Chopra is a Khatri Hindu and Sikh surname. They belonged to the Barah-Ghar/ Bahri sub-caste of the Khatris which includes the clans of

Dhawan Dhawan or Dhowan or Dhown or Duhan is a surname based on the name of a clan of the Khatri community, found in Northern India. It is popularly believed to mean "runner" or "messenger" which is derived from the Sanskrit word "dhav" (to run). As ...

, Kakkar, Kapoor,

Khanna Khanna may refer to: Places * Khanna, Ludhiana, a city in the Ludhiana district of Punjab, India * Khanna, Firozpur, a village in Firozpur district of Punjab, India * Khanna Chamaran, a village in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India * Khanna Majra ...

Mehra Mehra is a surname found in India and Iran. Also Mehra is a Parsi Girls name, the meaning of the name is "Affectionate, Kind" from Persian origin. This name is mainly used in Parsi. As per Indian Hindu and Sikhism, this name is suggested for Who b ...

Malhotra Malhotra is an Indian surname of the Dhai Ghar sub-group of Khatris from Punjab. It is modified usage of '' Mehrotra''. Notable people Administrators * Ajai Malhotra, Indian career diplomat who served as Ambassador of India to the Russian Fe ...

, Sehgal,

Seth Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. A ...

Tandon Tandon (or Tandan, Tanden, or Tondon) is a surname found among Hindu Khatris and Sikhs of Punjab, India. It is derived from a Khatri clan. Notable people Notable people include: Activists *Purushottam Das Tandon, ''Bharat Ratna'', Indian freed ...

, Talwar, and

Vohra Vohra is an Indian (Punjab) Hindu and Sikh surname based on the name of a clan in the Punjabi Khatri community. Notable people with the surname include: * Arshad Vohra (born 1958), Pakistani politician * Bhagwati Charan Vohra (1903–1930), India ...

. The clan claims to originate from one man called "Chaupat Rai" who was killed in a battle with Sultan Mahmud of

Ghazni Ghazni ( prs, غزنی, ps, غزني), historically known as Ghaznain () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana ( gr, Αλεξάνδρεια Ωπιανή), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan ...

. His descendants who were born before his death took the name of their forefather and hence came to be known as Chopra. Diwan Mulraj and Diwan Sawan Mal were from Chopra Khatri families and served as the army generals under Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Sikh Empire. Sawan Mal Chopra was renowned for capturing

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the List ...

from the rule of

Afghans Afghans ( ps, افغانان, translit=afghanan; Persian/ prs, افغان ها, translit=afghānhā; Persian: افغانستانی, romanized: ''Afghanistani'') or Afghan people are nationals or citizens of Afghanistan, or people with ancestry f ...

while Mulraj was known to have rebelled against the British which led to the 2nd Anglo-Sikh war.Bobby Singh Bansal, Remnants of the Sikh Empire: Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan, Hay House, Inc, 1 Dec 2015 The ancestors of the Chopras were expert gamblers ,so much so that they were called the incarnation of Maharaja Nala. Sawan Mal

They were concentrated in Majha region of

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 ...

in modern-day countries of

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 ...

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 ...

which includes

Gujranwala Gujranwala ( ur, , label=none; ) is a city and capital of Gujranwala Division located in Pakistan. It is also known as "City of Wrestlers" and is quite famous for its food. It is the 5th most populous city proper after Karachi, Lahore, Faisala ...

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

etc. Dr. Satyapal, a prominent freedom fighter from

who was arrested by the British along with Saifuddin Kitchlew was a Chopra Khatri. Kavi Tahikan was a soldier by profession who also served as one of the 52 poets/writers of

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708), born Gobind Das or Gobind Rai the tenth Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Sing ...

belonged to a Chopra family of

Jalalpur Jalalpur is a town, tehsil and a municipal board in Ambedkar Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Geography Jalalpur is located at . It has an average elevation of . The city is directly connected to Azamgarh, Akbarpu ...

town of Gujrat district.

Notable people

People listed may or may not be affiliated to the clans or the religions, include:

Athletes

Aakash Chopra Aakash Chopra (born 19 September 1977) is a cricket commentator, youtuber and former Cricketer who played for the Indian cricket team from 2003 to late 2004. Currently, he is doing Hindi cricket commentary for Viacom18. He worked as a c ...

