Pal, alternative form "Paul", is a 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 ...

found in

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

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. It is traditionally believed that 'Pal' originated from the Sanskrit ''pala'' meaning protector or keeper. It is also occasionally found in other countries.

History

The surname Pal (or Paul) is found in

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

among

Bengali Kayastha A Bengali Kayastha is a Bengali Hindu who is a member of the Kayastha community. The historical caste occupation of Kayasthas throughout India has been that of scribes, administrators, ministers and record-keepers; the Kayasthas in Bengal, along ...

s. Historian Tej Ram Sharma mentions that the surname is "now confined to

Kayastha Kayastha (also referred to as Kayasth) denotes a cluster of disparate Indian communities broadly categorised by the regions of the Indian subcontinent in which they were traditionally locatedthe Chitraguptavanshi Kayasthas of North India, the C ...

s of Bengal" while referring to the names of Brahmins ending in such Kayastha surnames in the early inscriptions dating back to the Gupta period. Pal is also used as a surname by the Bengali Hindu Potters ( Kumbhakars), and other castes Like

Teli Teli is a caste traditionally occupied in the pressing of oil in India, Nepal and Pakistan. Members may be either Hindu or Muslim; Muslim Teli are called Roshandaar or Teli Malik. The Jewish community of Maharashtra (called Bene Israel) was als ...

, Subarnabanik and

Sadgop The Sadgop sub-caste is a Bengali 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, cul ...

. The Pardhi, a hunter community of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

, is also known as Pal. The saint Gwalipa told Suraj Sen, the ruler of

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

, to adopt the surname Pal, which remains prevalent up to eighty-three descendants of Suraj Sen. The Ahirs in Central India use Pal as a surname. In imitation of Pal dynasty of

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

, the

Chutia The Chutia people (Pron: or ''Sutia'') are an ethnic group that are native to Assam and historically associated with the Chutia kingdom. However, after the kingdom was absorbed into the Ahom kingdom in 1523–24, the Chutia population was ...

(pronounced as Sutia) also took the surname of Pal. Pal was also a popular surname among the

Parmar Parmar is a Rajput clan found in Northern and Central India, especially in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Kutch, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and North Maharashtra. See also * Paramara Dynasty * Panwar Dynasty * Pawar * Panw ...

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

rulers of the

Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India: Places *Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas *Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom * Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India *Gar ...

. Pal is a surname of the

Thakuri Thakuri ( ne, ठकुरी) is a sub-caste of Khasas tribes in Nepal. It consists of the historical ruling class, and is made up of the descendants of the Great Khasa Malla kingdom rulers of the Baisi and Chaubisi principalities. The former ...

people of Nepal. In Punjab and other states, Pal is often used as a middle name followed by Singh. Pal is also used as a surname by the Punjabi

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 ...

community. The rulers of

Kullu Kullu is a municipal council town that serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district of the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Va ...

held the surname Pal up to about the 15th century A.D., which they later changed to

Singh Singh (Help:IPA, IPA: ) is a title, middle name or surname that means "lion" in various South Asian and Southeast Asian communities. Traditionally used by the Hindu Kshatriya community, it eventually became a common surname adopted by different ...

Bengalis

, during the reign of the

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gol ...

beginning in the 4th century AD, when systematic and large-scale colonization by

Aryan Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ' ...

s and

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

s first took place, Kayasthas were brought over by the

Gupta Gupta () is a common surname or last name of Indian origin. It is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means 'guardian' or 'protector'. According to historian R. C. Majumdar, the surname ''Gupta'' was adopted by se ...

s to help manage the affairs of state. During this period, the Kayasthas had not developed into a distinct caste, although the office of the Kayasthas (scribes) had been instituted before the beginning of the period, as evidenced from the contemporary

smriti ''Smriti'' ( sa, स्मृति, IAST: '), literally "that which is remembered" are a body of Hindu texts usually attributed to an author, traditionally written down, in contrast to Śrutis (the Vedic literature) considered authorless, that ...

