Patel

The origin of the surname Patel

Patel, a Gujarati name, denoted a village headman or landowner.

What kind of surname is Patel?

As an occupational surname, the surname Patel began as a description of the bearer's job, trade or office — one of the oldest and richest sources of family names. In the medieval world, a person was naturally identified by what they did, so the baker, the smith, the miller and the weaver each lent their trade to a name that later became hereditary. These surnames are wonderfully transparent windows onto everyday life in earlier centuries, preserving crafts and roles that in many cases no longer exist. Because certain trades were common everywhere, occupational surnames are among the most widespread family names in many countries.

How Indian surnames work

Indian surnames are extraordinarily diverse, varying by region, language, religion and community. They may indicate an ancestral village or place, an occupation, a community or title (Patel, historically a village headman; Sharma; Gupta; Reddy), or a father's name; in the south, patronymics and initials are common, and Sikh names traditionally use Singh (“lion”) and Kaur (“princess”). A single surname can therefore carry deep information about origin and heritage.