 | This article's factual accuracy is disputed .(November 2018) |
Shah is a common surname in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. [1]
Shah ( /ʃɑː/ ; Persian : شاه, romanized: Šāh, pronounced [ʃɒːh] , "king") is a title given to the emperors, kings, princes and lords of Iran (historically known as Persia in the West). [2] It is different to the shah that is found in Gujarat, India, which is rather derived from Sanskrit.
In the Gujarat and Rajasthan region, the name 'Shah', 'Sha', or 'Sah' may be derived from Gujarati sah meaning "merchant" [3] (from Sanskrit sadhu meaning "honest, good") [3] and Prakrit Sahu[ citation needed ], while the actual spelling "Shah" was popularized by the Persian word for King. As a result, especially in Western culture, use of the spelling "Shah" has become far more pronounced than the other variants. [4] The word Sadhu/Sahu is also separately used to indicate a holy man, such as a Jain monk (see Namokar Mantra). The Indian surnames "Shah" and "Sahu" are variants of one another which have evolved from the word "sah" over time[ citation needed ]. Another variant is Sheth.[ citation needed ]
One early use of the title Sadhu occurs in an inscription on an AD 850 Parshvanth image in the Akota Bronzes. [5]
In numerous 12–13th century inscriptions the shravaka who installed the image is given the title "Sahu". [6]
सं १५१० वर्षे माघ सुदी ८ सोमे गोपाचल दुर्गे तोमर वंशान्वये राजा श्री डूंगरेन्द्र देव राज्य पवित्रमाने श्री काष्ठासंघ माथुरान्वये भट्टारक श्री गुणकीर्ति देवास्तत्पट्टे श्री मलयकीर्ति देवास्ततो भट्टारक गुणभद्रदेव पंडितवर्य रइघू तदाम्नाये अग्रोतवंशे वासिलगोत्रे सकेलहा भार्या निवारी तयोः पुत्र विजयष्ट शाह ... साधु श्री माल्हा पुत्र संघातिपति देउताय पुत्र संघातिपति करमसीह श्री चन्द्रप्रभु जिनबिंब महाकाय प्रतिष्ठापित प्रणमति ..शुभम् भवतु ..
A Gwalior Fort Inscription 1453 [7]
For example:
Here the word Sahu is equivalent to the Sanskrit word "sadhu". Some inscriptions use "sadhu" itself :
madhavannandinugrahitah sadhu-shri sarvadharah .."[ citation needed ]
The word Sadhu here does not mean a monk but a "gentleman". Some inscriptions abbreviate sahu by just "sa" just like the abbreviation in English, "Mr."[ citation needed ] In some business communities, genealogies are recited during marriages, where all ancestors would be respectfully called "sahu". The term "sahukari" means the profession of banking/trading, and is derived from Sahu (Sanskrit "Sadhu") and kar (Sanskrit for doer). [9] In the Bundelkhand Jain community, the father-in-law (or son's/daughter's father-in-law) used to be called "sahaji". Thus the words "Shah" etc. all indicate a respected member of the mercantile community. Today it is used by Gujarati business communities.[ citation needed ]
This list includes people with both the Indian surname Shah and the surname of Persian origin meaning king. Having the name, also in the Persian meaning, does not necessarily indicate a royal status or origin of the person so named. Like the surname "King" in English, it is borne by various people not connected to any Royal dynasty. Notable people
Bhat is a surname in the Indian subcontinent. Bhat and Bhatt are shortened renditions of Brahmabhatta or Bhatta.
Joshi is a surname used by the Brahmin (caste) in India and Nepal. Joshi is also sometimes spelled as Jyoshi. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word Jyotishi meaning "astrologer" or a person who practices jyotisha. Jyotisha refers to Hindu astrology and astronomy and is derived from jyotish.
Sharma is a Hindu Brahmin surname. The Sanskrit stem ṣárman- can mean 'joyfulness', 'comfort', 'happiness'. Sarma and Sarmah are alternative English spellings of the name, commonly used by Assamese Brahmins.
Shah is the Persian word for "King", mainly used in Iran/Persia.
Rājīv is a popular Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Nepalese male name, also spelt Rajeev, Rajive, Rajib, Rajeeb, Rajiva and Rajiba.
Sagar is a surname and given name of multiple origins.
Chaudhary is a common surname in the Indian subcontinent, originally derived from an Indian hereditary title. "Chaudhary" is a term adapted from the Sanskrit word caturdhara, literally "holder of four". 'Chaudhary' was first bestowed by the various rulers of the Delhi Sultanate, and the custom was continued by the breakaway Bengal Sultanate. Later, the Mughals and the Nawabs conferred the same title in great numbers. Chaudharies were "local magnates" responsible for land taxes alongside an amil and a karkun (accountant) in the local-level administrative units known as parganas.
Kiran is a Nepali or Indian given name. It originates in the Sanskrit word kiraṇa, meaning "ray" or "ray of light" or "beam of light". Other names that sound like Kiran are Kira, Kirwan, Ciaran, Keiran and Kieran. Notable people with the name include:
Rohit, pronounced[ˈroːɦɪt̪]) is a given name, typically male, used among Indian people. It is also used in some parts of Nepal. It is mostly used by Jains, Hindus, and Sikhs.
Sahu is a surname found in India and Pakistan.
Raidhu was an Apabhramsha poet from Gwalior, and an important figure in the Digambara Jain community. He supervised the pratishtha consecration ceremony of many—perhaps most—of the Jain idols carved on the hill side in the Gwalior Fort during the rule of Tomara rulers Dungarasimha and Kirtisimha.
Rana is a given name and surname of multiple origins.
Tripathi or Tripathy is a Hindu Brahmin family name in India and Nepal. Trivedi and Tiwari are variants of the name.
Abhishek is a male given name that has its roots in the Sanskrit word abhiseka. The conceptual meaning of abhiseka is related to purification, cleansing or anointing.
Naveen or Navin is an Indian and Pakistani male given name and surname. The word means "new", "young", "bright", "creative". Naveen is chiefly used in Indian languages, and its origin is Sanskrit. It is derived from the element 'Navina' meaning new. The name 'Navina' is the female form of Naveen.
Pankaj is a Hindu given name, common in India and Nepal. It has its roots in the Sanskrit word paṅkaja which refers to the lotus flower. The word is a compound of paṅka 'mud' and the suffix -ja 'born from, growing in'. The associated symbolism is of the lotus that is born in mud and blossoms after arising from mud. The lotus flower is also the national flower of India and is considered to be a symbol of Buddhist teaching.
Saha or Shaha is a Bengali Hindu surname mostly found in the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura, and in Bangladesh.
Kishor is a name mostly used in India and Nepal. It is derived from the Sanskrit word kishora meaning "colt" or a "cub". It translates to "young", "youth" or "adolescence" in English.
Indra Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah was the consort and Crown Princess of Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah, then Crown Prince of Nepal. She was the mother of Kings Birendra Bir Bikram Shah and Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, Prince Dhirendra Bir Bikram Shah, and Princesses Shanti Rajya Lakshmi Devi, Sharada Rajya Lakshmi Devi and Shobha Rajya Lakshmi Devi.
