Jāti
... Sri Vaishnavism or Veera Shaivism) or linguistic groupings may define some jatis ... A person's surname typically reflects a community (jati) association thus Gandhi = perfume seller, Dhobi = washerman, Srivastava = military scribe, etc ... In any given location in India 500 or more jatis may co-exist, although the exact composition will differ from district to district ...