Das (surname)

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

Das 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 castes.^[4]

More broadly, in Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand, the surname "Das" is also used by the Dhobi and Patni communities.^[5]

Assam

In Assam, the Kaibarta, the Patni, the Koch-Rajbanshi, and other communities also use Das as their surname.^[6][7][5]

Odisha

In Odisha, the Das surname is used by the Gopal and Karan castes, while "Dash" is used by the Brahmins.^[8]

Punjab

In Punjab, they generally belong to the Brahmin caste.^[9]

Karnataka

In Karnataka, the Das surname is used by a section of Vokkaligas who profess Vaishnavism called Das Vokkaligas.^[10]

Notable people

• Abhishek Das, Indian football player
• Ajit Das, Indian actor
• Amil Kumar Das, Indian astronomer
• Arjun Das, Indian actor
• Ashok Kumar Das, Indian politician
• 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
• Gopala Ballabha Das, Indian writer and deputy magistrate
• 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
• 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
• Mrinal Kanti Das, Bangladeshi politician
• 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

• Dasa
• Dass (disambiguation)
• Gopal Das (disambiguation)

References

1. "Das Family History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. "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.
6. Census of India (Volume 5, Issue 1 ed.). India: Government of India. 1911. p. 498.
7. 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.
8. "shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in" (PDF).
9. "Bhai Mati Das". Sikh Heritage. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
10. Subha, K. (1997). Karnataka Panchayat Elections 1995: Process, Issues, and Membership Profile. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-7022-612-3.
11. das (2006). Essays And Lectures On The Religions Of The Hindus: Religious Sects of the Hindus V1. p. 353. ISBN 1-4286-1308-0.