Are you aware that most Marathi surnames have the suffix ‘ kar’ at the end of them? This ‘kar’ suffix usually denotes the village the person belongs to. For example, some renowned celebrities from Maharashtra, such as Sachin Tendulkar, Bhimrao Ambedkar, and Lata Mangeshkar, have this suffix at the end of their names.
You would also be surprised to know certain surnames also denote ancestral family traditions or occupations. So, if you are curious about Marathi surnames and would like to know more about their origin, have a quick look at our list, compiled here.
List Of Popular Marathi Surnames Or Last Names
1. Aadekar/Ahale
This Marathi surname refers to a ‘building constructor.’ It would have originated from people who were involved in the construction of houses or buildings in general.
2. Ambedkar
It is derived from the surname ‘Ambavadekar,’ referring to a person belonging to the Ambavade village in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra
3. Bapat
It is a likely reference to the ‘father’ or ‘fathers.’ It probably originated from someone or with some group of people who were fatherly figures for a village; like a village chieftain.
4. Bhede
It means the ‘one who divides’ or the ‘one who discriminates’ in Marathi. It may have begun as a nickname and later transformed into a surname.
5. Chandekar
Chandekar means the ’owner of the silver mines’ or someone who ‘belongs to the land of silver mines.’ Hence, this was a likely occupational surname for people who owned or worked in silver mines.
6. Chaatre
The root word for the surname is ‘chatri’ meaning ‘umbrella’ in Marathi. This surname was likely given to those who worked as an ‘umbrella maker.’
7. Chitre
Chitre is another occupational surname which means ‘drawing maker’ or an ‘artist.’
8. Deo
Deo means ‘God’ in Marathi. This surname can also be seen as a suffix in many other Marathi surnames.
9. Deshmukh
It means the ‘head of the state’ or ‘head of the region.’ It likely referred to someone who was the head of the district or the chieftain for a region.
It means the ‘district accountant’ or the ‘head of finances’ for a region or a place. The surname was used to refer a learned and wise person.
11. Divekar
This is an occupational surname for someone who was an ‘owner of a lamp factory’ or ‘maker of lamps.’
12. Gaitonde
It means ‘someone with a face like a cow.’ It may have begun as a nickname and later transformed into a surname.
13. Gaonkar
It means ‘from a village.’ It would have referred to someone or a group of people who migrated from a village or villages.
14. Gavaskar
It refers to someone with their origins in the Gavaswadi village of Kolhapur district of Maharashtra.
15. Gawali
Gawali in Marathi means ‘milkman.’ It is an occupational surname for someone in the collection and distribution of milk.
16. Holkar
It is a surname for someone from the village called Hol in the Pune district of Maharashtra. The surname could also be for someone who has descended from the Holkar dynasty, which also gets its name from the village.
17. Kamat
Kamat in Marathi means ‘one who is always at work.’ It likely referred to someone who was a hard worker.
18. Kamble
It refers to a ‘blanket’ in Marathi. It is likely an occupational name for someone involved in the manufacturing or trading of blankets.
19. Kapse
It comes from the Marathi word ‘Kapus’ meaning ‘cotton.’ The surname likely referred to someone who worked in or owned cotton mills.
20. Kharche
It was likely a nickname for someone who was a ‘money-spender.’
It is the Marathi word for ‘fox.’ Just like Gaitonde, this surname may have begun its existence as a nickname.
23. Kulkarni
It refers to someone who ‘managed accounts’ or someone who ‘handled the finances of a village or kingdom.’ The surname was a title, which eventually transformed into a surname.
24. Landage
It is derived from the word ‘landaga,’ which means ‘wolf’ in Marathi. Like other animal-based surnames, this Marathi surname may have begun as a nickname.
25. Lokhande
It means ‘someone who is like iron.’ It probably referred to someone strong and well-built. Another use could be to refer a blacksmith or someone who dealt with iron.
26. Maali
It is the Marathi word for ‘gardener.’ It is thus an occupational surname.
27. Matkari
It refers to a ‘pot maker’ or someone who is a pot trader.
28. Manjrekar or Manjarekar
The root word for the name is the Marathi word ‘Manjar,’ which means cat. The surname means ‘someone who belongs to a place of cats’ or ‘a person who likes cats.’
29. Mangeshkar
It refers to someone who belongs to the Mangeshi village in Goa. The singer Lata Mangeshkar is probably the most famous bearer of this surname.
30. Mhalsalkar
It refers to someone from the place called Mhalsa in Maharashtra.
31. Mukadam
It means a ‘contractor,’ ‘supervisor,’ or could even refer to the ‘manager of a group of workers.’ It is an occupational surname.
32. Naik
It likely comes from the Marathi word ‘nayak,’ which means ‘chief,’ ‘head’ or the ‘commander.’
