Mehta
Mehta is an Indian surname. The word Mehta means "chief", and may be derived from the Sanskrit word mahita ("great" or "praised"). It is found among several Indian communities, including Hindus, Jains, Parsis, and Sikhs. Among Hindus, it is used by a wide range of castes and social groups, including Banias, Vaishya.[1]
People with this surname are native to north-western regions of India, including Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra (Mumbai).[1] In Rajasthan, Mehta was originally used as a term of respect applied to non-Rajput administrative office holders, most of whom were Yadav, Oswals, Rajpurohit, and other Vaishyas, and Kayeths.[2] In the Gujarati language, the term was used to address teachers and accountants, becoming associated with these professions.[1]
Among Oswals, Porwal Banias, and Punjabi Khatris, it is a clan name.[1]
Notable Mehtas
Notable individuals with this surname include:
- Aditya Mehta (born 1985), snooker player
- Ajay Mehta, Indian actor
- Alok Mehta (born 1952), Indian journalist
- Amit P. Mehta (born 1971), United States district judge
- Anil Mehta, film director, cinematographer
- Ashok Mehta (1947–2012), Indian cinematographer
- Balwant Rai Mehta (1900–1965), Gujarat's second Chief Minister
- Pratap Bhanu Mehta (born 1967), Indian academic and think tank.
- Bejun Mehta (born 1968), American countertenor
- Deepa Mehta (born 1950), Canadian film director and screenwriter
- Devaanshi Mehta (1996–2012), British-Indian student who started the Asian Donor Campaign
- Gita Mehta (née Patnaik; born 1943), Indian writer
- Gulshan Kumar Mehta (1937–2009), Indian lyricist and actor
- Hansa Jivraj Mehta (1897–1995), Indian reformist, social activist, educator, independence activist, and writer
- Harshad Mehta (1954–2001), Indian stockbroker, who was later convicted
- Hemant Mehta (born 1983), American-born Indian author
- Homi Maneck Mehta (1871–1948), Indian industrialist and philanthropist
- Jagat Singh Mehta (1922–2014), Foreign Secretary of India
- Jamshed Nusserwanjee Mehta (1886–1952), Mayor of Karachi
- Jay Mehta (born 1961), businessman and owner of the Mehta Group
- Jehangir Mehta (born 1971), chef and owner of New York City restaurants
- Jivraj Narayan Mehta (1887–1978), Gujarat's first Chief Minister
- Kalu Mehta (1440–1522), father of Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak
- Madan Lal Mehta (1932–2006), theoretical physicist in the field of random matrix theory
- Mahendra Mehta (born 1955), CEO, Vedanta Resources; also known as Mahendar Singh
- Mehli Mehta, (1908–2002): musician; founder of the Bombay Philharmonic and Bombay String Orchestras
- Michael D. Mehta (born 1965), Canadian-born environmental sociologist and academic
- Nakuul Mehta (born 1983), actor and model
- Nariman Mehta (1920–2014), organic chemist and inventor of bupropion, the most commonly used antidepressant drug
- Narsinh Mehta, Gujarati spiritual poet
- Nicky Mehta, singer, songwriter, member of Canadian folk trio The Wailin' Jennys
- Phiroz Mehta (1902–1994), writer on religious topics, and philosopher
- Pherozeshah Mehta (1845–1915), Indian political leader, activist, and lawyer
- Russell Mehta, Indian businessman
- Sahil Mehta (born 1988), Indian actor
- Sargun Mehta (born 1988), Indian model, comedian, dancer, presenter and actress
- Shailendra Raj Mehta (born 1959), Indian economist, president and director, MICA (institute)
- Shekhar Mehta (1945–2006), Ugandan-born Kenyan rally driver
- Sonny Mehta (born Ajai Singh Mehta; 1942–2019), Indian book editor
- Suketu Mehta (born 1963), India-born American writer
- Tyeb Mehta (1925–2009), Indian painter
- Uday Singh Mehta, American political scientist
- Veer Singh Mehta (born 1949), Indian neurosurgeon
- Veronica Mehta, British Punjabi singer
- Vikram Bhagvandas Mehta (1946–2014), Indian mathematician
- Zarin Mehta (born 1938), executive director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra; brother of Zubin
- Zubin Mehta (born 1936), Indian conductor of Western classical music
References
- Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
- R.K. Gupta, S.R. Bakshi (2012). Dalit Literature: Our Response, p.100.