(born 1977), Indian cricketer who played for the Indian cricket team from late 2003 until late 2004 * Ajmer Singh Chopra, Indian

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who was awarded the

Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...

. He represented the country in the 1980 Olympics. *

Anjum Chopra Anjum Chopra (born 20 May 1977) is an Indian former cricketer and current cricket commentator. The first time she stepped onto the cricket ground was at the age of 9. She played her first friendly match with the college girls' team at the inter ...

(born 1977), former captain of India national women's cricket team * Aryan Chopra, Indian chess prodigy who became a grandmaster (GM) in 2016, at the age of 14 years. * Daniel Chopra (born 1973), Swedish professional golfer with highest International ranking of 60. *

Keshav Chopra Keshav Chopra (born 24 October 2001) is an American tennis player. Personal life From Marietta, Georgia, he attended IMG Academy and won the IMG Academy 2019 Student Male Athlete of the Year Award prior to becoming a student at Georgia Tech. C ...

, American tennis player who won the IMG Academy 2019 Student Male Athlete of the Year Award * Michael Chopra (born 1983), English footballer who played for Sunderland F.C, Cardiff City & Ipswich Town *

Nikhil Chopra Nikhil Chopra (born 19 August 1973) is a retired Indian cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two ba ...

(born 1973), retired Indian cricketer; cricket analyst *

Neeraj Chopra Neeraj Chopra (born 24 December 1997) is a track and field athlete from India. He is the reigning Olympic champion, silver medalist in the World Championship, and the Diamond League champion in Javelin throw. He is the first Asian athlete to win ...

(born 1997) Olympic gold medal winner for India at 2020 Tokyo Olympics *

Pranav Chopra Pranaav Jerry Chopra (born 6 September 1992) is an Indian badminton player. He joined the India national badminton team in 2007. In the year 2018, at the Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast, Queensland, he won the gold medal in mixed team as ...

, Indian badminton player with highest international ranking in Mixed Doubles being 13. * Prashant Chopra, Indian cricketer. He was in the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup champion India Team. *

Rajneesh Chopra Rajneesh Chopra (born 30 June 1974) is an Indian former cricketer. He played seven first-class matches for Delhi between 1995 and 1999. See also * List of Delhi cricketers This is a list of all cricketers who have played first-class, Lis ...

, Indian cricketer *

Varun Chopra Varun Chopra (born 21 June 1987) is an English former cricketer who captained the English U-19 cricket team in series against Sri Lanka in 2005 and India in 2006. Chopra attended Ilford County High School and played for Ilford Cricket Club. In ...

(born 1987), English cricketer, captained the English U-19 cricket team *

(born 2000), Irish cricketer *

Vijay Chopra Vijay Chopra (born 5 July 1948) is a former Indian cricketer and umpire. He played in 65 first-class matches from 1974 to 1984. He later umpired in numerous first class matches. He also officiated in six One Day International (ODI) matches fro ...

, Indian cricketer

Authors

Ashok Chopra Ashok Chopra (born 26 February 1949) is a publisher, author, editor, and literary columnist. Author of ''Memories of Fire: A Novel,'' ''A Scrapbook of Memories: My Life with the Rich, the Famous and the Scandalous'' and ''Of Love and Other Sorrow ...

, Indian author *

Deepak Chopra Deepak Chopra (; ; born October 22, 1946) is an Indian-American author and alternative medicine advocate. A prominent figure in the New Age movement, his books and videos have made him one of the best-known and wealthiest figures in alternati ...

(born 1946), Indian medical doctor, public speaker, and writer on subjects such as spirituality and Ayurveda * Gotham Chopra (born 1975), American author and entertainment/media entrepreneur *

Mohan Chopra Mohan Chopra (10 September 1921 – 11 December 1969) was a Hindi intellectual and author. Life Mohan Chopra was born at Gurdaspur, Punjab, India. He received his education at Dalhousie, Gurdaspur, and Lahore. He earned an M.A. in English ...

(1921–1969), Hindi intellectual *

Mallika Chopra Mallika Chopra (born July 24, 1971) is an American author and businesswoman. Biography Chopra grew up in Lincoln, Massachusetts (MA), United States of America. She attended Concord Academy in nearby Concord, MA. She has a Bachelor of Arts fro ...

