Chopra is a

Khatri Khatri is a caste of the Indian subcontinent that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the subcontinent, they were mostly engaged in mercantilistic professions such as banking and trade, they were the d ...

Hindu and Sikh surname. They belonged to the Barah-Ghar/ Bahri sub-caste of the

s which includes the clans of Dhawan, Kakkar,

Kapoor Kapoor/Kapur is a Khatri clan found in the Punjabi Hindu and Sikh communities. Notable people Notable people bearing the name ''Kapoor'' include: Academia * Anuradha Kapur, professor at National School of Drama * Deepak Kapur, Distinguishe ...

, Khanna,

Mehra Mehra is a surname found in India and Iran. Also Mehra is a Parsi Girls name, the meaning of the name is "Affectionate, Kind" from Persian origin. This name is mainly used in Parsi. As per Indian Hindu and Sikhism, this name is suggested for Who b ...

, Malhotra,

Sehgal Sehgal, Saigal, Sahgal, or Saigol is a Punjabi Khatri surname, originating from Punjab in India and Pakistan. Notable people Art * Amarnath Sehgal, Indian sculptor. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan. * Deep Sehgal, British filmmaker * Kabir Se ...

, Seth, Tandon,

Talwar The talwar (), also spelled ''talwaar'' and ''tulwar'', is a type of curved sword or sabre from the Indian subcontinent. Etymology and classification The word ''talwar'' originated from the Sanskrit word ''taravāri'' ( sa, तरवारि) ...

, and

Vohra Vohra is an Indian (Punjab) Hindu and Sikh surname based on the name of a clan in the Punjabi Khatri community. Notable people with the surname include: * Arshad Vohra (born 1958), Pakistani politician * Bhagwati Charan Vohra (1903–1930), India ...

. The clan claims to originate from one man called "Chaupat Rai" who was killed in a battle with Sultan Mahmud of

Ghazni Ghazni ( prs, غزنی, ps, غزني), historically known as Ghaznain () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana ( gr, Αλεξάνδρεια Ωπιανή), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan ...

. His descendants who were born before his death took the name of their forefather and hence came to be known as Chopra. Diwan Mulraj and Diwan Sawan Mal were from Chopra Khatri families and served as the

army general Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System.　 In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of general commanding an army in the field, but in coun ...

s under

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a state originating in the Indian subcontinent, formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire based in the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahor ...

. Sawan Mal Chopra was renowned for capturing

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the old ...

from the rule of Afghans while Mulraj was known to have rebelled against the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

which led to the 2nd Anglo-Sikh war.Bobby Singh Bansal, Remnants of the Sikh Empire: Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan, Hay House, Inc, 1 Dec 2015 The ancestors of the Chopras were expert

gamblers Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elem ...

,so much so that they were called the incarnation of Maharaja Nala. Sawan Mal

They were concentrated in

Majha Majha (Punjabi: ਮਾਝਾ (Gurmukhi), (Shahmukhi); ''Mājhā'') is a region located in the central parts of the historical Punjab region split between India and Pakistan. It extends north from the right banks of the river Beas, and reaches ...

region of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

in modern-day countries of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

which includes Gujranwala, Amritsar,

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

etc. Dr. Satyapal, a prominent freedom fighter from Gujranwala who was arrested by the British along with

Saifuddin Kitchlew Saifuddin Kitchlew (15 January 1888 – 9 October 1963) was an Indian independence activist, barrister, politician and later a leader of the peace movement. A member of Indian National Congress, he first became Punjab Provincial Congress Comm ...

was a Chopra Khatri. Kavi Tahikan was a soldier by profession who also served as one of the 52 poets/writers of Guru Gobind Singh belonged to a Chopra family of

Jalalpur Jalalpur is a town, tehsil and a municipal board in Ambedkar Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Geography Jalalpur is located at . It has an average elevation of . The city is directly connected to Azamgarh, Akbarp ...

town of Gujrat district.

Notable people

People listed may or may not be affiliated to the clans or the religions, include:

Athletes

* Aakash Chopra (born 1977), Indian cricketer who played for the Indian cricket team from late 2003 until late 2004 *

Ajmer Singh Chopra Ajmer Singh Chopra (born 1953) is an Indian basketball player who was awarded the country's highest sporting honor, the Arjuna Award, in 1982. He represented the country in the Asian Basketball Championships and in the 1980 Summer Olympics in M ...

