Ganguly (also called Ganguli, Ganguly, Gangulee, Gangoly or Gangopadhyay) is an Indian family name of a

Bengali Brahmin The Bengali Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. The Bengali Brahmins, along with Baidyas and ...

caste; it is a variant of ''Gangele'' ''Gangopadhyay(a)'' ''Gônggopaddhae''. The historical book 'Jāti-Bhāṣkar' mentions that those who were given grants in the village named Gangul, by Ballāl Sena were called Ganguly (i). Also, called Gangopādhyāy (literally 'the Vedic teachers in the regions around the Ganges') because they selected the profession of teaching (upadhyay). The ancestors of Gangulys are from a hermit or saint called Savarna Muni, belonging to the family of

Bhrigu Bhrigu ( sa, भृगु, ) was a rishi in Hinduism. He was one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshis, one of the many Prajapatis (the facilitators of Creation) created by Brahma. The first compiler of predictive astrology, and also th ...

and thus all Gangulys have the same Savarna Gotra, and Aurva-Bhrigu-Chyavana-Aapnuvata-Jaamadagnya Pancha (Five) pravaras which means they are from the same ancestral root. The

Sabarna Roy Choudhury Sabarna Roy Choudhury was a Zamindar family of Mughal Bengal. They controlled significant swathes of territory, including what would later become Kolkata, prior to the sale of zamindari rights in 1698 to the East India Company. Zamindari E ...

family of Kolkata are actually Gangopadhyay. The titles Roy and later Choudhury were bestowed on their ancestor Lakshmikanta Gangopadhyay by the Muslim emperors Akbar and Jahangir. Job Charnok had purchased three villages from this family. These three villages became Kolkata during the rule of East India Company.The current actual blood heir of Shridhar Ganguly's are Debaprasad Ganguly, Pradip Ganguly, Girija Shankar Ganguly, Sayan Ganguly and Arnab Ganguly.

List of persons with the surname

Business

Ashok Sekhar Ganguly Dr Ashok Shekar Ganguly noted industry expert and former chairman of Hindustan Lever, was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha. His term ended on 17 November 2015. Early life and education He was born on 28 July 1935 in Patna to Sekhar Nath an ...

, former chairman of Hindustan Lever * Pablo Ganguli, (born 1983), Indian cultural entrepreneur * Paramjeet Ganguly (born 1992), Product Manager and Payments Expert.

Academic

* Enakshi Ganguly, Indian children's rights activist *

Kadambini Ganguly Kadambini Bose Ganguly (18 July 1861 – 3 October 1923) was one of the first Indian female doctors who practised with a degree in modern medicine. She was the first Indian woman to practice medicine in India. Ganguly was the first woman to gai ...

, one of the two Indian women doctors who was first South Asian female physician, trained in western medicine to graduate in South Asia.

Politics

* Bipin Behari Ganguli (1887-unknown), Indian freedom fighter * Pratul Chandra Ganguli, (1884–1957), Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary

Sport

Bhaskar Ganguly Bhaskar Ganguly is a former Indian football goalkeeper from West Bengal. He was the captain of India national football team which participated in the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi. Ganguly is one of the few Indian players who went abroad, ...

, Indian footballer *

Sourav Ganguly Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), affectionately known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali), is an Indian cricket administrator, commentator and former national cricket team captain w ...

(born 1972), former Indian cricket captain and current BCCI President * S K Ganguli, cricket umpire * Partho Ganguli, International Badminton Player. Current National Selector for the sport of Badminton, India

Chess

Surya Shekhar Ganguly Surya Sekhar Ganguly (born 24 February 1983), is an Indian chess grandmaster. His peak ELO rating was 2676 (July, 2016). Ganguly became an International Master at the age of 16 and a grandmaster at the age of 19. He has won 40 individual go ...

(born 1983), Indian chess grandmaster

Film and acting

Ganguly family The Ganguly family in Bollywood is referred as the Hindu Bengali Brahmin family hailing from Madhya Pradesh. In a Bollywood film industry dominated by powerhouse families the Ganguly brothers and their family connections serve as an important ...

Ashok Kumar Ganguly Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family. He w ...

(1911–2001), Indian actor *

Chhaya Devi Chhaya Devi ( bn, ছায়া দেবী; 3 June 1914 – 25 April 2001) was an Indian actress known for her work in Bengali and Hindi cinema. She appeared in hundreds of films for over five decades. Her first lead role was in Debak ...

(1914-2001), Indian actress of Bengali and Hindi movies * Jahar Ganguly (1904 – 1969), Indian film actor and theatre personality *

Kaushik Ganguly Kaushik Ganguly (born 4 August 2012) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor in Bengali cinema. Multiple National Award winner Actor-Director, Kaushik Ganguly is known for making films that explore various aspects sexuality, like ' ...

(born 1968), Indian film director, screenwriter and actor *

Churni Ganguly Churni Ganguly (née Banerjee) is a Bengali actress and director. After spending her childhood in Kurseong, she came to Kolkata and got admitted at the Jadavpur University. While studying at Jadavpur University, she joined a theatre group as a ...

