Das (translation: "devotee of God") is a common last name in South Asia, among adherents of Hinduism and Sikhism, as well as those who converted to Islam or Christianity. It is a derived from the Sanskrit word Dasa (Sanskrit: दास) meaning servant, devotee, or votary. "Das" may be inferred to be one who has surrendered to God. The surname is often used by those in the Vaishnav community.[1]
Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand
editDas is a common surname among Bengali Kayasthas.[2] In Bengal, the surname is also used by both Scheduled Castes[3] and General Castes. In Bihar, it is used by people belonging to Ambashtha and Karan Kayastha caste.[4]
More broadly, in Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand, the surname "Das" is also used by the Dhobi and Patni communities.[5]
Assam
editIn Assam, the Kaibarta, the Patni, the Koch-Rajbanshi, and other communities also use Das as their surname.[6][7][5]
Odisha
editIn Odisha, the Das surname is used by the Gopal and Karan castes, while "Dash" is used by the Brahmins.[8]
Punjab
editKarnataka
editIn Karnataka, the Das surname is used by a section of Vokkaligas who profess Vaishnavism called Das Vokkaligas.[10]
Notable people
edit- Abhishek Das, Indian football player
- Ajit Das, Indian actor
- Amil Kumar Das, Indian astronomer
- Arjun Das, Indian actor
- Atulananda Das, Indian botanist
- Bhagavan Das, Indian Theosophist
- Bhagavan Das, an American yogi
- Bhai Dyal Das, Sikh martyr
- Bhai Mati Das, Sikh martyr
- Bhai Sati Das, Sikh martyr
- Bibhusita Das, Indian marine engineer
- Bina Das, Indian revolutionary and nationalist
- Bishnu Charan Das, Indian politician
- Biswanath Das, Indian politician
- Brojen Das, Bangladeshi swimmer
- Chittaranjan Das, a Bengali lawyer and a major figure in the Indian independence movement
- Dinesh Das, a Bengali poet
- Durga Mohan Das, religious leader and social reformer
- Gardhab Das, fictional character
- Gobindachandra Das, a Bengali poet and writer
- Gopabandhu Das, Indian freedom fighter, reformer, Jjournalist and educationist from Odisha
- Gurcharan Das, Indian Punjabi columnist for The Times of India
- Guru Amar Das, the third of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism
- Guru Ram Das, the fourth of the Sikh gurus
- Hima Das, Assamese sprinter
- Indrapramit Das, Indian science fiction, fantasy and cross genre writer from Kolkata
- Jagannath Prasad Das, researcher in psychometrics and author of the (PASS theory of intelligence)
- Jatin Das, Indian painter from Odisha
- Jatindra Nath Das, Freedom fighter
- Jibanananda Das, a Bengali poet
- K. S. R. Das, Indian film director
- Kamala Das, Indian poet and author
- Khagen Das, Indian politician
- Liton Das, Bangladeshi Cricketer
- Madhusudan Das, Odia Lawyer and Indian nationalist of the 19th century.
- Mrinal Kanti Das, Bangladeshi politician
- Maharaja Bhagwant Das, King of Jaipur (1527-1589)
- Manoj Das, English and Odia writer
- Mohini Mohan Das, Indian politician, writer and activist from West Bengal.
- Monica Das, Indian feminist economist
- Moumita Das, Indian physicist
- Naba Das, Indian politician
- Namit Das is an Indian film and theatre actor.
- Nandita Das, Indian film actress/director from Odisha
- Nobin Chandra Das, Entrepreneur and inventor of Bengali Rosogolla
- Parichay Das, path-breaker Bhojpuri- Hindi poet, essayist, critic[11]
- Prosenjit Das, Indian cricketer
- Pulin Behari Das, Revolutionary, founder of Dhaka Anushilan Samiti.
- Pushpalata Das, Indian independence activist, social worker, Gandhian and legislator from Assam
- Radha Charan Das, Former Vice-Chancellor of Berhampur University
- Raja Bhagwant Das, Rajasthani ruler of Amber
- Raja Sitaram Ray, born Sitaram Das was an autonomous king of Bengal.
- Ram Dass, American spiritual teacher, yoga guru, and author
- Ranjan Das, Bangladeshi cricketer
- Rima Das, Assamese Indian filmmaker
- Riyan Parag Das, Assamese cricketer
- Sarala Dasa, 14th-century poet of Odisha
- Sarat Chandra Das, Indian scholar of Tibetan language
- Satish Ranjan Das, legal representative for the Indian government
- Saumitra Das, Indian microbiologist
- Seth Govind Das, a member of Indian Parliament
- Shaktikanta Das, Governor of R.B.I.
- Shiv Sunder Das, Indian Cricketer from Odisha
- Shomie Das, schoolmaster
- Shraddha Das, Indian film actress
- Sudhi Ranjan Das, 5th Chief Justice of India
- Suhasini Das, politician from Bangladesh
- Surya Das, American religious educator
- Tapan Das, Indian actor
- Tarak Chandra Das, anthropologist, author, former teacher in University of Calcutta
- Tarak Nath Das, Indian revolutionary and Internationalist scholar
- Vasundhara Das, Indian actress and singer
- Veena Das, a professor of anthropology
- Vir Das, comedian and actor
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Das Family History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- ^ Ronald. B. Inden (January 1976). Marriage and Rank in Bengali Culture : A History of Caste and Clan in Middle Period Bengal. University of California Press. p. 40. ISBN 9780520025691.
- ^ Ghosh, Partha S. (23 May 2016). Migrants, Refugees and the Stateless in South Asia. SAGE Publications India. p. 71. ISBN 978-93-5150-855-7.
- ^ Sahay, Keshari N. (2001). Ambastha Kayastha: The Evolution of a Family and Its Socio-cultural Dimensions. Commonwealth Publishers. pp. XVII, 299. ISBN 978-81-7169-660-4.
- ^ a b "Scheduled Communities: A social Development profile of SC/ST's (Bihar, Jharkhand & W.B)" (PDF). niti.gov.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
- ^ Census of India (Volume 5, Issue 1 ed.). India: Government of India. 1911. p. 498.
- ^ Roy, Dayabati (19 December 2013). Rural Politics in India: Political Stratification and Governance in West Bengal. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-107-04235-3.
- ^ "shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in" (PDF).
- ^ "Bhai Mati Das". Sikh Heritage. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
- ^ Subha, K. (1997). Karnataka Panchayat Elections 1995: Process, Issues, and Membership Profile. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-7022-612-3.
- ^ das (2006). Essays And Lectures On The Religions Of The Hindus: Religious Sects of the Hindus V1. p. 353. ISBN 1-4286-1308-0.