Patel

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Patidar (Gujarati પટેલ, paṭel, pronounced [pəʈel]) is an Indian title, in tune with the Hindu caste system, that represents some of the castes that are predominant in the Indian state of Gujarat that are either agriculturalists or land owners.[1] The surname is the second most common in India, following Singh.[2] The Patel surname is found primarily in the Indian states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh[citation needed]and Uttar Pradesh. Almost 100,000 people (although not all of the same ethnicity or religion) bear the surname Patel in the United Kingdom.[3]

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[edit] Ethnicity

While the surname is popular and denotes a particular landowning status, people of different castes share the surname.

The Patels mainly belong to the various Patidar sub-castes. The Leuva Patidar sub-caste are mainly found in the Charottar (Kheda, Anand, Vadodara), Kanam (Bharuch, Panchmahal), South Gujarat and Saurasta region. The Jats sub-caste are sometimes found in major cities such as Mehsana, Ahmedabad, and Surat. Patels of various Rajput, Gujjar, Khawaja, Kurmi, and Kshatriya sub-castes are also common, and these are mostly found in the districts of Baroda and Surat. Patels of the Charotar sub-caste are also found in the districts of Kheda, Baroda, and Surat. Saurastra Leuva Patels in Saurastra region district have specic surname viz;-Dobaria, Radadia, Gajera, Sutaria, Sojitra & so on from their original name of villages (from the Kheda, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, & Saurastra regions). In South Gujarat, nearly 90% of the members of the Koli and Kanbi sub-caste bear Patel as their last name. These Koli and Kanbi Patels outnumber all other Gujaratis in the United States, United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The last name Patel is also used by Kolis in other regions of Gujarat. Besides Kolis and Kanbis, Dhodia Patidars of South Gujarat also use Patel as their last name. The surname can also occasionally be found amongst Parsis, Muslims, and Sidhra-Rudhra Brahmins.

Patidar of Rajasthan (south and south-east rajasthan) and Madhya-Pradesh mainly use 'patidar' itself as surname. The patidar of these two state divided into two groups, one is Leuva and Kadava.

It should be noted that other Gujaratis who migrated out of what is now Gujarat during the British Raj to British East Africa (Kenya and Uganda) would sometimes adopt the surname 'Patel' and this surname was then subsquently passed onto their descendants (who now mainly reside outside Kenya and Uganda). Also, during the British Raj, some of 'Patels' that migrated to British East Africa and Union of South Africa (South Africa) adopted different surnames, usually the name of their village (e.g. 'Danadikar'), their trade (e.g. 'Contractor'), or even their grandfathers name and subsequently these surnames have been passed down to their descendants.

The word "Patel" derived from "Patidar" meaning "the holder of Pati or Patta" During "Solunki" period or may be before, a king whose identity is not known recognized the fertility of land of Gujarat. There were lots of fertile land and no or very few farmers. So the King contacted people in Pujab and invited people to Gujarat for farming. He issued a contract of "patta" to farmers who agreed to come down to Gujarat. The holders of these "patta" are called "Patidar" and eventully become "Patel".

[edit] Origins

It is alleged by a small minority that Gujaratis bearing the last name Patel are descended from Hephthalite or White Huns who ruled India in its distant past. There is little evidence for this assertion, as Patel refers to an agricultural/land status rather than to a distinct ethnic group. They were allocated the uncultivated land in the Petlad Taluka by the Solankis, the rulers of Gujarat in the pre-Mughal era. Patidar means "owner of land". Pati means master or owner and dar means place or land. Many of these people were at first called "Patlikhs", which eventually evolved into the surname Patel. Patels are predominantly Gujarati and speak the Gujarati language. Two main groups in Gujarat make up the Patidar community including: 1. Leuva Patidar [purported descendents of Lava (son of the Hindu god Rama)]. 2. Kadava Patidar [Purported descendents of Kuśa (another son of Rama)].

[edit] Distribution of the name "Patel"

Patel is the most common Non-Anglo-Celtic surname in Great Britain. According to the UCL surname profiler, Patel is the 24th most frequent surname for Britons and the only non-English name in the top 100 British surnames. This surname has a frequency of 2161 per million British citizens (0.21%).[4]

In the United States of America as many as 60% of mid-sized motels and hotel properties are owned by the people of Indian origin, of which nearly one-third have the surname Patel (a popular one among Indian Guajaratis). Like for instance HPATEL[1]

[edit] Notable Patels