, Indian actress of Bengali movies and TV serials *

Dhirendra Nath Ganguly Dhirendra Nath Ganguly (26 March 1893 – 18 November 1978), better known as Dhiren Ganguly or D.G, was a Dadasaheb Phalke Award-winning and Padma Bhushan recipient film entrepreneur/actor/director of Bengali Cinema. He had set up a number of ...

(1893-1978), Bengali actor, director and entrepreneur *

Dimpy Ganguly Dimpy Ganguli (formerly Dimpy Mahajan) is an Indian model and television personality. Early life Her real name is Soumoshree Ganguli, Dimpy was her nickname. Her father's name is Saibal Ganguly and her mother's name is Sushmita Ganguli. Dimp ...

, Indian model and actress *

Jeet Ganguly Jeet Gannguli (, born Chandrajeet Ganguly, on 24 May 1977), is an Indian score composer of Bengali and Hindi movies. Early life and education Born in a Bengali Brahmin family, Gannguli was initiated into the world of music at the age of thr ...

, Hindi and Bengali musical director, composer and singer *

, Indian director, screenwriter and actor (Bengali cinema) *

Kishore Kumar Ganguly Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music. He w ...

(1929-1987), Indian singer and actor *

Mouli Ganguly Mouli Ganguly is an Indian Actress, who has worked in both Hindi and Bengali cinema. She shot to fame as Shaina in Ekta Kapoor's popular hit thriller series ''Kaahin Kissii Roz'' that aired from 2001–04 on Star Plus. She played the titu ...

, Indian television actor *

Pijush Ganguly Pijush Ganguly (2 January 1965 – 25 October 2015) was a noted Bengali film, television and theater actor. In 2005 he received the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in ' ...

, Indian television actor (Bengali) *

Preeti Ganguly Preeti Ganguly ( hi, प्रीति गाँगुली; 17 May 1953 – 2 December 2012) was an Indian actress who played several comic roles in Bollywood in the 1970s and 1980s. She was the daughter of veteran Indian actor Ashok Kumar, a ...

, Indian actress *

Richa Gangopadhyay Richa Gangopadhyay Langella ( Gangopadhyay ; born 20 March 1986) is an Indian-born American former actress and model who predominantly appeared in Telugu language films. She resides at Portland, Oregon. She was cast along with the prominent ...

(born 1986), Indian actress *

Roopa Ganguly Roopa Ganguly is an Indian actress, playback singer and politician. She is best known for her portrayal of Draupadi in B R Chopra's hit television series ''Mahabharat''. Often promoted as the Tollywood's answer to Bollywood's Shabana Azmi, she ...

(born 1966), Indian actress *

Rupali Ganguly Rupali Ganguly (born 5 April 1977) is an Indian actress best known for her work in Star Plus show ''Anupamaa''. Prior to ''Anupamaa'' , she is best known for her portrayal of Monisha Sarabhai in the cult sitcom ''Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai''. Born ...

(born 1978), Indian actress *

Samir Ganguly Samir Ganguly is an Indian film director. He also directed many episodes of the television serial ''Paying Guest]''. Filmography Director Assistant Director * '' Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957 film), Tumsa Nahin Dekha'' (1957) * '' Junglee'' (19 ...

, Indian film director *

Subhashree Ganguly Subhashree Ganguly (born 3 November 1990) is an Indian actress, model and the winner of Anandalok Nayikar Khonje 2006. She is the highest paid actress of Bengali cinema. She made her acting debut in 2008 with the Odia comedy drama film '' Mat ...

(born 1989), Indian actress * Usha Ganguly (born 1945) theatre director

Music

* Sunil Ganguly (died 1999), Indian guitarist

Writers and translators

Kisari Mohan Ganguli Kisari Mohan Ganguli (also K. M. Ganguli) was an Indian translator known for being the first to provide a complete translation of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata in English. His translation was published as ''The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vy ...

, Indian translator (''Mahabharata'' into English) *

Narayan Gangopadhyay Narayan Gangopadhyay (4 February 1918 – 8 November 1970), also known as Narayan Ganguly, was an Indian novelist, poet, essayist, and short story writer, and one of the leading writers of modern Bengali literature. He introduced the endearing ...

(1918–1970), Bengali writer *

Sunil Gangopadhyay Sunil Gangopadhyay or Sunil Ganguly (7 September 1934 – 23 October 2012) was an Indian poet, historian and novelist in the Bengali language based in the city of Kolkata. He is a former Sheriff of Calcutta. Gangopadhyay obtained his ma ...

(born 1934), Bengali writer * Manjubala Ganguli, (1961-2014), Author

Notes

Resources

* http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Ganguly-name-meaning.ashx * http://genealogy.familyeducation.com/surname-origin/ganguly {{surname Brahmin communities Social groups of West Bengal Indian surnames Hindu surnames Bengali Hindu surnames Kulin Brahmin surnames