Patel

Patel is an Indian surname, predominantly found in the state of Gujarat and Mumbai, representing the community of land-owning farmers and later (with the British East India Company) businessmen, agriculturalists and merchants. Traditionally the surname is a status name referring to the village chieftains throughout during medieval ages, and was later retained as successive generations stemmed out into communities of land owners, including among Patidars, Kolis, some Parsis and Muslims.[1][2][3] There are roughly 500,000 Patels outside India, including 150,000 in the United Kingdom and 150,000 in the US.[4] Nearly 1 in 10 people of Indian origin in the US is a Patel.[4]

For the Filipino packed rice dish, see Pastil. For the government position, see Patel (village administration). For the Palestinian Telecommunications company, see Paltel.

Etymology

The term patel derives from the word Patidar, literally "one who holds (owned) pieces of land called patis", implying a higher economic status than that of the landless,[5] ultimately from Sanskrit paṭṭakīla,[6] with the ending -dar (from Sanskrit "धार" - supporting, containing, holding) denoting ownership.[7]

Geographical distribution

The surname historically originated in the Indian state of Gujarat, where it is amongst the most common of surnames.[8] Today, the name is found across India, as well as several other countries.

The surname is also common in the Indian diaspora. In the United States of America, many people with this surname are involved in the motel business, and this has been noted in the popular media.[9][10]

See also

• List of people with surname Patel
• Meet the Patels
• Patil (surname)
• Kurmi Kshatriya
• Awadhiya (caste)
• Patil (disambiguation)

References

1. "'Patel', the most common Indian surname: Oxford". The Hindu. PTI. 18 November 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 February 2018.CS1 maint: others (link)
2. Sheikh, Aziz; Gatrad, Abdul Rashid (2000). Caring for Muslim Patients edited by Aziz Sheikh, Abdul Rashid Gatrad. Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press Limited. p. 65. ISBN 1-857-75372-0.
3. Gujarat. Popular Prakashan. 2003. ISBN 9788179911044.
4. Rajghatta, Chidanand (4 June 2015). "Global Gujaratis: Now in 129 nations". The Times of India.
5. Basu, Pratyusha (2009). Villages, women, and the success of dairy cooperatives in India: making place for rural development. Cambria Press. pp. 51–55. ISBN 978-1-60497-625-0.
6. "Patel | Definition of Patel by Lexico".
7. Goyal, Pawan (19 May 2014). "Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary --ध". The Sanskrit Heritage Site (in Javanese). Retrieved 28 September 2019.
8. Washburn, Edward (2005). India Old and New: With a Memorial Address. p. 178. ISBN 0-543-99414-7.
9. Padma Rangaswamy (2015). "Hotel and Motel Business, Indian Americans in the". In Huping Ling; Allan W. Austin (eds.). Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 332. ISBN 978-1-317-47645-0.
10. South Asian diaspora in North America: an annotated bibliography. Kalinga Publications. 2002. p. 154. ISBN 978-81-87644-42-2.