(born 1972), Indian American author and businesswoman *

Pushpinder Singh Chopra Pushpinder Singh Chopra (30 September 1943 – 3 May 2021) was an Indian military historian and the author of several books, chiefly on military aviation history of India. He is known as the chronicler of Indian aviation. Biography Early l ...

, Indian military historian and the author of several books, chiefly on military aviation *

Saloni Chopra Saloni Chopra is an Indian-born Australian actress, model, and author, who works in Hindi films and television. Her book ''Rescued by a Feminist: An Indian fairy tale of equality and other myths'' was released in December 2020. In 2018, she joine ...

, Indian author *

Shaili Chopra Shaili Chopra is an Indian business journalist, author and entrepreneur. She is the founder of ''SheThePeople.TV,'' a platform to empower women with stories of role models and inspire them with a changing conversation on women and what matters ...

, Indian business journalist, author and entrepreneur. She is the founder of SheThePeople. *

Zuni Chopra Zuni Chopra is an Indian author best known for her novel ''The House That Spoke''. She has also authored three other books. Zuni is the daughter of filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra and journalist Anupama Chopra. One of her poems titled, ''The Mounta ...

, Indian author best known for her novel The House That Spoke.

Directors

* Aditya Chopra (born 1971), Indian film producer, screenwriter and director *

Baldev Raj Chopra Baldev Raj Chopra (22 April 1914 – 5 November 2008) was a famous Indian director and producer of Bollywood industry and television series . Best known for directing Hindi films like ''Naya Daur'' (1957), '' Sadhna'' (1958), ''Kanoon'' (1961) ...

(1914–2008), Indian director and producer of Bollywood movies and television serials *

Jagmohan Chopra Shri Jagmohan Chopra (1935–2013) was an Indian printmaker, painter and photographer who promoted printmaking in India. His contribution in this regard has been honoured by awarding him Kala Ratna in 1988. He was chairman and later on President ...

, Indian printmaker, painter and photographer who promoted printmaking in India. *

Joyce Chopra Joyce Chopra (; born October 27, 1936) is an American director. She was married to American stage and screenwriter Tom Cole until his death on February 23, 2009. Life and career Chopra was one of three siblings born in New York City to Abraha ...

(born 1936), American director and writer of feature films and television * Pamela Chopra, Indian film producer, playback singer and writer *

Ravi Chopra Ravi Chopra (27 September 1946 – 12 November 2014) was an Indian film and television director, producer and screenwriter. Early life Chopra was the son of producer and director B.R.Chopra and nephew of Yash Chopra. Aditya Chopra and Uday Ch ...

(born 1946), Indian movie producer and director *

Tanuj Chopra Tanuj Chopra is an American film-maker. His debut feature film '' Punching at the Sun'' (2006) was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was also nominated for the Humanitas Prize. He has directed Netflix web series Delhi Crime 2 whose fi ...

, American filmmaker *

Vidhu Vinod Chopra Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 5 September 1952) is an Indian film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, lyricist and actor. His well-known films as director are ''Parinda'' (1988), '' 1942: A Love Story'' (1994). He is also known for producing ' ...

(born 1952), Indian director and producer * Vikram Chopra, Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor *

Yash Chopra Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian people, Indian film director and film producer who worked in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chop ...

(1932 - 2012), Indian filmmaker, film director, screenwriter, and Bollywood producer

Executives

* Amarjit Chopra, Indian chartered accountant who served as the president of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) * Aneesh Chopra (born 1972), the first Federal Chief Technology Officer of the United States (CTO) *

Deepak Chopra (Canada Post) Deepak Chopra is a Canadian businessman who was, from January 18, 2011, until March 31, 2018, the president and chief executive officer of Canada Post Corporation. Chopra is a certified general accountant and a member of the Certified General Accou ...

, President and chief executive officer of Canada Post Corporation *

Rohit Chopra Rohit (Devanagri: रोहित), ) is a given name, typically male, used among Indian people. It is also used in some parts of Nepal. It is mostly used by Jains, Hindus, and Sikhs. The word "rohit" signifies the color red. It is derived fro ...

, American consumer advocate who is the 3rd director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau * Sanjeev Chopra (born 1961), ex-Indian Civil Servant, former director at

LBSNAA Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) is a civil service training institute on public policy and public administration in India. The academy's main purpose is to train civil servants of the IAS cadre and also cond ...

