames reflect religious devotion or priestly lineage.
- Pandit – Means “scholar” or “priest.”
- Goswami – A Brahmin surname meaning “lord of the senses.”
- Trivedi – A Brahmin surname for those who know three Vedas.
- Dwivedi – Means “one who knows two Vedas.”
- Shukla – A Brahmin surname meaning “bright” or “white.”
- Bhatt – Means “scholar,” common among Brahmins.
- Mishra – A Brahmin surname meaning “mixed” or “versed in scriptures.”
- Tiwari – A North Indian Brahmin surname.
- Upadhyay – Means “teacher” or “priest.”
- Purohit – Means “family priest.”
- Sanyal – A Bengali Brahmin surname.
- Tagore – Derived from “Thakur,” meaning “lord.”
- Bhakta – Means “devotee.”
- Swami – Means “master” or “ascetic.”
Nature & Character-Based Surnames
Some surnames are inspired by natural elements or personal traits.
- Kumar – Means “prince” or “youth.”
- Lal – Means “beloved” or “darling.”
- Verma – Means “armor” or “protection.”
- Chandra – Means “moon.”
- Mehra – Derived from “Mihir,” meaning “sun.”
- Suryavanshi – Means “descendant of the sun.”
- Chandravanshi – Means “descendant of the moon.”
- Malik – Means “king” or “master.”
- Khan – A title meaning “leader,” common among Muslims.
- Rana – Means “king” or “warrior.”
- Saxena – A Kayastha surname meaning “from Sakasena.”
- Khanna – Means “food grain,” a Punjabi Khatri surname.
- Grover – Derived from “grove,” meaning a small forest.
- Arora – A Punjabi surname for traders, possibly from “Aror” (an ancient city).
- Dhawan – Means “messenger” or “runner.”
- Bhasin – Means “sun.”
- Khanna – Means “food grain.”
- Chawla – A Punjabi surname meaning “sweet.”
- Bedi – A Khatri surname meaning “one who knows the Vedas.”
- Walia – A Punjabi surname meaning “ally.”
- Gill – A Jat surname meaning “moisture” or “prosperity.”
- Sandhu – A Jat surname meaning “honest” or “noble.”
- Sidhu – A Jat clan name.
- Cheema – A Jat and Rajput clan name.
South Indian Surnames
South India has distinct naming conventions, often based on caste and village names.
- Rao – A title meaning “king” or “nobleman” in Telugu and Kannada.
- Kulkarni – A Marathi surname for village record-keepers.
- Deshpande – A Marathi Brahmin surname meaning “district accountant.”
- Hegde – A Kannada Brahmin surname.
- Kamath – A Konkani Brahmin surname.
- Pai – A Saraswat Brahmin surname.
- Bhat – A common surname in Karnataka and Kerala.
- Kurup – A Malayali surname for temple caretakers.
- Nambiar – A Kerala surname for temple administrators.
- Ezhuthachan – Means “father of writing,” a Malayali surname.
- Padmanabhan – Means “Lotus-born,” referring to Lord Vishnu.
- Krishnan – Means “devotee of Krishna.”
- Subramanian – Means “devotee of Lord Murugan.”
- Venkatesan – Refers to Lord Venkateswara.
- Balakrishnan – Means “young Krishna.”
- Ranganathan – Refers to Lord Ranganatha (Vishnu).
- Sundaram – Means “beautiful.”
- Varadarajan – Refers to Lord Varadaraja (Vishnu).
- Anand – Means “bliss” or “happiness.”
- Chandrasekhar – Means “one who holds the moon” (Lord Shiva).
Northeastern & Tribal Surnames
Northeast India has unique tribal surnames.
- Goswami (Assamese) – A Brahmin surname.
- Bora (Assamese) – A title for nobles.
- Hazarika (Assamese) – Means “one who keeps records.”
- Baruah (Assamese) – Means “a great warrior.”
- Phukan (Assamese) – A title meaning “leader.”
- Nath (Assamese/Bengali) – Means “lord,” linked to Shaivism.
- Khirwar (Tribal) – A Central Indian tribal surname.
- Minz (Tribal) – A surname from the Munda tribe.
- Tirkey (Tribal) – A common surname among Oraon tribes.
- Kindo (Tribal) – A surname from the Adivasi community.
Christian & Muslim Surnames in India
- Fernandes – A Goan Christian surname of Portuguese origin.
- Pereira – Another Goan Christian surname.
- D’Souza – A common Mangalorean Christian surname.
- Khan – A Muslim surname meaning “leader.”
- Sheikh – Means “chief” or “elder.”
- Ansari – Refers to the helpers of Prophet Muhammad.
- Syed – Denotes descendants of Prophet Muhammad.
- Mirza – A Persian title meaning “prince.”
- Malik – Means “king.”
- Qureshi – Refers to the Quraysh tribe of Mecca.
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Final Thoughts
Indian surnames are more than just identifiers—they are windows into history, culture, and identity. Whether rooted in profession, geography, or spirituality, each name tells a story. Do you recognize your surname here? Or did you discover something new about your heritage?
Let us know in the comments which surname intrigued you the most!