Khan (surname)

For the Mongol Derivation, see Khan (title).
Not to be confused with Kahn.

Khan (Urdu: خان, Hindi: ख़ान, Bengali: খ়ান) is a surname and title of Central Asian origin, primarily found in Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

Contents

Origin

It can have one of several connotations, all related in some capacity to the title of Khan, which originated from the Mongol Empire and its subjects and was thereafter historically granted to Muslim rulers. Infiltration of the name from Central Asia into South Asia happened with the coming of the various Muslim Turks, Baloch Peoples, and Mughals into South Asia who used this name as a title as well as a suffix to indicate their ethnic identity.[1][2]

Communities using Khan as a surname

The communities that use the surname Khan include the Afghans, Mughals, Turkic peoples in Central Asia, Northern Pakistan and Northern Iran; tribes in Pakistan India, bangladesh Baloch tribes in Balochistan and in Sindh and various Mongol, Turks and Tatar tribes in central and northern Asia.

As a title

As a title, Khan has historically been used mainly by the Mongols and Turkic rulers and chieftains. It has also been adopted by Pashtuns in the former Afghan territories of the current North West Frontier Province of Pakistan where the division of regions into Khanates has exited from early Muslim period e.g. the various Khanates in Swat, Hazara and Peshawar districts.[3] As Pusthuns are from the children of ishaq, there is an element of relation between the Jewish surname Kahn or cohen. Khan is mainly used by the Pushtuns. The British Raj continued the Mughal practice of awarding titles such as Khan Bahadur for Muslims and Rai Bahadur for Hindus.

Other Usage

Khan is also a last name found in Tatars, a Muslim Turkic speaking group, mostly in Russia. Also been known to be part with Genghis Khan's army. The name Khan has also been used by the Peoples of the Caucasus since the region has a history of Turkic and Mongolic rulers.

It is now a widespread surname in most countries of Central and South Asia. Khan is the surname of over 80,000 Britons, mostly British Asian, making it the 80th most common surname in the United Kingdom, and one of only a handful in the 100 most common surnames which are of neither British nor Irish origin.[4]

Rulers, military leaders and politicians

Mongols

Turkic peoples

Armenians

Scandinavians

Georgians

South Asians

South East Asians

Actors and entertainers

Sports figures

In science and technology

Others

Fictional characters

References

  1. ^ Khan entry in Hobson-Jobson: the Anglo-Indian dictionary
  2. ^ As cited in The Baburnama, 2002, W.M. Thackston p273.
  3. ^ See Imperial Gazetteer of the North West Frontier and Hazara Gazetteer.
  4. ^ Khan in the UK
  5. ^ Paul Ratchnevsky, Thomas Nivison Haining Blackwell publishing Page 197
  6. ^ China through the ages: history of a civilization By Franz H. Michael Page 137
  7. ^ István Vásáry, Cumans and Tatars, Cambridge University Press 2005, p.71
  8. ^ Asian Mythologies, By Yves Bonnefoy, Wendy Doniger, Gerald Honigsblum, pg. 337
  9. ^ Origin of 'M Khan' Graffiti

See also