Das (surname) explained

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 caste.^[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
• 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

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

Notes and References

1. Web site: Das Family History . Ancestry.com . 10 September 2019.
2. Book: Ronald. B. Inden . Marriage and Rank in Bengali Culture : A History of Caste and Clan in Middle Period Bengal. January 1976. 40. University of California Press. 9780520025691.
3. Book: Ghosh, Partha S. . Migrants, Refugees and the Stateless in South Asia . 23 May 2016 . SAGE Publications India . 978-93-5150-855-7 . 71 . en.
4. Book: Sahay . Keshari N. . Ambastha Kayastha: The Evolution of a Family and Its Socio-cultural Dimensions . 2001 . Commonwealth Publishers . 978-81-7169-660-4 . XVII, 299 .
5. Web site: Scheduled Communities: A social Development profile of SC/ST's (Bihar, Jharkhand & W.B) . niti.gov.in . 22 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210807192308/https://niti.gov.in/planningcommission.gov.in/docs/reports/sereport/ser/stdy_scmnty.pdf . 7 August 2021.
6. Book: 1911 . Census of India . India . Government of India . Volume 5, Issue 1 . 498.
7. Book: Roy . Dayabati . 19 December 2013 . Rural Politics in India: Political Stratification and Governance in West Bengal . United Kingdom . Cambridge University Press . 67 . 978-1-107-04235-3.
8. Web site: shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in.
9. Web site: Bhai Mati Das. Sikh Heritage. 19 April 2009.
10. Book: Subha, K. . Karnataka Panchayat Elections 1995: Process, Issues, and Membership Profile . 1997 . Concept Publishing Company . 978-81-7022-612-3 . en.
11. Book: Essays And Lectures On The Religions Of The Hindus: Religious Sects of the Hindus V1. 2006. 1-4286-1308-0. 353. das.