Rao (surname)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
Rao is a common surname and a suffix for male given names across India, Pakistan, China, Taiwan, Italy and Brazil. Rao is also used as an addition to ones name in some places.
Contents |
[edit] Rao's of India
Rao is a common suffix to male given names among natives of southern and western India, chiefly in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Rao is a title derived from “Rao Bahaddur” and is a suffix for male names (given names). As such it is not a family name (surname or last name). However, some Telugu families adopted Rao as their family name (surname or last name), relinquishing their original family names (surnames or last names), if they had any. Large members of shivalli Madhva brahmin community have Rao as their surname.
Variations of the name suffix "Rao" include "Raya", "Rayulu", "Rayawar", "Rayar", "Ravu", "Raut","Rai" and some others. One or the other of these variations is found in most parts of India, but mainly in south India and the deccan region. The name "Rai" is found in north India and in the Punjab province of Pakistan, especially in the southern areas of that province. Rao is also sometimes used as a surname in the Gujarati community, chiefly among the Brahmbhatt or Barot castes. The Barots were given the title Rao by Emperor Akbar "The Great" as a reward for settling the dispute between Akbar and his son Saleem. The reward included ownership of six villages. The descendants of this Rao each went on to administer six localities including Tandadja, Achhalaia, and Patana.
[edit] Traditional Indian affiliations
Rao is a name most frequently found in the class of Indians who are wealthy landowners, upper castes, and those who occupy a highly respected place in society. In Rajasthan, the name generally denotes affiliation to the royal Rajput caste or Jat, the traditional land-owners of the area. In Punjab and Haryana, the name "Rai" is generally found in landowning families, often of the Kshattriya caste. In the Southwestern state of Karnataka, the last name Rao is usually maintained by various denominations of Brahmins and other wealthy land-owning classes. The surname "Rai" is also found in the coastal part of Karnataka. Rai is also associated with the land owning Bhumihar Brahmins of UP and Bihar.
While it is most often associated with particular castes, Rao does not necessarily denote a caste affiliation, particularly in South India and Maharashtra, since people of every caste have adopted the surname. In Maharashtra and Karnataka, the suffix "Rao" / "Rayaru" is often used in casual conversation as an honorific for people whose surname is something else. This usage indicates the origin of the word itself, which dates at least to the Vijayanagara Empire, in which the emporor was referred to as "Raya". In addition, Rao is sometimes used by the subaltern castes in other parts of India (for example, in Haryana it may refer to Yadavs, also known as Ahirrao.
[edit] Rao's of Pakistan
The majority of Raos in Pakistan are Muslim Rajputs. Raos can be found all across Pakistan and are found in large numbers in the Punjab Province.
[edit] Rao's of China and Taiwan
The surname Rao is found in China and Taiwan.
[edit] Rao's of Italy
The Sicilian-Italian surname Rao is pronounced in the Italian language similarly to the Indian pronunciation, although in the United States many Raos of Italian descent pronounce the name "R-AY-O." One such example is Rao's in New York City. The name arrived in Sicily via Persian settlers and is currently used by many Italians as their surname.
[edit] Rao's of Brazil
Most of the people with Rao surname in Brazil are the descendants of Italian settlers in Brazil. Quite a few people in Brazil still have Rao as their surname.
[edit] Noteworthy Rao's
- PV Narasimha Rao, Former Indian Prime Minister whose family name (surname) is Pamulaparti
- Lala Lajpat Rai: Punjabi freedom fighter
- Nanadamuri T. Rama Rao: Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh;Founder Telugu Desam Party, whose family name (surname) is Nandamuri
- Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao (C. R. Rao), famous statistician, whose family name (surname) is Calyampudi
- V. K. R. V. Rao: Noted Indian economist, whose family name (surname) is V.
- Baji Rao: Peshwa of the Maratha Empire; all the Peshwas bore the name "Rao"
- Sayaji Rao III Gaekwad: Benevolent ruler (Maharaja) of Baroda, Gujarat, whose family name (surname) is Gaekwad
- Samethanahalli Rama Rao (or Raya): Well known Kannada writer
- Nandoori Subba Rao: Famous Telugu poet, whose family name (surname) is Nandoori
- Rao Tula Ram -- Famous Freedom fighter of Haryana/Punjab
- U R Rao - Former ISRO Chief.
- R.Gundu Rao former Chief Minister of Karnataka.
-->
