Dhawan or Dhowan or Dhown or Duhan is a surname based on the name of a clan of the Khatri community, found in Northern India. It is popularly believed to mean "runner" or "messenger" which is derived from the Sanskrit word "dhav" (to run). As per historian R.C. Dogra, Dhawan translates to "messager of the battlefield". Rai Sahib Nanak Baksh, the guardian (bodyguard) of Maharaja Ranjit Singh belonged to a Dhawan family. Before 1947, they were found in the districts of

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. ...

Jhang Jhang (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ur, ), ) is the capital city of Jhang District, in the central portion of the province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the List of most populous c ...

Lyallpur Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur ( Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pak ...

, Shahpur etc

Notable people

Notable people who bear the name, although they may not necessarily be connected to the caste group, include: *

Satish Dhawan Satish Dhawan (25 September 1920 – 3 January 2002) was an Indian mathematician and aerospace engineer, widely regarded as the father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India. Born in Srinagar, Dhawan was educated in India and ...

,Indian Aerospace engineer and Rocket Scientist * Anil Dhawan, an Indian actor *

Ashish Dhawan Ashish Dhawan (born March 10, 1969) is an Indian private equity investor and philanthropist who co-founded and ran one of India's leading private equity funds, Chrysalis Capital (ChrysCapital). He has served on the company's board since 1999, but ...

, is an Indian private equity investor and philanthropist *

Ashita Dhawan Ashita Dhawan (Devanagari: अशिता धवन) is an Indian television actress. She's famous of her roles in '' Sapna Babul Ka...Bidaai'', '' Ladies Special'' and Nazar. Television Personal life Dhawan is married to Sailesh Gulabani ...

, is an Indian television actress *

David Dhawan David Dhawan (born Rajinder Dhawan; 16 August 1951) is an Indian director of Hindi films. A member of the Dhawan family, he has directed over 42 films. The 1993 action thriller '' Aankhen'' and 1999 comedy '' Biwi No.1'' earned him two Filmfar ...

, an Indian film director * Deepak Dhawan, Communist Activist of Punjab * Harmohan Dhawan, is an Indian politician and Former Member of Parliament * Jyotsna Dhawan, is an Indian Indian Cell and Developmental Biologist * Prem Dhawan, an Indian lyricist *

Rishi Dhawan Rishi Dhawan (born 19 February 1990) is an Indian cricketer who plays first-class and List A cricket for Himachal Pradesh. Dhawan is primarily a medium-fast bowling all-rounder who bats in the middle-order. Dhawan has played for Kings XI Punja ...

, an Indian cricketer *

Robin Dhowan Admiral Rabinder "Robin" Kumar Dhowan PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC was the 22nd Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy. He assumed office on 17 April 2014, succeeding Admiral D.K. Joshi. Military career Dhowan graduated from the National Defence ...

, 22nd Indian Navy Chief *

R. K. Dhawan Rajinder Kumar Dhawan (16 July 1937 – 6 August 2018) was an Indian politician who was one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and a member of the Rajya Sabha. As personal secretary and confidant to Indian prime minister Indira G ...

, an Indian politician * Rohit Dhawan, an Indian film director *

Sabrina Dhawan Sabrina Dhawan is an Indian screenwriter and producer, born in England and raised in Delhi, India. Dhawan is an associate professor and the area head of screenwriting at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. She has been commissio ...

, an England-born Indian screenwriter * Sacha Dhawan, an English actor *

Shikhar Dhawan Shikhar Dhawan (born 5 December 1985) is an Indian cricketer. Being a left-handed opening batsman and occasional captain of the India national cricket team, he captains Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League and plays for Delhi in first-class ...

, an Indian international

cricketer Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

Varun Dhawan Varun Dhawan (; born 24 April 1987) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. One of India's highest-paid actors, he has been featured in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list since 2014. He has starred in 11 consecutive box-office successes b ...

, an Indian film actor

References

{{surname, Dhawan Khatri clans Punjabi tribes Indian surnames Surnames of Indian origin Punjabi-language surnames Hindu surnames Khatri surnames