Shah is a common surname 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 ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

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 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

(; fa, شاه, Šāh, pronounced , "king") is a title given to the emperors, kings, princes and lords of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

(historically known as

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

the West West is a cardinal direction or compass point. West or The West may also refer to: Geography and locations Global context * The Western world * Western culture and Western civilization in general * The Western Bloc, countries allied with NATO ...

).Yarshater, Ehsa
Persia or Iran, Persian or Farsi
, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989)

History

In the

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 ...

and

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 ...

region, the name 'Shah', 'Sha' or 'Sah' may be derived from

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- ...

''sah'' meaning "merchant" (from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

''sadhu'' meaning "honest, good") and

Prakrit The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...

''Sahu'', while the actual spelling "Shah" was popularized by the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

word for King. As a result, especially in Western culture, use of the spelling "Shah" has become far more pronounced than the other variants. The word ''

Sadhu ''Sadhu'' ( sa, साधु, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female)), also spelled ''saddhu'', is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. Th ...

/Sahu'' is also separately used to indicate a holy man, such as a

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

(see

Namokar Mantra The Ṇamōkāra mantra or Navkar Mantra is the most significant mantra in Jainism, and one of the oldest mantras in continuous practice. This is the first prayer recited by the Jains while meditating. The mantra is also variously referred to ...

). The Indian surnames "Shah" and "Sahu" are variants of one another which have evolved from the word "sah" over time. Another variant is

Sheth Sheth (also Seth) is an Indian surname, found in northern India and in Gujarat, Maharashtra and West Bengal. It derives from Sanskrit श्रेष्ठिन् (), meaning "banker/head of a guild". It may also be a variant of the Western Eu ...

. One early use of the title Sadhu occurs in an inscription on an AD 850 Parshvanth image in the

Akota Bronzes The Akota Bronzes represent a rare and important set of 68 Jain images, dating to between the 6th and 12th centuries AD, which were found in the vicinity of Akota near Baroda in the Indian state of Gujarat. It includes rare Gupta period bronzes t ...

. In numerous 12–13th century inscriptions the shravaka who installed the image is given the title "Sahu". For example: * A 12th century Jain altarpiece in

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...

mentions

Grahapati Gahoi is a merchant Vaishya-Baniya community in central India. Gahois are divided into 12 gotras, each gotra is divided into six ''all''s. They have traditionally interdined with the Parwar Jain community of Bundelkhand. The "Grahapati" family ...

Sadhu Kundha *

Vibudh Shridhar {{cleanup lang, article, date=November 2021 Vibudh Shridhar or Vibudha Shridhara (विबुध श्रीधर) (wrote during Vikram Samvat 1189-1230) was an accomplished Apabhramsha writer and poet in North India. He is the first known Agra ...

mentions his patron

Nattal Sahu Nattal Sahu (नट्टल साहु) of Yoginipur (now Mehrauli, Delhi) is the earliest known Agrawal Jain merchant-prince, who lived during the reign Tomara king, ''Anangapal''. His life's account is described in Apabhramsha text ''Pasa ...

, a 12th-century merchant prince in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. * From

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 ...

: Here both Sah and Sadhu have been used in the 1510 inscription. * From Ahar,

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

: " Samvat 1210 vaishakha sudi 13 grahpatyanvayae sahu shrisadhu bharya mana tayoh .. ete paNamanti nityam." Here the word Sahu is equivalent to the Sanskrit word "sadhu". Some inscriptions use "sadhu" itself : * From

Bahuriband Bahuriband (or Bahoriband), near Katni in Madhya Pradesh, is a famous inscription at the feet of a colossal stone image of Jain Tirthankara Shantinath. The colossal statue is in height. Inscription The inscription reads: :संवत १� ...

(Katni, MP): "Svasti shri samvat 1070 phalgunavadi ... madhavannandinugrahitah sadhu-shri sarvadharah .." The word Sadhu here does not mean a monk but a "gentleman". Some inscriptions abbreviate sahu by just "sa" just like the abbreviation in English, "Mr." In some business communities, genealogies are recited during marriages, where all ancestors would be respectfully called "sahu". The term "sahukari" means the profession of banking/trading, and is derived from Sahu (Sanskrit "Sadhu") and kar (Sanskrit for doer).

John Shakespear John Shakespear (August 1774 – 1858) was an orientalist and professor of Hindustani. John Shakespear was born in Lount, Leicestershire, in August 1774, the son of a poor farmer. He was educated at the parish school at Staunton Harold and th ...

A dictionary, Hindustani and English
1834, p.1035 In the

Bundelkhand Bundelkhand (, ) is a geographical and cultural region and a proposed state and also a mountain range in central & North India. The hilly region is now divided between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with the larger portion lyin ...

Jain community, the father-in-law (or son's/daughter's father-in-law) used to be called "sahaji". Thus the words "Shah" etc. all indicate a respected member of the mercantile community. Today it is used by Gujarati business communities.