33. Nene
It means to ‘take away’ or ‘carry away’ in Marathi. It is not known how the word become a surname, but it may have begun as a moniker for someone.
34. Patil
The name refers to a ‘head’ or ‘chief’ in Marathi.
35. Pokharkar
It comes from the word ‘pokhar,’ which refers to a pond. The surname likely refers to someone who belonged to a place close to a pond.
36. Pujari
Pujari means ‘priest’ in Marathi. It is thus an occupational surname.
37. Raaje
It means someone who came from a ‘royal, ‘imperial,’ or ‘aristocratic’ family.
38. Ratnaparakhi
It means ‘assessor of gems.’ The surname is an occupational surname for a ‘jeweler.’
39. Sahasrabuddhe
This name means ‘someone who is 1000 times more intelligent’ than others. It originally could have referred to a learned and knowledgeable person.
40. Shahane
It means ‘wise’ or ‘smart.’ It referred to someone well-educated and highly-learned.
41. Shirke
It likely refers to someone from or around the place called Shirkoli in Maharashtra.
42. Shiwde/ Shimpi
It means ‘someone who stitches’ or a ‘tailor.’
43. Sonar
The occupational surname refers to a goldsmith.
44. Tendulkar
It refers to ‘someone from Tendul village.’ Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is probably the most famous bearer of the surname.
45. Tipnis
Tipnis in Marathi means a ‘stenographer.’
46. Vedpathak
In Marathi, it means ‘someone who has thoroughly learned the vedas’ or ‘someone who is a reader or orator of Vedas.’ Vedas are the collection of religious texts.
47. Vichaare
It refers to ‘someone who always thinks’ or ‘someone who always has and shares their thoughts.’ It may have been an epithet that later transformed into a surname.
48. Wagh/ Veerkar
‘Wagh’ is the Marathi word for ‘tiger.’ ‘Veerkar’ means ‘someone brave.’ Both surnames refer to someone who is ‘brave’ and ‘fearless.’
49. Waghdhare
It means a ‘tiger catcher.’ It is an occupational surname.
50. Waghmare
It means ‘tiger killer.’ It refers to someone in the occupation of exterminating tigers or a hunter.
Marathi surnames are among those that are easily recognizable for their distinctive pronunciation. Their surnames can be traced back to their ancestral and occupational history. Once the surname was given, it stuck with them over generations and generations. Therefore, you can easily identify their origin from the surnames. So now, with the list of common and unique Marathi surnames, you can enlighten yourself about the people’s heritage and history.
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Shikha is a writer-turned-associate editor at MomJunction. Having done a certification in Relationship Coaching, her core interest lies in writing articles that guide couples through their courtship to marriage and parenthood. She also specializes in baby names. Being a postgraduate in Human Resources from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, she likes understanding people and their relationships. This reflects in her relationship... more
The Maratha caste is composed of Marathi clans originally formed in the earlier centuries from the amalgamation of families from the peasant (Kunbi), shepherd (Dhangar), pastoral (Gavli), blacksmith (Lohar), carpenter (Sutar), Bhandari, Thakar and Koli castes in Maharashtra.
clan system (also referred to as Shahannava Kuli Marathas, 96 Kuli Marathas or 96K), refers to the network of 96 clans of families and essentially their surnames, within the Maratha caste of India.
A large number of Maharashtrian surnames are derived by adding the suffix kar to the village from which the family originally hailed. For example, Junnarkar came from town of Junnar, Waghulkar comes from the town of Waghul.
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Mountbatten-Windsor
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Marathas are subdivided into 96 different clans, known as the 96 Kuli Marathas or Shahānnau Kule. Three clan lists exist but the general body of lists are often at great variance with each other. ...
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Vora adds that the Maratha caste is the largest caste of India and dominate the power structure in Maharashtra because of their numerical strength, especially in the rural society.
The Maratha caste is composed of Marathi clans originally formed in the earlier centuries from the amalgamation of families from the peasant (Kunbi), shepherd (Dhangar), pastoral (Gavli), blacksmith (Lohar), carpenter (Sutar), Bhandari, Thakar and Koli castes in Maharashtra.
from Belgaum-Nipani-Karwar-Dharwar areas, which were part of the then Bombay State, also enjoy the status of OBC. Only Marathas from Marathwada lost their OBC status after the annexation of Hyderabad state,” he said.
The Maratha caste is composed of Marathi clans originally formed in the earlier centuries from the amalgamation of families from the peasant (Kunbi), shepherd (Dhangar), pastoral (Gavli), blacksmith (Lohar), carpenter (Sutar), Bhandari, Thakar and Koli castes in Maharashtra.
community and is from Kolhapur in western Maharashtra. Marathas constitute 32 per cent of the state's population and will play a key role in the polls.
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Brahmins use their caste names as surnames with much pride. Indians across the country may differ from one another when it comes to language, culture and food habits.
