Frequency: (396)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Indian (Panjab, Rajasthan): Hindu (Rajput) and Sikh name believed to be from the eponymous ancestor of the Bhatti tribe. Etymologically, the name is related to Sanskrit bhaṠṠa ‘lord’ (see Bhat). This tribe is by far the largest and most widely distributed of the Rajput tribes of the Panjab. There is also an area in the Panjab called Bhattiana, which was once ruled by the Bhattis. Bhatti occurs as a personal name in Sanskrit literature and was the name of a well-known Sanskrit poet of the 6th century.
GIVEN NAMES: Muslim 68%; Indian 20%. Mohammad (15), Muhammad (9), Mohammed (8), Abdul (7), Javed (5), Rashid (5), Zia (4), Hamid (3), Imtiaz (3), Khalid (3), Shahid (3), Ahsan (2); Awtar (2), Nanak (2), Niranjan (2), Ajit, Amrit, Anuradha, Chander, Deepak, Dharam, Dinesh, Harjeet, Jagat.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