People with the surname

This list includes people with both the Indian surname Shah and the surname of Persian origin meaning king. Having the name, also in the Persian meaning, does not necessarily indicate a royal status or origin of the person so named. Like the surname "King" in English, it is borne by various people not connected to any Royal dynasty. Notable people with the surname include: *

Amit Shah Amit Anil Chandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician currently serving as the Minister of Home Affairs since 2019 and the first Minister of Co-operation of India since 2021. He served as the President of the Bharatiya Janata P ...

, Indian politician * Amin Shah, Indian politician * Arvind Victor Shah, (born 1940), Swiss engineer, educator and scientist *

Bahadur Shah of Nepal Prince Bahadur Shah ( ne, बहादुर शाह) was the youngest son of King Prithvi Narayan Shah of modern Nepal. He became the regent of Nepal for a brief period after the death of his predecessor Queen Rajendra Laxmi of Nepal and acce ...

, Nepalese states unifier and Prince Regent *

Balen Shah Balendra Shah ( ne, :ne:बालेन शाह, बालेन्द्र शाह), popularly known as Balen Shah or simply Balen, is a Nepalese Rapping, rapper, structural engineer and politician. He is currently serving as the 15th Mayo ...

, Nepalese rapper, structural engineer, and politician * Birendra Bir Bikram Shah, Nepalese monarch from the house of Shah dynasty *

Bulleh Shah Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri ( pa, ; ; 1680–1757), known popularly as Bulleh Shah ( pa, ; ) and Bulleya, was a Punjabi philosopher and Sufi poet during 17th-century Punjab. His ancestors had migrated from Bukhara (modern-day Uzbekistan) ...

(c.1680–c.1758), Punjabi Sufi poet *

Eddy Shah Selim Jehan Shah (born 20 January 1944), commonly known as Eddy Shah or Eddie Shah, is a Manchester-based businessman, the founder of the then technologically advanced UK newspaper ''Today'' in 1986, and of the short-lived tabloid '' The Post''. ...

, British businessman and writer * Ema Shah (born 1981), Kuwaiti singer, composer, and director * Fahad Shah, Kashmiri journalist *

Farah Shah Farah Shah is a Pakistani television actress and former model. She made her acting debut with a role of Mehru in PTV World's classic series ''Boota From Toba Tek Singh'' (1999). Shah's career span for more than 20 years. She worked in various h ...

, Pakistani actress and host * Fatima Shah (1914-2002), Pakistani physician and disability activist *

Harmonica Shah Seward Daward Shah, known as Harmonica Shah (born March 31, 1946) is an American Detroit and electric blues harmonicist and singer. His playing was influenced by Junior Wells, Jimmy Reed, Little Walter, Lazy Lester, and Little Sonny. Biography ...

(born 1946), American blues harmonicist and singer * Hetul Shah (born 1999), Indian chess player * Jawahar Shah (born 1955), Indian homeopath *

Jigar Shah Jigar Shah (born August 30, 1974) is the director of the Loan Programs Office in the US Department of Energy. Shah gained prominence as an American clean energy entrepreneur, author and podcast host. Shah is known for work to create and advocat ...

(born 1974), Indian businessman *

Kiran Shah Kiran Shah (born 28 September 1956) is a Kenyan-Indian actor and a stunt double. Shah was born in Nairobi, Kenya. He lived in Kenya until he was twelve years old, when he moved to India with his family. While living in India, he became intere ...

(born 1956), Kenyan-born actor and stuntman *

Khushdil Shah Khushdil Shah (Urdu, ps, خوشدل شاہ; born 7 February 1995) is a Pakistani International cricketer who played for Federally Administered Tribal Areas. He played for Multan Sultan in the Pakistan Super League. He made his international deb ...

, Pakistani cricketer *

Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज महेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव; 11 June 1920 – 31 January 1972) was the King of Nepal from 13 March 1955 until h ...

, Nepalese nationalist monarch *

Nagambal Shah Nagambal D. "Swarna" Shah is an American mathematician and statistician known for her mentorship of students at Spelman College. She is the founder of the annual StatFest of the American Statistical Association, a leader of the association's Diver ...

, Indian-American mathematician and statistician * Naseem Shah, Pakistani cricketer * Naz Shah (born (1973), British Labour Party politician * Neel Shah, American physician *

Neer Shah Neer Bikram Shah, also known as Nir Shah, is a senior People of Nepal, Nepalese film actor, director, producer, poet, songwriter, and businessman. He is considered one of the leading actors in Cinema of Nepal, Nepali cinema history and an actor ...

, Nepalese actor, musician, and filmmaker * Nirav D. Shah, American epidemiologist, economist and attorney *

Owais Shah Owais Alam Shah (born 22 October 1978) is a former England cricketer. A middle-order Batting (cricket), batsman, he played for Middlesex County Cricket Club, Middlesex from 1995 to 2010 and Essex County Cricket Club, Essex from 2011 to 2013 b ...

