Khan (surname)

Khan (/xɑːn/) is a surname of Turko-Mongol origin,^[1] today most commonly found in parts of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan and Iran.In Bengal this surname is used by many Hindu communities like Brahmin, Kayastha, Bagdi etc.Use of this surname among Hindu communities in Bengal started during Sultani period after great Vaishnavite poet Maladhar Basu was honoured by the name 'Gunaraj Khan'. It is derived from the historic title khan, referring to military chief or royalty. It originated as a hereditary title among nomadic tribes in the Central and Eastern Eurasian Steppe during antiquity and was popularized by Afghan dynasties in the rest of Asia as well as in Eastern Europe during the medieval period.

The name's earliest discovered usage as a title for chiefs and for monarchs dates back, respectively, to the Hepthalites and the Hepthali Empire, two proto-Mongolic societies in Inner Asia during antiquity; in the Pannonian Basin and Carpathian Mountains and their surrounding regions of Central and Southeast Europe, the title was used by the Pannonian Avars and the early Bulgars during the early medieval period before being more widely spread by various Muslim chieftains in a region spanning the empires centred in modern-day Turkey and Crimea to those in the Indian subcontinent.^[2]^[3]

The surname Khan is occasionally found among people of Afghan, Muslim Rajputs and Mongolic descent, but it is far more common among Muslims in South Asia.^[4]^[5] Khan as a last name is also used by Kashmiri Hindus, native to the Kashmir Valley of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.^[6]^[7]

As of 2014^[update], Khan is one of the most common surnames worldwide, shared by over 22 million people in Asia and 23 million people worldwide.^[8] It is the surname of over 108,674 British Asians, making it the 12th-most common surname in the United Kingdom.^[9]

^ Foundation, Encyclopaedia Iranica. "Khan". iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
^ Khan entry in Hobson-Jobson: the Anglo-Indian dictionary
^ As cited in The Baburnama, 2002, W.M. Thackston p273.
^ "Krum | Bulgar khan | Britannica". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
^ People of India Volume XLII Part Three edited by A Hassan & J C Das page 1139 to 1141 Manohar Publications
^ Kaul, Upendra (4 September 2020). "My name is Khan, and I'm Kaul". Greater Kashmir. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023. It is hard to believe that surnames – Peer, Wali or Khan, are common Hindu surnames. At the same time a Muslim carrying his last name as Rishi or Pandit…… sounds incredible, but it is a common feature in Kashmir.
^ Anwar, Tarique; Bhat, Rajesh (23 February 2008). "Kashmiryat in Kashmiri surnames". Two Circles. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2023. Ever heard a Hindu by the surname Peer, Wali or Khan? Or imagine a Muslim carrying his last name as Rishi or Pandit…… Sounds incredible but it is a common feature in Kashmir, where unlike in other parts of the country, Muslims and Hindus have been sharing the same surnames since ages.
^ "Khan" (surname distribution), Forebears.io, 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
^ "England Genealogy Resources & Parish Registers". forebears.co.uk.

[1] Foundation, Encyclopaedia Iranica. "Khan". iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 7 December 2022.

[2] Khan entry in Hobson-Jobson: the Anglo-Indian dictionary

[3] As cited in The Baburnama, 2002, W.M. Thackston p273.

[britannica-4] "Krum | Bulgar khan | Britannica". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 20 January 2022.

[ReferenceA-5] People of India Volume XLII Part Three edited by A Hassan & J C Das page 1139 to 1141 Manohar Publications

[6] Kaul, Upendra (4 September 2020). "My name is Khan, and I'm Kaul". Greater Kashmir. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023. It is hard to believe that surnames – Peer, Wali or Khan, are common Hindu surnames. At the same time a Muslim carrying his last name as Rishi or Pandit…… sounds incredible, but it is a common feature in Kashmir.

[7] Anwar, Tarique; Bhat, Rajesh (23 February 2008). "Kashmiryat in Kashmiri surnames". Two Circles. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2023. Ever heard a Hindu by the surname Peer, Wali or Khan? Or imagine a Muslim carrying his last name as Rishi or Pandit…… Sounds incredible but it is a common feature in Kashmir, where unlike in other parts of the country, Muslims and Hindus have been sharing the same surnames since ages.

[8] "Khan" (surname distribution), Forebears.io, 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2018.

[9] "England Genealogy Resources & Parish Registers". forebears.co.uk.

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