A person with a Majumder last name is most likely a Brahmin. Although a small number of Kayastha caste members are known to use the name, and a very small minority of Dalits too use the name in Bengal.
The Maratha caste is composed of Marathi clans originally formed in the earlier centuries from the amalgamation of families from the peasant (Kunbi), shepherd (Dhangar), pastoral (Gavli), blacksmith (Lohar), carpenter (Sutar), Bhandari, Thakar and Koli castes in Maharashtra.
are a group of castes comprising of peasants, landowners and warriors. While the top layer of the Marathas—with surnames like Deshmukh, Bhonsle, More, Shirke, Jadhav—are the Kshatriyas (warriors), the rest belong to a predominantly agrarian sub-caste called Kunbi.
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Your surname is your family name. It's also called your “last name.” When filling out applications, type your surname as it appears on your passport, travel or identity document. Do not use initials.
Until the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), people seemed to use matrilineal surnames, but afterward, they had switched to using patrilineal ones. The oldest surname known to have been recorded anywhere in Europe, though, was in County Galway, Ireland, in the year 916. It was the name “O Cleirigh” (O'Clery).
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In Karnataka, the Marathas are classified as Other Backward Class with the exception of the Marathas of Kodagu district who are classified as a Scheduled Tribe. In Maharashtra, they were classified as a Forward caste by the Mandal commission.
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(also spelt Gaikwar and Gaikwad; Marathi: Gāyǎkǎvāḍǎ) is a surname native to the Indian state of Mahar
Mahar
Mahar, meaning "original inhabitants of Maharashtra" (in various languages), is an Indian caste found largely in the state of Maharashtra and neighbouring areas. Most of the Mahar community followed B. R. Ambedkar in converting to Buddhism in the middle of the 20th century.
The Maratha caste is composed of Marathi clans originally formed in the earlier centuries from the amalgamation of families from the peasant (Kunbi), shepherd (Dhangar), pastoral (Gavli), blacksmith (Lohar), carpenter (Sutar), Bhandari, Thakar and Koli castes in Maharashtra.
Brahmins use their caste names as surnames with much pride. Indians across the country may differ from one another when it comes to language, culture and food habits.
The Patil was entitled to several free services from village peasants and artisans. The Patil presided over all village festivals, such as Dasara, Diwali and Holi. In Maharashtra, Patil watan was dominated by the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha caste is composed of Marathi clans originally formed in the earlier centuries from the amalgamation of families from the peasant (Kunbi), shepherd (Dhangar), pastoral (Gavli), blacksmith (Lohar), carpenter (Sutar), Bhandari, Thakar and Koli castes in Maharashtra.
In India, the social groups which use this title include the Brahmins, Rajputs (Rajputra), Charans, Ahirs, Kolis, and Jats. In Northern and Southern Region of India Thakur represents Rajput Forward caste. Most of the OBC caste to gain Political importance use Thakur as Title.
The Maratha caste is composed of Marathi clans originally formed in the earlier centuries from the amalgamation of families from the peasant (Kunbi), shepherd (Dhangar), pastoral (Gavli), blacksmith (Lohar), carpenter (Sutar), Bhandari, Thakar and Koli castes in Maharashtra.
ranked lower than Brahmins but higher than Kunbis (Marathi farmers), Dhangars (Marathi shepherds), etc. The population distribution of castes among Hindus of Maharashtra during British rule was as follows.
The 'Maratha Empire' was much bigger and stronger than the Rajput Kingdom. The Mughals and Marathas successfully established the biggest 'Empires' of India namely the Mughal Empire and Maratha Empire.
The surname Gholap (Hindi: घोलप, Marathi: घोलप) is most common in India. It may also appear as:. Click here for further possible spellings of this last name.
A person with a Majumder last name is most likely a Brahmin. Although a small number of Kayastha caste members are known to use the name, and a very small minority of Dalits too use the name in Bengal.
The Maratha caste is composed of Marathi clans originally formed in the earlier centuries from the amalgamation of families from the peasant (Kunbi), shepherd (Dhangar), pastoral (Gavli), blacksmith (Lohar), carpenter (Sutar), Bhandari, Thakar and Koli castes in Maharashtra.
are a group of castes comprising of peasants, landowners and warriors. While the top layer of the Marathas—with surnames like Deshmukh, Bhonsle, More, Shirke, Jadhav—are the Kshatriyas (warriors), the rest belong to a predominantly agrarian sub-caste called Kunbi.
Here First Name is Ram, Middle name is Prasad and Last name is Srivastava. First is the one which is given to you when you born. Last name/surname is either your family name or your father name. For example in Tamilnadu we do use father name as last name but in Andhrapradesh they use their family name as last name.
Hobby: Shopping, Table tennis, Snowboarding, Rafting, Motor sports, Homebrewing, Taxidermy
Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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