Desai

Desai (देसाई) (pronounced [d̪eːsaːiː]) is an administrative, princely or honorary title and surname.[1]

Etymology

The word is derived from the Sanskrit deśa (country) and svāmī (lord).[2]

Desai as a title

Desai was a title given to feudal lords, brahmins, revenue collectors, and others who were granted a village or group of villages, in North Karnataka, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. The title Desai should not be associated with a particular religion or caste. The "Desai" title was given by the Deccan sultanates, Mughal emperors, and by Maratha emperors.[3]

  • In Gujarat, Desai is honoured to Anavil Brahmin and Patidars caste people. The title was also given to feudal lords and revenue collectors[4]
  • In Maharashtra, the title desai is conferred to leaders of villages. Most of them are either Deshastha Brahmins[5] or Marathas.[6]

Desai, or a loftier compound, was a rare title for rulers of a few princely states, notably:

  • Desai Shri in Patdi (the former Viramgam State), in Eastern Kathiawar, where Desai was also the name of the ruling family, which belongs to the Desai clan of Kadwa Patidar.
  • Raja Sar Desai in the Maratha Savantvadi State from 1627 until the adoption of "Raja Bahadur" in 1763.

Desai as a surname

Desai as a surname is used by Deshastha Brahmin,[7] Anavil Brahmin,[8] Maratha, Patidar and Lingayat communities of Maharashtra, Karnataka[9] and Gujarat.

Geographical distribution

As of 2014, 80.8% of all known bearers of the surname Desai were residents of India. The frequency of the surname was higher than national average in the following states and union territories:[10]

  1. Goa (1:178)
  2. Dadra and Nagar Haveli (1:391)
  3. Gujarat (1:397)
  4. Daman and Diu (1:496)
  5. Maharashtra (1:598)

Individual people

Notable individuals with the surname Desai:

Instructor
  • Dhhyey Desai - Instructor with 30,000+ students
Public officers
  • Pratik Gajanan Desai - Music Producer and Entrepreneur
  • Gopaldas Ambaidas Desai – Politician and former Prince of Dhasa
  • Krishna Desai – CPI politician
  • Morarji Desai – Prime Minister of India (1977–79)
  • Mahadev Desai – Secretary to Mahatma Gandhi
  • S. T. Desai – First Chief Justice of Gujarat
  • Kantilal Thakoredas Desai – Second Chief Justice of Gujarat
  • Kevit Desai - Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education state department for Vocational and Technical Training, Kenya
Arts & Sciences
Culture & Sports

See also

References
  1. Also, "Mahr. deśāī; in W. and S. India a native official in charge of a district, often held hereditarily; a petty chief." Henry Yule, Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, pp. 292, 306.
  2. https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=desai
  3. Raj Kumar (2003). Essays on Modern India. Discovery Publishing House. p. 73.
  4. Laura Spinney. Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World. Random House. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  5. Syed Siraj ul Hassan (1989). The Castes and Tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions, Volume 1. Asian Educational Services. p. 111.
  6. V. D. Divekar (1993). South India in 1857 War of Independence. Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Trust. p. 148.
  7. Kumar Suresh Singh (2004). People of India: Maharashtra, Part 1. Popular Prakashan. p. 478.
  8. Rashmi H. Desai. Indian immigrants in Britain,. Oxford University Press. p. 11. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
  9. Studies in Indian place names, Volume 4. Geetha Book House. 1984. p. 125. These surnames are reminiscent of the Maratha rule over Karnataka. Thus we have surnames like Desai, Deshmukh, Deshpande, Inamdar, Jagirdar, Kulkarni, Patil, etc. These families held different posts under the Maratha administration.
  10. Desai Surname Distribution
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