Karhade Brahmin - Surnames - Marathi and Konkani-Speaking Karhade and Padye Brahmins

Marathi and Konkani-Speaking Karhade and Padye Brahmins

Names of Marathi and Konkani speaking Karhadas is characterised by three part structure;

- Part 1 = Given name, this is the name which is granted to the infant typically during the first month, moreso during the Barsa ceremony. Traditional examples being, Vishnu, Mahadeo, Durgadas, Bhagwan, Ramachandra, Bhargavram, Shankar etc. Often honourary suffices like -pant, -rao, -shastri, - bhat etc. were attached to signify status. Likewise traditional examples amongst females being, Savitri, Narmada, Ahilya, Ganga etc., honorary suffices like - bai, -tai, -akka etc. were attached.

- Part 2 = Father's name, this is the given name of the father (or husband of married women). The honorary suffices are usually dropped when used in this context.

- Part 3 = Surname, is often derived from the village, where from the family believes it hails from. Like other Marathi people, the suffix -kar is attached at the end, e.g. one who hails from the village Satavla, would call himself Satavlekar. Other surnames suggest the occupation or simply ones gotra. Listed below are Karada surnames.

Thus when asked, a Karhada would recite his name typically like Vishnupant Mahadeo Satavlekar and his other half would call herself Savitribai Vishnu Satavlekar.

It was also not uncommon that nicknames such as Dada, Tatya, Nana, Anna, Appa etc., would replace the first and middle names in more familiar circles such as the immediate family and in case of socially imminent personalilities in their sphere of influence. In the later case the suffix -saheb to such affectionate nicknames. Thus our average Karhada would have been Dada Satavlekar to his close relatives and Dadasaheb Satavlekar to his community.

Some Karhada families which assimilated into Hindustani and Gujarati speaking regions of Northern and Western India, modified their erstwhile Marathi surnames. Thus surnames ending with a -e were altered to end with a -ia or -iya. Thus Jade became Jadiya, Athale became Athalya and Nawathe became Nawathia.