, Indian

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who was awarded the Arjuna Award. He represented the country in the 1980 Olympics. *

Anjum Chopra Anjum Chopra (born 20 May 1977) is an Indian former cricketer and current cricket commentator. The first time she stepped onto the cricket ground was at the age of 9. She played her first friendly match with the college girls' team at the inter ...

(born 1977), former captain of India national women's cricket team *

Aryan Chopra Aryan Chopra (born 10 December 2001) is an Indian chess prodigy who became a grandmaster (GM) in 2016, at the age of 14 years, 9 months and 3 days. The title was officially awarded by FIDE in 2017. He became the second youngest Indian to beco ...

, Indian chess prodigy who became a grandmaster (GM) in 2016, at the age of 14 years. *

Daniel Chopra Daniel Samir Chopra (born 23 December 1973) is a Swedish professional golfer. Chopra was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He represents Sweden and his mother was Swedish, but his father was Indian and Daniel moved to India at age seven where he was ...

(born 1973), Swedish professional golfer with highest International ranking of 60. * Keshav Chopra, American tennis player who won the IMG Academy 2019 Student Male Athlete of the Year Award *

Michael Chopra Rocky Michael Chopra (born 23 December 1983) is an English former professional footballer who plays as a striker for West Allotment Celtic. A product of the Newcastle United youth system, he spent six years at the club without managing to se ...

(born 1983), English footballer who played for Sunderland F.C, Cardiff City & Ipswich Town * Nikhil Chopra (born 1973), retired Indian cricketer; cricket analyst *

Neeraj Chopra Neeraj Chopra (born 24 December 1997) is a track and field athlete from India. He is the reigning Olympic champion, silver medalist in the World Championship, and the Diamond League champion in Javelin throw. He is the first Asian athlete to win ...

(born 1997) Olympic gold medal winner for India at 2020 Tokyo Olympics *

Pranav Chopra Pranaav Jerry Chopra (born 6 September 1992) is an Indian badminton player. He joined the India national badminton team in 2007. In the year 2018, at the Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast, Queensland, he won the gold medal in mixed team as ...

, Indian badminton player with highest international ranking in Mixed Doubles being 13. *

Prashant Chopra Prashant Chopra (born 7 October 1992) is an Indian cricketer. He was in the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup champion India Team. Chopra represents Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy and holds the record of most runs by a Himachal Pradesh ...

, Indian cricketer. He was in the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup champion India Team. * Rajneesh Chopra, Indian cricketer *

Varun Chopra Varun Chopra (born 21 June 1987) is an English former cricketer who captained the English U-19 cricket team in series against Sri Lanka in 2005 and India in 2006. Chopra attended Ilford County High School and played for Ilford Cricket Club. In ...

(born 1987), English cricketer, captained the English U-19 cricket team *

(born 2000), Irish cricketer * Vijay Chopra, Indian cricketer

Authors

Ashok Chopra Ashok Chopra (born 26 February 1949) is a publisher, author, editor, and literary columnist. Author of ''Memories of Fire: A Novel,'' ''A Scrapbook of Memories: My Life with the Rich, the Famous and the Scandalous'' and ''Of Love and Other Sorrow ...

, Indian author * Deepak Chopra (born 1946), Indian medical doctor, public speaker, and writer on subjects such as spirituality and Ayurveda *

Gotham Chopra Gotham Chopra (born Gautam Chopra on February 23, 1975) is an American sports documentarian, media entrepreneur, producer, podcast host, director, journalist, and author. He is a co-founder of Religion of Sports, Liquid Comics, Chopra Media, and ...

(born 1975), American author and entertainment/media entrepreneur * Mohan Chopra (1921–1969), Hindi intellectual * Mallika Chopra (born 1972), Indian American author and businesswoman * Pushpinder Singh Chopra, Indian military historian and the author of several books, chiefly on military aviation * Saloni Chopra, Indian author *

Shaili Chopra Shaili Chopra is an Indian business journalist, author and entrepreneur. She is the founder of ''SheThePeople.TV,'' a platform to empower women with stories of role models and inspire them with a changing conversation on women and what matters ...

, Indian business journalist, author and entrepreneur. She is the founder of SheThePeople. * Zuni Chopra, Indian author best known for her novel The House That Spoke.

Directors

Aditya Chopra Aditya Chopra (; born 21 May 1971) is an Indian filmmaker, studio executive, producer and film distributor who mainly works in Indian cinema. Currently serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of Yash Raj Films, founded by his father Ya ...

