100 Popular Nepali Brahmin Surnames Or Last Names, By Region

Brahmin people found in Nepal are an old civilization of people that have been living the limelight since the time of gods. Nepali Brahmin surnames have been a list of recorded ones throughout history. With depiction on ancient religious scriptures or the stories based on history, they have kept their characters popping through the years.

The lineage has been passed on down the generations. Initially, the gurus and the readers of the ancient scriptures and Sanskrit texts of knowledge, have now almost been transformed to a simple state of living. With that as a state of the present situation of Brahmin population, the roots that they have come from have not been lost altogether.

Who are Brahmins?

The Varna class of Brahmin is specified as the highest caste class along with Chettris. They perform the religious virtuoso and come from the background of notable and knowledgeable scholar backgrounds.

Facts about Brahmins

Priest and Dharma Gurus are the perfect examples to explain the purity and power that the Brahmin class portrays. They are the followers of the Vedic Knowledge that came about from the beginning Yugas.

Brahmin came along with the gods as the creation of the first. The supreme vast knowledge has been said to be given to the Brahmins by the gods. The purity and the knowledge come through these backstories. Even the gods have forbidden the killing of the Brahmins and the offense can take the killer into the deepest hell.

Types of Brahmin Caste

It’s an understanding to say that Nepali Brahmin Surnames have been divided as the caste system among themselves. Ranging from location or the beliefs that their ancestors have settled with, the types are simply the way of understanding their origins.

Upadhyaya, Jaisi, and Kumai are the highlighted categories of Brahmins found in Nepal. They are subdivided under the basis of location, or their origin.

What do Brahmins actually do?

Brahmins were the original scholars. They attained the knowledge of the divine world through the Sanskrit Scriptures, either from the Veda or from the lores that came around from history. 

In ancient times they were the only teachers who would guide and make the knowledge accessible to the people from the races of kings to commoners. Brahmins were believed to have been wise and powerful with their knowledge. So, they had the authority to make the decisions for the kingdoms. With rituals and prayers to god to make the right choices as per the time and space. They did it all in the right way.

Slowly as time transitioned they have been divided into subgroups with their task and workmanship. Some are still the priest that they originally were and some have deviated towards other work skills.

Now at present, we cannot pinpoint what a Brahmin does. Because they have been found doing all stuff from practicing medicine to engineering to business. So stereotyping with the practice of just the rituals as the priest cannot be said for this race.

How many Brahmins are there in Nepal?

There are 3,212,704 of the total population of Brahmins in Nepal. There is about 99.6 percent of people belong to the Brahmin group. The amount has grown widely since brahmins have covered almost all the different places of Nepal since ancient times. 

Since brahmins had always been respected class people, they were adored by the Ranas as well as the Kings, thus this helped them to take their position in a respectable way.

What is the percentage of Brahmin in Nepal?

There is about 12.2 percent of Brahmins in Nepal. All these populations have entirely spread out across the country, with the composition of different groups and traditions, and are placed all over the country. Some community and region-based Brahmins have been mentioned below.

Terai Brahmins

Brahmins belonging to the Terai regions of Nepal are the Terai Brahmins. They are believed to have lived in Terai from the ages of their forefathers. Initially known as Mithila Rajya, They are the respected historically important Shastra followers of Vedic Knowledge. Nepali Brahmin Surnames of the Terai Region have been listed below.

• Jha
• Mishra
• Pandit
• Tiwari
• Kashyap
• Ojha
• Choudhary
• Thakur

Newari Brahmins

Newari brahmins are those brahmins belonging to the Newari Ethnic Group. Their background is associated with Buddhist or Hindu practices. They are engaged in the acts of leadership for completing pujas, jatra, rath etc. These members of Newari groups have the knowledge of the Shastras and have the authority to practice the religious rites. Some Nepali Brahmin surname from Newari Brahmins has been listed below.

• Rajopadhyaya
• Vajracharya
• Shakya
• Bhikshu
• Gurju

Khas Brahmins

Brahmins belonging to the typical Nepali background with Nepalese originality are called Khas Brahmins. Khas are the people who settled down in Nepal at first. It has been believed that the first entry was centered around Sinja. It is the location where all the Khas people started from. The types of brahmins under this category have been listed below.

Types of Khas Nepali Brahmin Surnames Caste

Under the Khas Nepali Brahmin Surnames Caste, the following categories have been found as widely known classes of Brahmin types.

1. Upadhyaya Brahmins

Upadhyaya Brahmins are considered as the Brahmins in the complete form of those ancient brahmins. Among all the other types, these lines of brahmins are those who haven’t been associated in marriage with any other than Upadhyaya Brahmins. They are the ones that can do rituals as Guru and have the authority to lead the Shastras. Some examples of Nepali Upadhyaya Brahmins are:

2. Jaisi Brahmins

Jaisi Brahmins are the second most popular form of Nepali brahmin surnames. The castes of Jaisi Brahmins can be considered similar to the Upadhyaya Brahmins but all that differs is their history that distances them from Upadhyaya brahmins. In case the Upadhyaya brahmin marries outside of Upadhyaya Circle, the child of that couple is considered to be of Jaisi Varna. The Surnames are the same as Upadhyaya as Jaisi Brahmin.

3. Purbeli Brahmins

Those brahmins belonging to the eastern part of Nepal are the purbeli brahmins. The information that can be simply put, shows that the Brahmins who made their home in the Eastern part took the name of Purbeli. Some traditions and customs are found to be different among them from the other part of the country.

But overall, they and their surnames have the same background as any other Brahmins.  Some examples of them are:

• Ghimire
• Poudel
• Nepal
• Pokharel
• Bhandari
• Koirala 
• Khanal
• Mainali
• Rimal
• Sapkota

4. Paschimeli Brahmins

The west part of Nepal consists of varied people and populations with a different tradition that they have followed passed on from their origin. The Brahmin community have the same difference in comparison to what the Purbeli Brahmins have. The practices might differ but other than that only their origin and the location that they reside is different.

5. Hill Brahmins

Nepali Brahmins belonging to the hilly Areas are the hill brahmins. At Present, these Hill Nepali Brahmins Surnames are found in different places, but the fact-based evidence upon their history suggests that they have resided in this territory since the days of their forefathers. Some of their examples are:

• Gautam
• Rimal
• Koirala
• Neupane
• Pandey
• Sigdel
• Simkhada
• Sangraula
• Rijal
• Prasain

An Overall list of accumulated Brahmin Surnames that are widely found in Nepal are specified below.

Before You End This Article

The caste and surnames are as important as the man makes it to be. But when the religious and historic rites take the story of the person to their roots. It does has it’s importance with the origin and the base that they came from.

Nepali Brahmin surnames have always been a part of Nepalese introduction since ancient times. Brahmins have had a great history since they originated as Vedic followers from the very beginning. Their Surname has held a prestigious history and strength in the hearts of Nepal.

With Customs religions and tradition and even the rituals, these surnames are some that you can remember for that very purpose. Name Experts Out!

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