, English cricketer * Paul Shah, Nepalese model and actor. *

Pooja Shah Pooja Ashwin Shah (born 8 August 1979 in London, England) is a British actress, filmmaker and model of Kenyan-Indian descent. She is known for her role as Kareena Ferreira in the popular UK soap opera EastEnders. Shah works with her husband direc ...

(born 1979), British Asian actress *

Prithivi Narayan Shah Maharajadhiraj Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723–1775) ( ne, श्री ५ बडामहाराजाधिराज पृथ्वीनारायण शाह देव) was the last ruler of the Gorkha Kingdom and first monarch of the ...

, Nepalese monarch from the house of Shah dynasty *

Rahil Shah Rahil Sanjay Shah (born 20 October 1985) is an Indian cricketer who plays for Tripura. He is a slow left-arm orthodox Left-arm orthodox spin, Left-arm off spin also known as slow left-arm orthodox spin bowling, is a type of Finger spin, ...

, Indian cricketer *

Raj Shah Raj Shah (born c. 1985) is an American political aide who served as the White House Deputy Press Secretary and Deputy Assistant to the President from 2017 to 2019. Prior to joining the Trump Administration, Shah was in charge of opposition res ...

, American politician * Rajendra Keshavlal Shah (1913-2010), lyrical poet who wrote in Gujarati *

Raline Shah Raline Rahmat Shah (born March 4, 1985) is an Indonesian actress, philanthropist, public figure, and entrepreneur. She entered mainstream Indonesian entertainment scene with her appearance as one of the contestants of '' Puteri Indonesia 2008'' r ...

(born 1985), Indonesian actress *

Rajiv Shah Rajiv J. "Raj" Shah (born March 9, 1973) is the President of the Rockefeller Foundation. He is a former American government official, physician and health economist who served as the 16th Administrator of the United States Agency for Internationa ...

(born 1973), administrator of the United States Agency for International Development *

Ravindu Shah Ravindu Dhirajlal Shah (born 28 August 1972) is a former Kenyan cricketer. He is a right-handed batman. He was part of Kenya's 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Cup squads. Domestic career He played 56 One-day Internationals for Kenya and also appeared ...

(born 1972), Kenyan cricketer *

Ray Shah Ray Shah (born 31 January 1978) came to prominence in public life as a contestant on the Channel 4 reality programme Big Brother, in which he finished second. Since his exit from the Big Brother house, Shah entered a career in the entertainment ...

(born 1978), contestant on the fourth series of the British Big Brother *

Rishi Shah Rishi Shah (born 1986) is an American businessman convicted of fraud and a former chairman and CEO of Outcome Health, which he co-founded. Early life Rishi Shah was born in 1986 in Oak Brook, Illinois, the son of Sonal Shah and her husband Dr Up ...

(born 1985 or 1986), American billionaire, founder of Outcome Health *

Roger Shah Roger Shah (; born 29 November 1972), also known as DJ Shah and Sunlounger, is a German electronic music composer and producer. Biography History Roger Shah was born in Esslingen in West Germany to a German mother and a Pakistani father. ...

, German electronic music producer *

Safia Shah Safia Nafisa Shah ( fa, سفیا شاه, gu, સફિયા શાહ; born 16 November 1966), now Safia Thomas, is a British writer, editor, television news producer and member of the Afghan-Indian Shah family. She and her husband Ian also ...

, author *

Saira Shah Saira Shah (born 5 October 1964) is a British author, reporter and documentary filmmaker. She produces, writes and narrates current affairs films. Life Shah was born in London and raised in Kent, England. She was educated at Bryanston Schoo ...

, English author, reporter and documentary filmmaker *

Saleem Shah Saleem Alam Shah (December 2, 1931 in Allahabad, India—November 25, 1992 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States) was an Indian-American psychologist known for his work regarding mental health and the law. He has been credited with helping to estab ...

, Indian-American psychologist *

Satish Shah Satish Shah (born 25 June 1951) is an Indian actor. He is best known for his comic roles in films like ''Jaane bhi Do Yaaro'' (1983), ''Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi'' (1984), ''Sarabhai vs Sarabhai'' (2004), ''Main Hoon Na'' (2004), ''Kal Ho Naa Ho'' (200 ...

, Indian film and television actor *

Tejal Shah Tejal Shah (; born 1979) is an Indian contemporary visual artist and curator. She works within the mediums of video art, photography, performance, drawing, sound work, and spatial installations. Shah explores topics in her work including the LGB ...

(born 1979), Indian visual artist, curator *

Yasir Shah Yasir Shah SI (; born 2 May 1986) is an international cricketer from Pakistan. He plays as a bowler, and is the joint-second fastest bowler in the history of Test cricket to take 100 wickets, as well as also being the fastest to pick up 200 wi ...

, Pakistani cricketer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah (surname) Indian surnames Gujarati-language surnames Bengali Muslim surnames

History

People with the surname

See also

References