Vaidyar or Vaidyan in Malayalam (the language of Kerala in India) means physician, who used ayurvedic medicines. They are mostly ayurvedic physicians by profession which was also hereditary. The title is used by Ayurvedic physicians and their descendants.This title is not a caste name, but, more prevalent among the traditional ayurvedic physicians of Kaniyar or Ganaka community in the Travancore region of kerala .The surname is used by different communities including ezhava,in Hindus or families among Christians in Kerala.
The name Vaidyar is different from Vaadhyar of Karnataka state, which is a different community of people.
The Syrian Christian Vaidyar (suriyani) families has their family roots in Kallada and Thevalakkara, (Kollam) two places on both the banks of the Kallada river. Many of them carried the title even without practice of the profession, because it was a bestowed title. given as an honour by the King of Travancore several centuries ago on account of treating the Maharaja's prince. The Maharaja presented the patriarch with earrings, a decree of the honour on copper plates, and land without tax along with the title, "Vaidyar". However, the practice of naming every son in the family with the suffix, Vaidyar or Vaidyan, is no longer common.
Some of the common names among these families were, Philipose Vaidyar, Kochukunju Vaidyan, Thomas Vaidyan, Varghese Vaidyan, Koshy Vaidyan etc. The syrian Vaidyar families from Kallada also migrated to Nilambur in the early sixties and they are found around the world. There was a famous Thevalakkara Eye Hospital in Kottayam which is extinct now.
The Chamavila Vaidyar families in Chokkad, Nilambur, Malappuram, Kerala are from the Kallada Vaidyar family who had been living in Kaithacode, near Kallada. The family migrated to Nilambur in 1969. There were similar such migrations to other parts though information on these is scarce. The Chamavila Gvernment school in Kaithacode was originally owned and managed by the Chamavila Vidyar family.
The Kottackal Arya Vaidyasala and the Coimbatore Arya Vaidya Pharmacy comes from a different branch of families in Malappuram and Palghat Districts. They belong to the Varier community. Both these medical companies have a big network of hospitals and franchises mainly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and also across India and in some other parts of the world.