Tarafdar

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Tarafdar (spelling variations: Taraphdar, Taraphder, Tarafder) is a surname found in the states of West Bengal and Karnataka in India and in parts of Bangladesh. Historically, "Tarafdar" title was given by Afghan (Pre-Mughal era) kings, though few of the later Indian kings adopted this methodology.

Tarafdars were given lands "Tarafs" to manage. The land management included collecting taxes, both normal and agricultural taxes (Lagaan). A Tarafdar maintained all the accounts and handled all the monetary/financial transactions for his land.

The title was a prestigious position, so descendants continued claiming it, and it turned into a surname.

In Bengali, Tarafdars were known as "Khajanchi".

Tarafdar is a surname in Iran and in Turkey. In Persian, "Taraf" means "direction" and "dar" means "have" literally "to have a directin". Actually the combination means "in favor of"; e.g. "Tarafda:r e sb" means "In favor of sb". In Turkish it indicates someone who is a joiner of organizations. My husband was an Iranian Tarafdar and worked as the right arm of the Head Of the Intelligence service (Bakhtiar)under the Shah. His father and grandfather were "knighted" and given the title Khan for their architectural work. His son and one of his brothers are also architects. The brother was the architect for one of the Hilton Hotels in Tehran.

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A well known arm of the Tarafdars reside in the village of Ekatuna in Moulvibazar of Bangladesh. the village name of Ekatuna was founded by the Tarafdar family who still reside there. Most of the next generation of this legacy have been born in Britain. Involved as restuaranteurs in Britiain they have held businesses in Kuwait as well.

The late Altafur Rahman Tarafdar(aka Suruk)very well renowned in the Moulvibazar area of Bangladesh and also in the Bengali community of East Yorkshire was one of the first Bangladeshi businessman to set up foundations in Hull, East Yorkshire and so forth other members of the family then followed suit and moved here too.