Doshi is a fairly common

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

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 ...

. The roots can be traced back a few hundred years. There were different stories — one is from the ''History of

Oswal The Oswal (sometimes spelled Oshwal or Osval) are a Jain community with origins in the Marwar region of Rajasthan and Tharparkar district in Sindh. They claim to be of Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large ...

s'' basically from

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

original Sonigra Kshatriya Rajput. The Gujjar tribe still resides in the village. As Gujaratis are from the Gujjar tribe and people with the Doshi surname are Gujaratis, this village is assumed to be the origin of the surname. Also Doshi surname people follow Jainism in Gujarat region.

History

According to ''Oswal Jain Gyati Mahodya'' (ancient book on the history of Oswals) the Doshi are descended from Thakur Heer Singh Sonigara, ruler of Bhatia (old name of

Jaisalmer Jaisalmer , nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contains a ...

) in Rajasthan in 160 AD. A

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

story which

Narsinh Mehta Narsinh Mehta, also known as Narsinh Bhagat, was a 15th-century poet-Saint#Hinduism, saint of Gujarat, India, honored as the first poet, or ''Adi Kavi,'' of the Gujarati language. Narsinh Mehta is member of Nagar Brahman community. Narsinh becam ...

mentions the

Hindu deity Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati. The deities of Hinduism have evolved ...

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

appearing as a ''doshi vanio''. A ''doshi'' was somebody who carried a ''dosh'', or a sack of grocery/clothes, to sell as he wandered. This is similar to another translation of ''doshi'' as a rough cloth seller. Most Gujaratis believe this is the story behind the last name "Doshi". A third possibility is a direct translation, taken literally from the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

word ''dosh'' (meaning, in this case, guilt), defines ''doshi'' as someone who has been found guilty of a crime. A historical anecdote uses this definition of the word to explain how people assumed the name. According to Kishor Doshi, former president of the Houston Jain Society, the research he has done on this topic indicates ''Doshi'' was a last name given by a 16th-century king in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

to all of his subjects who did not participate in a compulsory census. He pronounced them guilty (in

, ''doshi theravya''). Not many people believe in this possibility given the fact that the state of Gujarat was never under the rule of one king. Present day Gujarat is the result of a merger of more than 222 princely states.

Notable Doshi people

* Walchand Hirachand Doshi (b. 1882), an Industrialist *

Chaturbhuj Doshi Chaturbhuj Doshi (1894–1969) was a Hindi and Gujarati writer-director of Indian cinema. He was one of the top Gujarati screenplay writers, who helped script stories for the Punatar productions. He is stated to be one of the leading figures who ...

(b. 1894), an Indian film director *

B. V. Doshi Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi OAL (born 26 August 1927) is an Indian architect. He is considered to be an important figure of Indian architecture and noted for his contributions to the evolution of architectural discourse in India. Having worked ...

(b. 1927), an Indian architect *

Navin Doshi use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , ...

(b. 1936), an Indian philanthropist *

Dilip Doshi Dilip Rasiklal Doshi (born 22 December 1947) is a former Indian cricketer of Gujarati origin who played in 33 Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals from 1979 to 1983. Doshi is one of only four Test bowlers that played their first Test af ...

(b. 1947), an Indian cricketer *

Saryu Doshi Saryu Vinod Doshi is an Indian art scholar, art historian, academic and curator, known for her erudition in Indian miniature paintings and Jain art. She is the founder director of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai and a former pro-tem ...

, Art scholar *

Sushil Doshi Sushil Kumar Jain known professionally as Sushil Doshi is an Indian journalist, writer, sports commentator and the first cricket commentator in Hindi. Born to Niranjanlal and Madan Kunwar at Indore, in the second largest Indian state of Madhya ...

, an Indian journalist *

Tishani Doshi Tishani Doshi (born 9 December 1975) is an Indian poet, journalist and dancer based in Chennai. In 2006 she won the Forward Prize for her debut poetry book ''Countries of the Body''. Her poetry book ''A God at the Door'' has been shortlisted fo ...

(b. 1975), an Indian poet *

Nayan Doshi Nayan Dilip Doshi (born 6 October 1978, Nottingham) is an English cricketer, who was released by Derbyshire. He is the son of Dilip Doshi, who is a former Indian Test bowler. Doshi, a left arm spin bowler, first played for Surrey in June 2004, ...

(b. 1978), an English cricketer *

Avni Doshi Avni Doshi (born 1982) is an American novelist currently based in Dubai. She was born in New Jersey to immigrants from India. She received a BA in Art History from Barnard College in New York, and a master's degree in History of Art from Univers ...

(b. 1982), an American novelist *

Darshan Doshi Darshan Doshi (born 16 January 1986) is an Indian drummer and composer, who is currently touring with Salim–Sulaiman, Farhan Akhtar, Adnan Sami, Diljit Dosanjh and Amit Trivedi. He has played drums for several Bollywood films such as ''Rock O ...

, an Indian drummer *

Shiny Doshi Shiny Doshi (born 15 September 1989) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi television. She made her acting debut with '' Saraswatichandra'' in 2013, portraying Kusum Desai. Doshi is best known for her portrayal of Sarojini Singh in ...

, an Indian television actress *

Natasha Doshi Natasha Doshi (born 2 August 1993) is an Indian actress and model who appears in Malayalam and Telugu films. She made her debut in 2012 with ''Manthrikan'', directed by Anil Kumar. Early life Born in Mumbai, Doshi began acting in childhood a ...

(b. 1993), an Indian actress * Rheeya Doshi, Singaporean tennis player

References

Indian surnames Hindu surnames Surnames of Indian origin {{India-ethno-stub