The Nayak is a historic Indian title conferred on

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been ...

s, who were

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

s of feudal states in the Middle Ages. Today it is also a surname. Nayaks are mostly

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 ...

and few Sikhs, who follow

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

and

Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

respectively.

As a surname

Today, the surname ''Nayak'' is used by various

castes Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

and

ethnic groups An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

across India. Mostly they belong from forward class and mainly follows

and

. * Nayak, or Naik is a

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

used by

Koli Koli may refer to: Places * Koli, Finland, a hill in Finland * Koli National Park, a national park in Finland * Koli, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran * Koli Airfield, a former airfield in the South Pacific Other uses * Koli peopl ...

caste of Maharashtra. The Princely State of

Jawhar Jawhar is a city and a municipal council in Palghar district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division of India. Jawhar was a capital city of the erstwhile Koli princely state of Jawhar. Situated in the ranges of the Western Ghats, Jawhar is ...

was founded by a

Nayak Jayaba Mukne around 1300. The

Maval Maval is a tehsil in a subdivision of the same name, in the Pune district of Maharashtra, India. Description The word Maval is derived from a Marathi word ''Maval'', meaning the direction in which the sun sets. This region is towards the west ...

region was known as Koli country of fifty two

valleys A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

. Each valley was controlled by a

Nayak and the Sirnayak, or head chief, lived at

Junnar Junnar (Marathi pronunciation: ͡ʒunːəɾ is a city in the Pune district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city has history dating back to the first millennium. The nearby fort of Shivneri was the birthplace of Maratha king Chatrap ...

, and presided over the gotarni, or caste council. the

Fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

Sinhagad Sinhagad is an ancient hill fortress located at around 49 km southwest of the city of Pune, India. Previously known as ''Kondhana'', the fort had been the site of many battles, most notably the Battle of Sinhagad in 1670. The Sinhagad ...

was built and ruled by

chief Nag Nayak who resisted the Mughal Sultan

Muhammad bin Tughluq Muhammad bin Tughluq (1290 – 20 March 1351) was the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi. He reigned from February 1325 until his death in 1351. The sultan was the eldest son of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. In 1321, the youn ...

for eight months. the Kolis of Maharashtra revolted against Mughal ruler Aurangzeb under their Koli chief Khemirao Sirnaik and in 1769, Kolis revolted against Peshwa of

under their Koli Naik

Javji Bamble Javjirao Hirajirao Bamble also known as Jivaji Bamble was the mansabdar of Rajur in the Maratha Empire, was the deshmukh of 60 villages and chief of the Kolis of Bamble clan. His family had been vassals since the time of the Bahmani Sultanate. A ...

and broken the peace of Konkan and in 1798, Kolis challenged the British government under their Koli Naik Ramji Naik Bhangria who was father of freedom fighter

Raghoji Bhangare The Raghojirao Ramjirao Bhangre also spell Bhangaria (8 November 1805 – 2 May 1848) was an Indian revolutionary who challenged and defied the British power in Maharashtra. He was the son of Ramji Bhangre, a Koli who also resisted the Bri ...

. * In Punjab and Chandigarh, the surname Nayak is used by Sikh people who follow

and are known as kshathriya in their societies. * In

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

and West Bengal, The Nayak is used by

people who follow

. * Naik was another Name of Banjara Tribe of India. The Naik/Nayak surname is generally used by Banjaras/

Lambani The Banjara (also known as ,Vanzara,Lambadi,Gour Rajput,Labana) are a historically nomadic trading caste who may have origins in the Mewar region of what is now Rajasthan. Etymology The Banjaras usually refer to themselves as ''Gor'' and out ...

Labana Lubana (also spelled Lubana, Labana, Lavana, Lubhana; ) is a merchant and transportation community in India engaged in maritime trade and land trade which includes trading and transportation of goods like saltpetre, silk, diamonds, etc. In the ...

throughout

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 ...

. Banjaras can also be described as Naik in Uttar Pradesh. Head of Banjara village/Tanda is called Naik. Some notable Banjaras with the Naik surname are

Vasantrao Naik Vasantrao Phulsing Naik (1 July 1913 – 18 August 1979) was an Indian politician who served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1963 until 1975. To this date, he remains as the longest-serving Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Also, he had a c ...

and Sudhakarrao Naik. *In Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, other versions of the surnames exists such as Naidu. Used by people belonging to Kapu, Kamma,

Telaga Telaga is a community of agriculturists ( Kapus) in the Coastal Andhra Pradesh, concentrated in the West and East Godavari districts. They are also found in smaller numbers in Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam districts.: "Telaga – (regions) Visa ...

and

Balija Balija is a caste of the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. Origins Variations of the name in use in the medieval era were ''Balanja'', ''Bananja'', ''Bananju'', ''Banajiga'' and ''Banijiga'', with probable co ...

. In the north of Tamil Nadu, the title Naicker and Nayagar are used by the Tamil speaking Vanniyars while in the south of Tamil Nadu, the Telugu castes such as

, Kamma and the Gollas use the Naicker title. Also in

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

and

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...

the Naik surname is adopted as a surname by several communities including Bedar. * The Muslim Siddis of Karnataka, use the surname Nayaka which they received as a title from the kings of Bijapur. *In

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

it is used by some subcastes of the

Vokkaliga Vokkaliga (also transliterated as Vokkaligar, Vakkaliga, Wakkaliga, Okkaligar, Okkiliyan) is a community, or a group of closely-related castes, from the Indian state of Karnataka. They are also present in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. As ...

, Namadhari Naik communities. It is also a common surname amidst a section of Makkalasantana following a sect of parivara Bunt (community) and the Nayak/Bedar community. * In Maharashtra the surname Nayak and Naik is used by

Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as ...

CKP Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) is a caste group mainly found in Maharashtra. Historically, they made equally good warriors, statesmen as well as writers. They held the posts such as Deshpandes and Gadkaris and according to the histor ...

Saraswat Brahmin The Saraswat Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins, who are spread over widely separated regions spanning from Kashmir in North India to Konkan in West India to Kanara (coastal region of Karnataka) and Kerala in South India. The word ''Saraswat'' is de ...

and Deshastha Brahmin communities. * In Tamil Nadu, members of the

Vanniyar The Vanniyar, also spelled Vanniya, formerly known as the Palli, are a Dravidian community or '' jāti'' found in the northern part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. From the 19th century, peasant castes typically classified under Shudra ca ...

caste are found in the districts of Chennai, Thiruvallur, Kanchipuram, and Chengalpattu. They use the Naicker and Nayagar as a surname or title. Also in Tamil Nadu, members of the Jakkama clan use Nayakkar, Naicker and Nayagar as a surname or title.

References

{{Reflist Indian surnames Titles in India

As a surname

See also

References