s. Tej Ram Sharma, an Indian historian, says that: Historian André Wink states: According to Radhey Shyam Chourasia, an Indian historian, the Palas do not trace their origin to any ancient hero. The dynasty is so called because the names of all kings had the termination - Pala. The family has no illustrious ancestry. Historian Guptajit Pathak believes that the Palas of Kamarupa, who had the same surname as the Palas of Bengal and Bihar (Gaura and Magadha), "were perhaps of non-Aryan origin". Several kings of the Pala dynasty were Buddhists. According to the Khalimpur Plate of Dharmapala, Gopala I, the founder of the dynasty, "was the son of a warrior Vapyata and the grandson of a highly educated Dayitavishnu". Unlike other contemporary dynasties, the Palas "do not claim descent from any mythological figure or epic hero". The Kamauly Copper Plate inscription suggests that Palas call themselves Kshatriyas belonging to Solar dynasty. "According to Manjusree Mulakalpa, Gopala I was a sudra and according to Abul Fazl, the Palas were Kayasthas." In ''Ramacharita'', the Pala King Rampala is called Kshatriya but later in the same book Dharmapala is described as ''Samudrakula-dipa''. Bagchi suggests that "the non-mention of caste may be a reason that the Palas were Buddhists and they were not supposed to mention their caste like the Brahmanical ruling dynasties", though they performed the duties and functions of Kshatriyas for about four centuries.

Notables

India

Art

* Gogi Saroj Pal, Artist

Business

Bipradas Pal Chowdhury Bipradas Pal Chowdhury (1857 - 25 October 1914) was a Bengali industrialist and distinguished landlord. His daughter in law Smt. Ila Pal Choudhury was the Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha and nationalist politician. Career Pal Chowdhury was born ...

, Bengali Industrialist * Karan Paul, Chairman of

Apeejay Surrendra Group The Apeejay Surrendra Group is an Indian business conglomerate that was founded in 1910 in Jalandhar by Lala Pyare Lal. In 1951 the headquarters relocated to Kolkata. Surrendra Paul was chairman from 1982 until his murder in 1989. Most of the ...

* Murugan Pal, Entrepreneur *

Priya Paul Priya Paul (born 1967) is an Indian businesswoman, the chairperson of Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, a subsidiary of the Apeejay Surrendra Group, which operates The Park Hotels chain of hotels. Career She joined the company after finishing her ...

, Indian Businesswoman (Sister of Karan Paul), Padmashree Awardee * Supriya Paul, Indian Entrepreneur, The Co-founder and CEO of

Josh Talks Josh Talks is an Indian media platform headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana which hosts content in 9 languages. Josh Talks was awarded with the National Media Award by Honourable President of India, Ram Nath Kovind and also featured in Forbes mag ...

Entertainment

Aditi Paul Aditi Paul is an Indian playback singer. She is the playback voice behind the song ''Ang Laga De Re'' From the Hindi movie Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, ''Veeron ke Veer Aa'' from Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, ''En Kadhaal'' from Tamil film ...

, Indian Playback Singer *

Amala Paul Amala Paul (born 26 October 1991) is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Telugu cinema, Telugu films. She made her acting debut by appearing in a supporting role in the Malayalam-language ...

(born 1991), Indian Film Actress in Tamil and Malayalam Cinema *

Amar Pal Amar Pal (19 May 1922 – 20 April 2019) was an Indian Bengali folk singer and author. Early life Pal was born in 1922 at Brahmanbaria in British India. His father Mahesh Chandra Pal died when Pal was 10. He learned folk songs from his mother Du ...

, Indian Bengali Folk Singer and Author *

Amit Paul Amit Paul (born in Shillong, India) is an Indian singer. His career started by being runner up on ''Indian Idol'' season 3. Famous songs *"Pyaar Ki Dastaan" ('' Luck By Chance'') References {{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Amit Living people Ind ...

, Indian Playback Singer *

Amit Sebastian Paul Amit Sebastian Paul (born 29 October 1983) is a Swedish businessman and retired singer. He was a member of the Swedish pop band A*Teens from 1998 to 2004, and briefly pursued a solo recording career after the band dissolved. Biography Paul was bo ...

, Indian-Swedish Singer and Businessman *

Anindita Paul Anindita Paul is an Indian singer who sings predominantly in Assamese, Bengali and Hindi languages. Early life Anindita Paul was born in 1979 in Guwahati, Assam, into a Bengali family of Amal Kanti Paul and Shyamali Paul. Her father was in t ...

