Das (translation: "devotee of God") is a common last name in South Asia, among adherents of Hinduism and Sikhism, as well as those who converted to Islam or Christianity. It is a derived from the Sanskrit word Dasa (Sanskrit: दास) meaning servant, devotee, or votary. "Das" may be inferred to be one who has surrendered to God. The surname is often used by those in the Vaishnav community.[1]
Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand
Das is a common surname among Bengali Kayasthas.[2] In Bengal, the surname is also used by both Scheduled Castes[3] and General Castes.
More broadly, in Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand, the surname "Das" is also used by the Dhobi and Patni communities.[4]
Assam
In Assam, the Kaibarta, the Patni, the Koch-Rajbanshi, and other scheduled caste communities also use Das as their surname.[5][6][4]
Odisha
In Odisha, the Das surname is used by the Gopal and Karan castes, while "Dash" is used by the Brahmins.[7]
Punjab
Karnataka
In Karnataka, the Das surname is used by a section of Vokkaligas who profess Vaishnavism called Das Vokkaligas.[8]
Notable people
- Abhishek Das, Indian football player
 - Ajit Das, Indian actor
 - Amil Kumar Das, Indian astronomer
 - Arjun Das, Indian actor
 - Atulananda Das, Indian botanist
 - Bhagavan Das, Indian Theosophist
 - Bhagavan Das, an American yogi
 - Bhai Dyal Das, Sikh martyr
 - Bhai Mati Das, Sikh martyr
 - Bhai Sati Das, Sikh martyr
 - Bibhusita Das, Indian marine engineer
 - Bina Das, Indian revolutionary and nationalist
 - Bishnu Charan Das, Indian politician
 - Biswanath Das, Indian politician
 - Brojen Das, Bangladeshi swimmer
 - Chittaranjan Das, a Bengali lawyer and a major figure in the Indian independence movement
 - Dinesh Das, a Bengali poet
 - Durga Mohan Das, religious leader and social reformer
 - Gardhab Das, fictional character
 - Gobindachandra Das, a Bengali poet and writer
 - Gopabandhu Das, Indian freedom fighter, reformer, Jjournalist and educationist from Odisha
 - Gurcharan Das, Indian Punjabi columnist for The Times of India
 - Guru Amar Das, the third of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism
 - Guru Ram Das, the fourth of the Sikh gurus
 - Hima Das, Assamese sprinter
 - Indrapramit Das, Indian science fiction, fantasy and cross genre writer from Kolkata
 - Jagannath Prasad Das, researcher in psychometrics and author of the (PASS theory of intelligence)
 - Jatin Das, Indian painter from Odisha
 - Jatindra Nath Das, Freedom fighter
 - Jibanananda Das, a Bengali poet
 - K. S. R. Das, Indian film director
 - Kamala Das, Indian poet and author
 - Khagen Das, Indian politician
 - Liton Das, Bangladeshi Cricketer
 - Madhusudan Das, Odia Lawyer and Indian nationalist of the 19th century.
 - Mrinal Kanti Das, Bangladeshi politician
 - Maharaja Bhagwant Das, King of Jaipur (1527-1589)
 - Manoj Das, English and Odia writer
 - Mohini Mohan Das, Indian politician, writer and activist from West Bengal.
 - Monica Das, Indian feminist economist
 - Naba Das, Indian politician
 - Namit Das is an Indian film and theatre actor.
 - Nandita Das, Indian film actress/director from Odisha
 - Nobin Chandra Das, Entrepreneur and inventor of Bengali Rosogolla
 - Parichay Das, path-breaker Bhojpuri- Hindi poet, essayist, critic[9]
 - Prosenjit Das, Indian cricketer
 - Pulin Behari Das, Revolutionary, founder of Dhaka Anushilan Samiti.
 - Pushpalata Das, Indian independence activist, social worker, Gandhian and legislator from Assam
 - Radha Charan Das, Former Vice-Chancellor of Berhampur University
 - Raja Bhagwant Das, Rajasthani ruler of Amber
 - Raja Sitaram Ray, born Sitaram Das was an autonomous king of Bengal.
 - Ram Dass, American spiritual teacher, yoga guru, and author
 - Ranjan Das, Bangladeshi cricketer
 - Rima Das, Assamese Indian filmmaker
 - Sarala Dasa, 14th-century poet of Odisha
 - Sarat Chandra Das, Indian scholar of Tibetan language
 - Satish Ranjan Das, legal representative for the Indian government
 - Saumitra Das, Indian microbiologist
 - Seth Govind Das, a member of Indian Parliament
 - Shaktikanta Das, Governor of R.B.I.
 - Shiv Sunder Das, Indian Cricketer from Odisha
 - Shomie Das, schoolmaster
 - Shraddha Das, Indian film actress
 - Sudhi Ranjan Das, 5th Chief Justice of India
 - Suhasini Das, politician from Bangladesh
 - Surya Das, American religious educator
 - Tapan Das, Indian actor
 - Tarak Chandra Das, anthropologist, author, former teacher in University of Calcutta
 - Tarak Nath Das, Indian revolutionary and Internationalist scholar
 - Vasundhara Das, Indian actress and singer
 - Veena Das, a professor of anthropology
 - Vir Das, comedian and actor
 
See also
References
- ↑ "Das Family History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
 - ↑ Ronald. B. Inden (January 1976). Marriage and Rank in Bengali Culture : A History of Caste and Clan in Middle Period Bengal. University of California Press. p. 40. ISBN 9780520025691.
 - ↑ Ghosh, Partha S. (23 May 2016). Migrants, Refugees and the Stateless in South Asia. SAGE Publications India. p. 71. ISBN 978-93-5150-855-7.
 - 1 2 "Scheduled Communities: A social Development profile of SC/ST's (Bihar, Jharkhand & W.B)" (PDF). niti.gov.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
 - ↑ Census of India (Volume 5, Issue 1 ed.). India: Government of India. 1911. p. 498.
 - ↑ Roy, Dayabati (19 December 2013). Rural Politics in India: Political Stratification and Governance in West Bengal. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-107-04235-3.
 - ↑ "shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in" (PDF).
 - ↑ Subha, K. (1997). Karnataka Panchayat Elections 1995: Process, Issues, and Membership Profile. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-7022-612-3.
 - ↑ das (2006). Essays And Lectures On The Religions Of The Hindus: Religious Sects of the Hindus V1. p. 353. ISBN 1-4286-1308-0.