Bhat (also spelled as Bhatt or Butt) is a surname in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...

. Bhat and Bhatt are shortened rendition of Bhatta.

Etymology

The word "Bhat" ( sa, भट, ) means "teacher" in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...

. While the original shortened rendition of "Bhatta" was "Bhat" or "Bhatt," many of the migrants to the Punjab region started spelling their surname as "But" or "Butt" which is the spelling of the clan used in the Pahari language.

Geographic distribution

Goa

The surname is in use among some Konkani Christians who trace their ancestry to the

Goud Saraswat Brahmins Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) (also Goud or Gawd) are a Hindu Brahmin community of the north. The Konkani speaking Gaud Saraswat of Goa and southern India claim to be descendents of these Gaud Saraswat Brahmins of the north that migrated to K ...

of Goa.''Sarasvati's Children: A History of the Mangalorean Christians'', Alan Machado Prabhu, I.J.A. Publications, 1999, p. 137

Gujarat

Hindu Bhatts who speak the

Gujarati language Gujarati (; gu, ગુજરાતી, Gujarātī, translit-std=ISO, label=Gujarati script, ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people. Gujarati is descended from Old Guj ...

reside in the Indian state belongs to Nagar Brahmins.

Karnataka

This is a common surname among the Tuluva Brahmins,

Goud Saraswat Brahmin Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) (also Goud or Gawd) are a Hindu Brahmin community of the north. The Konkani speaking Gaud Saraswat of Goa and southern India claim to be descendents of these Gaud Saraswat Brahmins of the north that migrated to ...

s , Havyaka Brahmins and Hoysala Brahmins of Karnataka.

Kashmir

Bhat, also spelled as Bhatt or Butt, is a

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Barua ...

surname, found among

Kashmiri Brahmin The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha-Gauda, Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, a mountai ...

s of the Kashmir Valley, as well as Kashmiri émigrés who migrated to Punjab, a region divided between India and neighbouring

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 ...

. Many such Kashmiris migrated to Punjab in the late 19th century due to 1878 Kashmir famine. The surname is shared by both Kashmiri Hindus and

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abra ...

. During Sikandar Shah Miri's rule from 1389 to 1413 CE, his prime minister Suha Bhatt embraced Islam along with his family by Mir Muhammad Hamadani and took the name of Saif-ud-Din, along with earning the title of Malik.

Bengal

Hindu Bhattas who reside in the Bengal region and speak Bengali belong to Kulin Brahmins and are found in the

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 ...

n states of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the four ...

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 ...

and

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the eas ...

Nepal

Hindu Bhattas who reside in Nepal and speak Nepali language and Doteli language are mostly found in the Mahakali zone of Sudurpashchim Province,

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 ma ...

. Some Nepali Bhattas are also found from the Gorkha district of

. However, due to migration of people for opportunities nowadays, Bhattas can be found in different parts of Nepal.

Punjab

Some Muslim Bhats/Butts found in Pakistani Punjab migrated to different cities of (undivided) Punjab from Kashmir and Jammu during the 1878 famine, and are Hindu converts to Islam. Many such Muslim Kashmiris migrated to Punjab in the late 19th century due to natural disasters.

Uttarakhand

Bhatt residing in Uttarakhand are mostly Hindu Brahmins. They speak Hindi, Kumauni or Garhwali language and are priests in the local temples.

Himachal Pradesh

Bhatt residing in Himachal Pradesh belong to Brahmins of Gaddi community. They use Bhatt as a canopy term and are further divided into sub-castes like Lappar, Maradu, Dangnu, Langhe, Daenu, Baune, Bagaedu etc. Rayebhatt also belong to this caste. They speak Kangri and Gaddi languages. They belong to Gotras viz; Vashishth, Bhardwaj, Kaundinya, Gautam etc. Bhatt in Himachal Pradesh are distributed in the districts of Kangra and Chamba. In Kangra they are found near Dharamshala and Palampur. In Chamba they are mostly found in Bharmour region.

Notable individuals

Academics

* Aryabhatta, first of the major mathematician-astronomers from the classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy. * Bāṇabhaṭṭa,

prose writer and poet * B. V. Rajarama Bhat, Indian mathematician * Mayurbhatta, poet of harsha's court *

Miriam Butt Miriam Butt is Professor of Linguistics at the Department of Linguistics (Fachbereich Sprachwissenschaft) at the University of Konstanz. She is best known for her theoretical linguistic work on complex predicates and on grammatical case, and ...