, Indian Singer * Anuradha Pal, Musical Composer, known as the Lady

Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain ( ur, , link=no) is the name of: * Zakir Husain (politician), an Indian politician and former president of India * Zakir Hussain (actor), Bollywood actor * Zakir Hussain (field hockey) (1934–2019), Pakistani field hockey player * ...

Arpita Pal Arpita Chatterjee (''Birth name#Maiden and married names, née'' Pal) is an Indian actress, who mostly appears in the Cinema of Odisha, Odia and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali film industry in India. She is married to actor Prosenjit Chatterjee ...

, Bengali Actress and Entrepreneur *

Beena Paul Bina Paul (born January 28, 1961), also known by her married name Bina Paul Venugopal, is an Indian film editor who works mainly in Malayalam-language films. A graduate of the University of Delhi, she completed a course on film editing from the ...

(born 1961), Indian film editor in Malayalam * Colin Pal (1923-2005), Actor and Director (Grandson of Bipin Chandra Pal) * Imran Pal(Imran Khan), Bollywood Actor *

Jai Paul Jai Paul is an English songwriter, record producer and recording artist. His early demo "BTSTU" led to his online discovery and a subsequent recording contract with XL Recordings. Together with its follow-up "Jasmine", these songs have been reg ...

, Indian-British Recording Artist *

Manish Paul Maniesh Paul (born 3 August 1981) is an Indian television presenter, anchor, model, singer, actor and comedian in Bollywood. Starting his career as an RJ and VJ, he moved to acting before taking up stand-up comedy and hosting. Early life and ...

, Indian Actor,Comedian and TV Host *

Niranjan Pal Niranjan Pal (17 August 1889 – 9 November 1959) was an Indian playwright, screenwriter, and director in the Indian film industry in the silent and early talkie days. He was a close associate of Himanshu Rai and Franz Osten, with whom he was a fo ...

(1889-1959), Screenwriter and Director (Son of Bipin Chandra Pal) *

Patralekha Paul Patralekha (born 20 February 1989) is an Indian actress. She made her acting debut with '' CityLights'' alongside Rajkummar Rao for which she won Screen Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer. Paul made her web debut with the 2017 ALT Balaj ...

, Indian Actress *

Rajeev Paul Rajeev Paul (born 5 June 1970) is an Indian actor who has acted in Hindi television serials. Career Paul is an actor on Indian television and has been known for the roles he has played in ''Swabhimaan'', ''Kahani Ghar Ghar Kii'' and ''Nach B ...

, Indian Actor *

Satya Paul Satya Paul was an Indian designer label known for Indian prints founded on 1 April 1985. The brand is now present across India. It was founded by designer Satya Paul and helmed by Sanjay Kapoor (Founder - Genesis Luxury) along with Paul's son P ...

, Indian Fashion Designer *

Sohini Paul Sohini Paul (born 31 December 1986), born in Kolkata, India, is a Bengali film actress. She is the daughter of Tapas Paul. Career A student of Lakshmipat Singhania Academy in 2004 when she was in Class XII, she made her debut in the Anjan D ...

, Bengali Actress (Daughter of Tapas Paul) *

Sunil Pal Sunil Pal is an Indian comedian, actor and voice actor. He was the winner of the series ''The Great Indian Laughter Challenge''. He has played comic roles in various Bollywood films. In 2010, he wrote and directed a comedy film, ''Bhavnao Ko S ...

, Indian Actor and Comedian *

Tapas Paul Tapas Paul (29 September 1958 – 18 February 2020) was an Indian actor and politician. One of the most celebrated actors of Bengali cinema, Paul is best known for his on-screen romantic collaboration with Mahua Roy Choudhury and Debashree Roy ...

, Indian Bengali Actor and Politician

Judiciary

Debi Prasad Pal Debi Prasad Pal (1 November 1927 – 14 May 2021) was a Senior Advocate practicing in the Supreme Court of India and High Courts of India. He was a former Minister of State for Finance, a former Judge of Calcutta High Court and a three-time form ...

(born 1927), Indian Lawyer, Judge and Cabinet Minister *

Radhabinod Pal Radhabinod Pal (27 January 1886 – 10 January 1967) was an Indian jurist who was a member of the United Nations' International Law Commission from 1952 to 1966. He was one of three Asian judges appointed to the International Military Tribunal ...

(1886-1967), Judge, Freedom Fighter,

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service" ...

