Banerjee
Banerjee or Bandyopadhyay is a surname of Brahmins in Asia. Its variants include Bannerjee, Banerji, Banerjea, Banerjie, Bonnerjee, and Bandopadhyaya. Its derivatives include Barujjye, Barori, Bhowal, Bandyogai, and is found among both Ghotis and Bangals.
Lineage and ancestry
Banerjees are from the ancient Sandilya Gotra, which means all Banerjees are descended from Kannauj from the ancient sage Sandilya as per the Puranas.[1] Together with Mukherjees, Chatterjees, Bhattacharjees and Gangulys, Banerjees form the Kulin Brahmins, the highest tier of the Bengali caste system.
History
"Indian- and Bangladeshi-Hindu Brahmin name, the first element of which, Ban-, is taken from Bandyopadhyay The final element -jee is derived from jha (greatly reduced form of Sanskrit upadhyaya ‘teacher’); thus, Banerjee ‘teacher who is head and only performs the main work aarti or,Vandana. A Sanskrit version of this name, Vandyopadhyaya, was coined from the elements vandya ‘venerable’ + upadhyaya ‘teacher’. "
— Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
Notable people
Notable people with the surname Banerjee, Bandopadhyay, or variations, include:
- Abhijit Banerjee, Noble laureate economist
- Albion Rajkumar Banerjee
- Amar Deepak Banerjee
- Audrish Banerjee
- Banerjee (actor)
- Bhanu Banerjee, actor and freedom activist
- Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay
- Bidisha Bandyopadhyay, writer, broadcaster
- Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- Dibakar Banerjee, film director
- Dola Banerjee
- Gooroodas Banerjee, High Court judge
- Gopeshwar Banerjee
- Haradhan Bandopadhyay, actor
- Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay
- Jenni Banerjee, actress
- Kali Banerjee, actor
- Kali Charan Banerjee
- Kalyan Banerjee
- Kanika Bandyopadhyay (1924–2000), singer
- Kanu Banerjee (1905–1985), actor (Pather Panchali)
- Karuna Banerjee (1919–2001), actress (Pather Panchali)
- Krishna Mohan Banerjee
- Mamata Banerjee
- Manik Bandopadhyay, writer, novelist
- Nikhil Banerjee
- Nyra Banerjee, Indian television actress and assistant director.
- Pradip Kumar Banerjee
- Prith Banerjee
- Pooja Banerjee, television actress
- Puja Banerjee, film and television actress
- Rachana Banerjee, actor
- Raghab Bandyopadhyay, prose writer
- Rahul Banerjee, archer
- Rina Banerjee
- Ruprekha Banerjee
- San Banarje, film director, producer, photographer
- Sanjay Banerjee, Indian engineer
- Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
- Sarnath Banerjee
- Somen Banerjee
- Surendranath Banerjee, first Indian to qualify Indian Civil Service Examination
- Sushmita Banerjee, writer
- Victor Banerjee, actor both in Tollywood, Bollywood and Hollywood
- Vikram Banerjee
- Gargi Banerji, cricketer
- Sara Banerji, writer
- Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee, first president of the Indian National Congress.
References
- Ghurye, Govind Sadashiv (1969). Caste and Race in India. Popular Prakashan. p. 257. ISBN 978-81-7154-205-5. Retrieved 16 March 2020.