Joshi

Joshi (occasionally transliterated as "Zoshi") is a surname with its origins in India & Nepal. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word jyotiṣi, prakritised as joiśī, "a practitioner of astrology" i.e. "astrologer". People with this surname are descended from a Brahmin caste of village priests and astrologer. Joshi is a common family name for Brahmins in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Konkan and Goa. In Nepal, it is a common family name for a Newar or a Khas-Brahmin.