, Professor of Linguistics and Chair of the Department of Linguistics (Facereich Sprachwissenschaft) at the University of Konstanz *

Muhammad Asim Butt Muhammad Asim Butt (Urdu: محمد عاصم بٹ) is an Urdu novelist, short story writer, translator, researcher, editor, critic and journalist. He has published three novels and two collections of short stories along with a number of books t ...

, Pakistani Urdu novelist, short story writer * Motiram Bhatta, Nepali

and Khas language poet *

P. Gururaja Bhat Paduru Gururaja Bhat (1924 – 27 August, 1978) was a teacher, historian and archaeologistPedarapu Chenna Reddy and Inguva Karthikeya Sarma, ''Mahāsenasiri: Riches of Indian Archaeological & Cultural Studies: A felicitation volume in honour of ...

, Indian archaeologist * Pamposh Bhat, Kashmiri Indian environmentalist *

Rasheed Butt Rasheed Butt (born 1944) is a Pakistani calligrapher. Active since 1961, he has worked in a number of calligraphic styles, including reproductions of texts from the Qur'an, the hadith, traditional invocations and prayers and poetry. He also produ ...

, renowned Pakistani artist and recipient of "The Pride of Performance" 1989 *

Shyam Bhat Dr. Shyam Bhat is a physician and psychiatrist of integrative medicine in India. He was the host of the radio show Heartline broadcast on Indigo 91.9 FM in Bangalore, India. He developed Integral Self Therapy, a transpersonal method that integrat ...

, physician * Suresh Bhat, Marathi Indian ghazal writer * U. Narayan Bhat, Indian mathematician *

U. R. Bhat Ullal Ravindra "U. R." Bhat is a noted economic columnist of India. He had his education in IIT Kanpur. He joined Indian Bank and quit to start a career in financial investments. He worked in Jardine Fleming India as head of the country operatio ...

, economist *

Vasanti N. Bhat-Nayak Vasanti N. Bhat-Nayak was a mathematician whose research concerned balanced incomplete block designs, bivariegated graphs, graceful graphs, graph equations and frequency partitions. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Mumbai in 1970 w ...

, Indian mathematician * Vinay Bhat, American chess player

Actors, models, technicians and musicians

* Ahmed Butt, male Pakistani model and actor * Ali Azmat Butt, Pakistani rock artist, and former lead singer of rock band Junoon * Alia Bhatt, Bollywood actress * Ambreen Butt, Pakistani model * Anuradha Bhat, Indian playback singer *

Asha Bhat Asha Bhat (born 5 September 1992) is an Indian actress, model and the winner of the Miss Supranational 2014 pageant. She is the first Indian to win the title. She made her acting debut with 2019 Hindi film ''Junglee'' alongside Vidyut Jammwal ...

, Indian model * Asim Butt, Pakistani painter and sculptor and a member of the Stuckist Art Movement *

Biraj Bhatta Biraj Bhatta is a Nepali actor who is known for his work in Nepali cinema and Bhojpuri cinema. He has worked in some Nepali and Tharu language films as well. He has starred in more than 200 movies through different languages like Nepali , Bhoj ...

, Nepalese actor * DJ Butt, Pakistani disc jockey for PTI * Farhan Saeed Butt, Pakistani singer and member of rock band Jal * Imran Imtiaz Butt, Pakistani singer * Ganapati Bhat, Hindustani classical vocalist * Hrishitaa Bhatt, Indian model * Keerthi Bhat, Indian actress * Mahesh Bhatt, Indian film producer and director *

Muhammad Younis Butt Muhammad Younis Butt is a Pakistani screenwriter and humorist notable for his shows. He is also a column writer and executive producer. His most popular show is '' Hum Sab Umeed Sai Hain''. Most of his TV shows were derived from his writings. ...

, Pakistani screenwriter * Neil Bhatt, Indian Television actor, dancer, choreographer * Osman Khalid Butt, Pakistani actor * Pooja Bhatt, Indian actress * Praneet Bhat, Kashmiri Indian actor * Rabia Butt, Pakistani model * Rahul Bhat, Kashmiri Indian actor * Ramesh Bhat, Indian actor * Samina Peerzada Butt, Pakistani actress * Shubhraj Bhat, Indian actor * Tanmay Bhat, Indian actor and Comedian * Yogaraj Bhat, Indian film writer and director. * *

Businesspeople

* Baiju Bhatt (born 1984/1985), American billionaire, co-founder of Robinhood

Military

* Muhammad Zaki Butt, former Air Commodore in the Pakistan Air Force and bodyguard of Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah * Ziauddin Butt, former Chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence * Tahir Rafique Butt, 20th Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force * Malik Tazi Bhat, 15th century Warlord, from Jammu, who fought Lodhi Dynasty

Politics

* Balaji Vishwanath Bhat,

Peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later ...

of the

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 S ...

