Indian Last Names: A Comprehensive Guide to Origins and Meanings

Are you curious about the origins and meanings behind Indian last names? India, with its rich and diverse history, boasts a fascinating tapestry of surnames that reflect cultural heritage, lineage, and even personal qualities. This comprehensive guide delves into the world of Indian last names, providing a detailed exploration of their meanings and the stories they tell.
1. **Agarwal:** Descendant of the sage, Agastya
2. **Ahuja:** One who is noble or honorable
3. **Aiyengar:** One who is a teacher or scholar
4. **Akhter:** The last, the end, or the final one
5. **Ali:** Exalted, noble, or high
6. **Anand:** Joy, happiness, or bliss
7. **Ananth:** Endless, infinite, or boundless
8. **Arora:** A resident of the city of Ayodhya
9. **Bajaj:** One who is a merchant or trader
10. **Bhatia:** One who is a learned scholar
11. **Bhattacharya:** One who is a teacher or scholar
12. **Chauhan:** One who is a warrior or king
13. **Chopra:** One who is a scribe or accountant
14. **Das:** One who is a servant or devotee
15. **Dhawan:** One who is a washerman or laundryman
16. **Dhillon:** One who is a warrior or king
17. **Gill:** One who is a singer or musician
18. **Goel:** One who is a shepherd or herder
19. **Goyal:** One who is a cattle herder
20. **Gupta:** One who is a secret keeper or guardian of secrets
21. **Jain:** One who follows Jainism, a religion that emphasizes nonviolence and self-control
22. **Kapoor:** One who is a maker of clothes or a weaver
23. **Khanna:** One who is a warrior or king
24. **Khatri:** One who is a warrior or a member of the Kshatriya caste
25. **Kohli:** One who is a farmer or cultivator
26. **Kumar:** One who is a prince or a young man
27. **Lal:** One who is red or ruby-colored
28. **Malik:** One who is a king or a ruler
29. **Mehta:** One who is a minister or a counselor
30. **Mishra:** One who is a mixed caste or a descendant of a mixed marriage
31. **Mittal:** One who is a friend or a companion
32. **Mohan:** One who is charming or captivating
33. **Mukherjee:** One who is a chief minister or a high official
34. **Nanda:** One who is happy or joyful
35. **Patel:** One who is a village headman or a landowner
36. **Rai:** One who is a king or a ruler
37. **Rao:** One who is a king or a ruler
38. **Sharma:** One who is a scholar or a teacher
39. **Singh:** One who is a lion or a warrior
40. **Verma:** One who is a warrior or a king
41. **Yadav:** One who is a descendant of the Yadava clan, a legendary warrior clan
42. **Yardi:** One who is a resident of a particular place or a specific region
43. **Zaveri:** One who is a jeweler or a goldsmith
44. **Chawla:** One who is a shopkeeper or a trader
45. **Desai:** One who is a minister or a counselor
46. **Dwivedi:** One who is a scholar of the Vedas
47. **Kaushik:** One who is a descendant of the sage, Kaushik
48. **Kaur:** A woman of the Sikh community
49. **Luthra:** One who is a warrior or a king
50. **Mangal:** One who is auspicious or fortunate
51. **Menon:** One who is a teacher or a scholar
52. **Naidu:** One who is a warrior or a king
53. **Pal:** One who is a protector or a guardian
54. **Parekh:** One who is a merchant or a trader
55. **Puri:** One who is a resident of the city of Puri
56. **Saini:** One who is a warrior or a king
57. **Saxena:** One who is a scholar or a teacher
58. **Sethi:** One who is a merchant or a trader
59. **Shah:** One who is a king or a ruler
60. **Shetty:** One who is a merchant or a trader
61. **Thakur:** One who is a lord or a master
62. **Tiwari:** One who is a scholar or a teacher
63. **Trivedi:** One who is a scholar or a teacher
64. **Walia:** One who is a warrior or a king
65. **Vyas:** One who is a scholar of the Vedas