Sehgal, also spelled Segal, Saigol or Saigal, is a Punjabi Khatri surname, originating from Punjab in India and Pakistan. [1]
The surname Sehgal is traditionally associated with the Punjabi Khatri community, a prominent mercantile and warrior class in North India, particularly in Punjab. [2] The Khatris have historically played a significant role in the economic and social framework of the region. [2] Notably, the surname Sehgal is linked to the Suryavanshi lineage, tracing descent from Lord Rama, and is classified under the Kshatriya varna. [2]
Following the Partition of India in 1947, many families bearing the surname Sehgal migrated to India, while others remained in Pakistan. This period was particularly challenging for the Arora-Khatri and Sikh communities, who faced displacement and had to rebuild their lives in new environments. [3]
Individuals with the surname Sehgal have made notable contributions to the cultural and intellectual heritage of the Indian subcontinent. They have excelled in diverse fields such as arts, literature, business, and science, reflecting the community's emphasis on education and societal development. [3] For instance, Kundan Lal Sehgal was a renowned singer and actor, leaving a lasting impact on Indian cinema and music. [3]
Nanda is an Indian surname. It is found among the Khatris of Punjab and Brahmins of Odisha.
Khatri is a caste originating from the Malwa and Majha areas of Punjab region of South Asia that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Khatris claim they are warriors who took to trade. In the Indian subcontinent, they were mostly engaged in mercantile professions such as banking and trade. They were the dominant commercial and financial administration class of late-medieval India. Some in Punjab often belonged to hereditary agriculturalist land-holding lineages, while others were engaged in artisanal occupations such as silk production and weaving.
Arora is a community of Punjab and Sindh, comprising both Hindus and Sikhs. The name is derived from their ancestral place Aror, Sindh. In 712, the Arora people are said to have left Aror and started to settle in the cities of Punjab, mainly in South Punjab. However, according to W. H. McLeod, many Aroras originally came from the Pothohar area in North Punjab.
Malhotra is a Punjabi surname of the Dhai Ghar sub-group of Khatris from Punjab. Malhotra is a modified Punjabi language version of Mehrotra. Families with last name Malhotra can be Hindu or Sikh.
Dhingra is a Hindu and Sikh name that belongs to the Arora Khatri caste.
Puri is an Indian Punjabi surname of Kshatriya Varna derived from a Chandravanshi Indo Aryan Puru tribe of King Porus.
Bindra is a Punjabi surname found among Jats & Khatris. Many Bindra Khatris were located in Rawalpindi district.
Sethi is a surname that is found among the Punjabi Khatris of India. The surname is also found among Arora.
Khanna is a name.
Chawla, also spelled Chowla, is a surname of Punjabi and Sindhi Hindus and Sikhs of India. It originates from the name of a clan of the Arora caste, likely stemming from the crop word chawal, which means rice.
Mehra is a Khatri Hindu surname found in India, predominantly in the Punjab, Delhi and Jammu Regions. They generally come under the Dhai Ghar group of the Khatri Caste. Mehra surname are mainly Khatri in origin but many clans from other states also uses this surname as well. They are also known as Kashyap Rajputs. This surname derives from the word Mihir, meaning sun or master.
The Punjabi Saudagaran-e-Delhi, sometimes referred to as the Qaum-e-Punjabian, Delhi Walay, Dehlawi, or simply Shamsi Biradari are a community of Muslim Khatris that historically came from Sargodha in Punjab and then lived mainly in Old Delhi, India. They also settled in a number of other cities such as towns in western Uttar Pradesh, such as Agra, Aligarh, Meerut, Moradabad, Bareilly, Rampur, Kanpur; including areas within western Uttar Pradesh that now falls in the state of Uttarakhand; namely Roorkee, Nainital and Haldwani. After the partition of India, and subsequent independence of Pakistan in 1947, many members of the community migrated to Pakistan, particularly Karachi and Lahore, while few chose to migrate to Mecca and Medina.
Gulati is a surname found among the Khatri and Arora communities of the Punjab region. Notable people bearing the name Gulati include:
Chopra is a surname of the Khatri community mainly based in Haryana and Indian Punjab. Chopra Khatris belonged to the Bahri family-group, which also includes the subclans Dhawan, Kakkar, Kapoor, Khanna, Mehra, Malhotra, Sehgal, Seth, Tandon, Talwar, and Vohra.
Sindhi Hindus are Sindhis who follow Hinduism. They are spread across modern-day Sindh, Pakistan and India. After the partition of India in 1947, many Sindhi Hindus were among those who fled from Pakistan to the dominion of India, in what was a wholesale exchange of Hindu and Muslim populations in some areas. Some later emigrated from the Indian subcontinent and settled in other parts of the world.
Bajaj is a Punjabi surname found among the Arorvanshi Khatri (Arora) caste.
Notable people with the surname Arora include:
Brar is a surname, and a Jat clan from the Punjab region.
The Kashmiris in Punjab, also referred to as Punjabi Kashmiris, are a group of people in the Punjab region who either have partial or full Kashmiri ancestry who have historically migrated from the Kashmir Valley and settled in Punjab. Most people of this category identify as Punjabis with Kashmiri descent, either some or full. Kashmiri migration from the Kashmir Valley to Punjab continued during Sikh and Dogra rule.
Nayar or Nayyar is a surname that is found among Khatri community which are majorly Hindus with a minority of Sikhs and Muslims. The belong to the "Sareen" division among the Khatris. They were mostly concentrated in the Majha region especially in the districts of Gujrat, Lahore, Okara, Nankana Sahib and Sialkot before 1947. Nayyar families were known to have been qanungos (governors) in the town of Kunjah in Gujrat district, Punjab.