* Baji Rao I,

of the

Ghulam Mustafa Bhat Ghulam Mustafa Bhat ( hi, ग़ुलाम मुस्तफ़ा भट) was the senior leader of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference and Mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, the summer capital of the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmi ...

, former Mayor of Srinagar *

Hassan Butt Hassan Butt ( ur, حسن بٹ) (born 1980) is a British Pakistani former spokesman of the radical Islamic group al-Muhajiroun who now calls on Muslims to "renounce terror".

, former spokesman for the disbanded British Islamist group Al-Muhajiroun * Kalsoom Nawaz Sharif, First Lady of Pakistan, wife of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, of Kashmiri origin * Khemraj Bhatta "Mayalu", Nepali Congress politician * Lekh Raj Bhatta, Nepali CPN Maoist politician * Masarat Alam Bhat, Kashmiri separatist * Maqbool Bhat, executed Kashmiri separatist * Shakeel Bhat, outspoken Kashmiri separatist activist, labelled as "Islamic Rage Boy" by Western media * S. L. Bhat, Kashmiri Indian serving as the Chairman of the Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission * Sohail Shaukat Butt, Pakistani politician * Trilochan Bhatta, Nepalese politician and current

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

of Sudurpashchim Province,

Umer Tanveer Umer Tanveer Butt () is a Pakistani politician who had been a member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab from August 2018 till January 2023. Political career He ran for the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of the Pakistan T ...

Butt, a young politician and Member of Punjab Provincial Assembly, businessman and philanthropist

Scientists

* Noor Muhammad Butt, Pakistani nuclear physicist, research scientist and chairman of Pakistan Science Foundation * Parvez Butt, Pakistani nuclear engineer and former chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission * Atul Butte, researcher in biomedical informatics and biotechnology entrepreneur in Silicon Valley

Sports

* Amad Butt, Pakistani cricket player for Islamabad United, of Kashmiri origin *

Arif Butt Arif Butt ( ur, عارف بٹ; May 17, 1944 – July 11, 2007) was a Pakistani Test cricketer. Born in Lahore, Punjab, Butt made his first-class debut for Lahore against Punjab University in 1960-61 at the age of 16. He learned his cricket a ...

, Pakistani cricket player * Arvind Bhat, Indian badminton player *

Abhishek Bhat Abhishek Bhat (born 19 November 1989) is an Indian first-class cricketer who plays for Saurashtra. He made his List A debut on 3 March 2014, for Saurashtra in the 2013–14 Vijay Hazare Trophy The 2013–14 Vijay Hazare Trophy was the 12th ...

, Indian cricket player * Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt, wrestler also known popularly as The Great Gama of Kashmiri Brahman origin. * Hussain Butt, Pakistani cricketer * Ijaz Butt, former Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board and cricket player, of Kashmiri origin *

Ikram Butt Ikram Butt (born 25 October 1968) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for England, and at club level for Featherstone Rovers ( Heritage № 679), Leeds, ...

, Rugby player for England, of Pakistani/Kashmiri origin * Muhammad Sharif Butt, Pakistani sprinter * Pramila Bhatt, Indian cricketer *

Raghuram Bhat Adwai Raghuram Bhat (born 16 April 1958) is a former Indian cricketer who played in two Test matches in 1983. Domestic career Raghuram Bhat dominated school and junior level games. After some fine performances, he made his Ranji trophy debut ...

, Indian cricketer *

Rehan Butt Rehan Butt (Urdu: ریحان بٹ) is a former Pakistani professional field hockey player who played as a forward for the Pakistan national field hockey team. A world renowned player known for his play-making skills and shooting in-front of the go ...

, Pakistani field hockey player * Samad Bhat, Indian cricket player * Salman Butt, Pakistani cricketer * Sadia Butt, Pakistani cricketer *

Shujauddin Butt Shujauddin Butt (10 April 1930 – 7 February 2006) was a Pakistani army officer and cricketer who played in 19 Tests from 1954 to 1962. He served in the Pakistan Army for 26 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1978. In 1955 he toured In ...

, Pakistani cricketer * Yasir Butt, Pakistani squash player * Yousuf Butt, Pakistani footballer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhat (Kashmir) Brahmin communities Ethnic groups in India Indian castes Indian surnames Social groups of Pakistan Surnames Brahmin communities of Uttarakhand Kashmiri-language surnames Kashmiri tribes