Awardee *

Ruma Pal Justice Ruma Pal (born 3 June 1941) was a judge of the Supreme Court of India until her retirement on 3 June 2006. Early life She read for her B.C.L degree at St Anne's College, Oxford and started practice in 1968 in Civil, Revenue, Labour an ...

(born 1941), Indian Supreme Court Judge

Politics

Agnimitra Paul Agnimitra Paul is an Indian fashion designer turned politician who serves as the Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from Asansol South and as the President of the West Bengal unit of BJP Mahila Morcha. Prior to entering politics she ...

, Indian Politician, Fashion Designer *

Bipin Chandra Pal Bipin Chandra Pal ( bn, বিপিন চন্দ্র পাল ; 7 November 1858 – 20 May 1932) was an Indian nationalist, writer, orator, social reformer and Indian independence movement freedom fighter. He was one third of the “L ...

(1858–1932), Indian Freedom Fighter, Journalist, Writer *

Ila Pal Choudhury Ila Pal Choudhury (1908 – 9 March 1975) was an Indian Parliamentarian and nationalist social worker. Early life Smt. Ila Pal Choudhury was born in a Brahma family in Kolkata, British India. Her father Bijay Krishna Basu was the Superintenden ...

, Indian Politician, Social Activist *

Jagdambika Pal Jagdambika Pal is an Indian politician. He is a former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He was also a member of 15th Lok Sabha & 16th Lok Sabha and was a member of Indian National Congress, until he resigned on 7 March 2014. Political career He ...

(born1960), Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh *

Kristo Das Pal Kristo Das Pal ( bn, কৃষ্ণদাস পাল; 1838 – 24 July 1884), was an Indian journalist, orator and the editor of the '' Hindoo Patriot''. In spite of being born of the Teli or oil-men's caste, which ranks low in the Hindu socia ...

(1839–1884), Politician, Journalist, Orator and the editor of Hindoo Patriot * Rupchand Pal (born 1936), Politician *

Saju Paul Saju Paul is a leftist Indian politician, former Member of Kerala Legislative Assembly from Perumbavoor constituency, Kerala, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

(born 1966), Indian Politician

Science

* Aloke Paul, Materials Scientist * Anadish Pal (born 1963), Inventor and Poet * Palash Baran Pal, Indian Physicist, Author * Sankar K. Pal, Scientist and Researcher, Director of the ISI-Calcutta, Padmashree Awardee * Sourav Pal, Scientist and Researcher, Director of National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, Pioneering figure of Quantum Chemistry in India *

Vinod Kumar Paul Vinod Kumar Paul is an Indian pediatrician and physician scientist currently serving as Member, NITI Aayog. He earlier served as Professor of Neonatology at the Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delh ...

, Indian Pediatrician and Physician Scientist

Sports

Bachendri Pal Bachendri Pal (born 24 May 1954) is an Indian mountaineer. She is the first Indian woman to climb the summit of world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, what she did in 1984. She was awarded the third highest civilian award Padma Bhushan by Gov ...

, First Indian Woman to climb Mount Everest *

Gostha Pal Gostha Behari Pal (20 August 1896 – 8 April 1976) was an Indian footballer who played as a defender. He was the first captain of the India national team, played during the 1920s and 1930s. Spending most of his career in Mohun Bagan, Pal is r ...

(1896–1976), Renowned Football Player, (

The Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic grou ...

) *

Rajinder Pal Rajinder Pal (18 November 1937 – 9 May 2018) was an Indian cricketer who played in one Test in 1964. He played first-class cricket in India from 1954 to 1973. Early career An opening bowler, Rajinder Pal made his first-class debut in 19 ...

, Cricketer *

Shib Paul Shib Sankar Paul (born 4 November 1981, Tufanganj) is an Indian first-class cricketer. A member of the Bengal cricket team The Bengal cricket team represents the Indian state of West Bengal in domestic first-class cricket. It is considered ...

, Indian Cricketer *

Subrata Pal Subrata Paul (also Pal; born 24 December 1986) is an Indian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Indian Super League club ATK Mohun Bagan FC, ATK Mohun Bagan, on loan fr ...

, Football Player

Others

* Haridas Pal, Fictional Character and Successful Businessman * Krishna Pal (1762–1822), Early Indian convert to Christianity