(born 1971), Indian film producer, screenwriter and director *

Baldev Raj Chopra Baldev Raj Chopra (22 April 1914 – 5 November 2008) was a famous Indian director and producer of Bollywood industry and television series . Best known for directing Hindi films like ''Naya Daur'' (1957), '' Sadhna'' (1958), ''Kanoon'' (1961) ...

(1914–2008), Indian director and producer of Bollywood movies and television serials * Jagmohan Chopra, Indian printmaker, painter and photographer who promoted printmaking in India. *

Joyce Chopra Joyce Chopra (; born October 27, 1936) is an American director. She was married to American stage and screenwriter Tom Cole until his death on February 23, 2009. Life and career Chopra was one of three siblings born in New York City to Abraha ...

(born 1936), American director and writer of feature films and television *

Pamela Chopra Pamela Chopra (born 1938) is an Indian playback singer. She is the wife of veteran Bollywood film director Yash Chopra. She has also written and produced several films. Early life Chopra was born as Pamela Singh, the daughter of Mohinder Singh ...

, Indian film producer, playback singer and writer *

Ravi Chopra Ravi Chopra (27 September 1946 – 12 November 2014) was an Indian film and television director, producer and screenwriter. Early life Chopra was the son of producer and director B.R.Chopra and nephew of Yash Chopra. Aditya Chopra and Uday Ch ...

(born 1946), Indian movie producer and director * Tanuj Chopra, American filmmaker *

Vidhu Vinod Chopra Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 5 September 1952) is an Indian film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, lyricist and actor. His well-known films as director are '' Parinda'' (1988), '' 1942: A Love Story'' (1994). He is also known for producing ...

(born 1952), Indian director and producer * Vikram Chopra, Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor *

Yash Chopra Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian film director and film producer who worked in Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chopra was the recipient of ...

(1932 - 2012), Indian filmmaker, film director, screenwriter, and Bollywood producer

Executives

Amarjit Chopra CA. Amarjit Chopra is an Indian Chartered Accountant. He was the president of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is India's largest professional accounting body under th ...

, Indian chartered accountant who served as the president of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) *

Aneesh Chopra Aneesh Paul Chopra (born July 13, 1972) is an American executive who served as the first Chief Technology Officer of the United States. He was appointed in 2009 by President Barack Obama and was at the White House through 2012. Chopra previously ...

(born 1972), the first Federal Chief Technology Officer of the United States (CTO) *

Deepak Chopra (Canada Post) Deepak Chopra is a Canadian businessman who was, from January 18, 2011, until March 31, 2018, the president and chief executive officer of Canada Post Corporation. Chopra is a certified general accountant and a member of the Certified General Acco ...

, President and chief executive officer of Canada Post Corporation *

Rohit Chopra Rohit (Devanagri: रोहित), ) is a given name, typically male, used among Indian people. It is also used in some parts of Nepal. It is mostly used by Jains, Hindus, and Sikhs. The word "rohit" signifies the color red. It is derived fro ...

, American consumer advocate who is the 3rd director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau * Sanjeev Chopra (born 1961), ex-Indian Civil Servant, former director at LBSNAA

Film Actors

Akshat Chopra Akshat Chopra is an Indian film actor, model, and dancer, who was one of 36 children awarded the National Child Award in 2007 for exceptional achievement in their fields. Presently, he is an elected member of the executive committee of the Pub ...

, Indian child film actor, model, dancer, anchor *

Deeya Chopra Deeya Chopra (born 9 December 1985) is an Indian television actress. She is the sister of Roshni Chopra Roshni Chopra is an Indian actress, television presenter and the winner of NDTV Imagine's reality show, ''Dil Jeetegi Desi Girl''. S ...

(born 1983), Indian television actor * Gaurav Chopra (born 1967), Indian television and theatre actor *

Harshad Chopra Harshad Chopda (born 17 May 1983) is an Indian television actor known for his portrayal of Captain Aditya Hooda in '' Bepannaah'' and Dr. Abhimanyu Birla in ''Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai''. He is the recipient of four Indian Television Academy ...

(born 1983), Indian television actor *

Meera Chopra Meera Chopra, is an Indian actress and model who appears in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi-language films. In Tamil films, she is credited as Nila. Personal life Meera is a cousin of Indian actresses Priyanka Chopra and Parineeti Chopra. Film care ...

(born 1983), Indian film actress who appears in Telugu and Tamil films *

Parineeti Chopra Parineeti Chopra (; born 22 October 1988) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. Chopra is a recipient of several accolades, including a Filmfare and a National Film Award. She has appeared in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 10 ...

(born 1988), Indian actress * Pransh Chopra (born 1984), Indian film actor who appears in Bollywood films *

Prem Chopra Prem Chopra (born 23 September 1935) is an Indian actor in Hindi and Punjabi films. He has acted in 380 films over a span of over 60 years. He has a soft-spoken diction despite being a villain in most films. His 19 films, with him as antagonist ...

(born 1935), actor in Hindi and Punjabi films *

Priyanka Chopra Priyanka Chopra Jonas (; ; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and producer. The winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant, Chopra is one of India's highest-paid actresses and has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awar ...

(born 1982), Indian actress and former Miss World *

Roshni Chopra Roshni Chopra is an Indian actress, television presenter and the winner of NDTV Imagine's reality show, ''Dil Jeetegi Desi Girl''. She is also known for playing the role of Pia one of the three female leads in the Zee TV series Kasamh Se. ...

(born 1980), Indian actress, television presenter and the winner of NDTV Imagine's reality show, ''Dil Jeetegi Desi Girl'' *

Tisca Chopra Tisca Zareen Chopra (née Arora; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress, author and film producer who has appeared in over 45 feature films, predominantly in Hindi language. ''Taare Zameen Par'', her best known feature film, was India's off ...

(born 1973), Indian film actress, most known for her role in ''Taare Zameen Par'' (2007) *

Uday Chopra Uday Raj Chopra (born 5 January 1973) is an Indian actor, film producer, screenwriter and assistant director in Bollywood. He is the son of the late filmmaker Yash Chopra and brother of Aditya Chopra. His sister-in-law is the actress Rani Muk ...

(born 1973), Bollywood actor, producer, and assistant director * Ujjwal Chopra, Indian actor

Journalists

Anupama Chopra Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...

(born 1967), author, journalist and film critic * Ashwini Kumar Chopra, senior journalist and resident editor of the Punjab Kesari *

(born 1981), Senior Editor and lead female anchor at ET Now, the ''Economic Times'' business news channel * Pran Chopra, Indian journalist, political analyst and newspaper editor. * Vijay Kumar Chopra (born 1932), Indian journalist editor-in-chief of Punjab Kesari and the second son of Lala Jagat Narain

Models

* Gurleen Kaur Chopra, Indian model and actress * Pooja Chopra (born 1986), Indian model who won the title of Femina Miss India World 2009. * Sherlyn Chopra (born 1984), Indian model, singer, actress and model

Military officers

* Anil Chopra, Air Marshal in Indian Air Force * Anil Chopra, Vice Admiral in

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

Politicians

* Subhash Chopra, Indian politician from Delhi. * Suneet Chopra, Indian politician and trade unionist

Scientists and academics

* Bashambhar Nath Chopra, Indian zoologist * G. P. Chopra, Indian educationist, credited with the establishment of several educational institutions in India * Jagjit Singh Chopra, Indian neurologist, medical writer and an Emeritus Professor at PGIMER * Kasturi Lal Chopra, Indian materials physicist and a former director of the IIT Kharagpur * Ram Nath Chopra,

Indian Medical Service The Indian Medical Service (IMS) was a military medical service in British India, which also had some civilian functions. It served during the two World Wars, and remained in existence until the independence of India in 1947. Many of its officer ...

officer. He is considered the "Father of Indian Pharmacology" for his work on pharmaceuticals * Renu Khanna Chopra, Indian scientist *

Sanjiv Chopra Sanjiv Chopra, M.B.B.S, M.A.C.P, is an Indian-born American physician, Professor of Medicine and former Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education (CME) at Harvard Medical School. He currently serves as a Marshall Wolf Master Clinician Edu ...

(born 1949), Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School * Shiv Chopra, Canadian microbiologist and human rights activist *

Virender Lal Chopra Virender Lal Chopra (9 August 1936 – 18 April 2020) was an Indian biotechnologist, geneticist, agriculturalist and a director-general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), known to have contributed to the development of wheat ...

, Indian biotechnologist and director-general of the

Indian Council of Agricultural Research The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous body responsible for co-ordinating agricultural education and research in India. It reports to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture. Th ...

with contributions in improving the wheat production of India * Vineet Chopra, Indian–American hospitalist. Chopra has served as chair of the Department of Medicine at the

University of Colorado School of Medicine The University of Colorado School of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Colorado system. It is located at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado, one of the four University of Colorado campuses, six miles east of downtow ...

References

{{surname Indian surnames Surnames of Indian origin Punjabi-language surnames Hindu surnames Khatri clans Khatri surnames sv:Jater#C