Film Actors

Akshat Chopra Akshat Chopra is an Indian film actor, model, and dancer, who was one of 36 children awarded the National Child Award in 2007 for exceptional achievement in their fields. Presently, he is an elected member of the executive committee of the Pub ...

, Indian child film actor, model, dancer, anchor *

Deeya Chopra Deeya Chopra (born 9 December 1985) is an Indian television actress. She is the sister of Roshni Chopra, who is also an actress and television presenter. She was last seen in Zee TV Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertai ...

(born 1983), Indian television actor *

Gaurav Chopra Gaurav Chopra (born 4 April 1979) is an Indian television actor. He is best known for starring on Uttaran and Sadda Haq as Raghuvendra Pratap Rathore and Prof Abhay Singh Ranawat respectively. He has appeared as a contestant on ''Bigg Boss 10' ...

(born 1967), Indian television and theatre actor *

Harshad Chopra Harshad Chopda (born 17 May 1983) is an Indian television actor known for his portrayal of Captain Aditya Hooda in '' Bepannaah'' and Dr. Abhimanyu Birla in ''Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai''. He is the recipient of four Indian Television Academy ...

(born 1983), Indian television actor *

Meera Chopra Meera Chopra, is an Indian actress and model who appears in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi-language films. In Tamil films, she is credited as Nila. Personal life Meera is a cousin of Indian actresses Priyanka Chopra and Parineeti Chopra. Film caree ...

(born 1983), Indian film actress who appears in Telugu and Tamil films * Parineeti Chopra (born 1988), Indian actress * Pransh Chopra (born 1984), Indian film actor who appears in Bollywood films * Prem Chopra (born 1935), actor in Hindi and Punjabi films * Priyanka Chopra (born 1982), Indian actress and former Miss World *

Roshni Chopra Roshni Chopra is an Indian actress, television presenter and the winner of NDTV Imagine's reality show, ''Dil Jeetegi Desi Girl''. She is also known for playing the role of Pia one of the three female leads in the Zee TV series Kasamh Se. Car ...

(born 1980), Indian actress, television presenter and the winner of NDTV Imagine's reality show, ''Dil Jeetegi Desi Girl'' *

Tisca Chopra Tisca Zareen Chopra (née Arora; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress, author and film producer who has appeared in over 45 feature films, predominantly in Hindi language. ''Taare Zameen Par'', her best known feature film, was India's off ...

(born 1973), Indian film actress, most known for her role in ''Taare Zameen Par'' (2007) * Uday Chopra (born 1973), Bollywood actor, producer, and assistant director *

Ujjwal Chopra Ujjawal Chopra is an Indian Bollywood and television actor. He played the character of Gora Singh in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ''Padmaavat'', and as Solanki in ''Special 26 ''Special 26'' is an Indian Hindi-language 2013 period heist thrill ...

, Indian actor

Journalists

* Anupama Chopra (born 1967), author, journalist and film critic * Ashwini Kumar Chopra, senior journalist and resident editor of the Punjab Kesari *

(born 1981), Senior Editor and lead female anchor at ET Now, the ''Economic Times'' business news channel *

Pran Chopra Pran Chopra (January 1921 – 22 December 2013) was an Indian journalist, political analyst and newspaper editor. Chopra was born in 1921 in Lahore, British India. He began his career as a journalist in 1941, with the ''Civil and Military Gazette ...

, Indian journalist, political analyst and newspaper editor. *

Vijay Kumar Chopra Vijay Kumar Chopra (born 31 January 1932, in Lahore) is the chief executive officer and editor in chief of the Punjab Kesari print news organisation. He is involved in social welfare work and has received a Padma Shri award (Literature & Educ ...

(born 1932), Indian journalist editor-in-chief of Punjab Kesari and the second son of Lala Jagat Narain

Models

* Gurleen Kaur Chopra, Indian model and actress *

Pooja Chopra Pooja Chopra is an Indian actress. She won the title of Femina Miss India World 2009. She is the first Indian to win the "Beauty with a Purpose" title at the Miss World competition for India. As an actress, Chopra was awarded the Times Most Po ...

(born 1986), Indian model who won the title of Femina Miss India World 2009. *

Sherlyn Chopra Sherlyn Chopra (born 1983/1984) is an Indian actress and model who worked in Hindi films. In July 2012, Chopra became the first Indian woman to pose nude for ''Playboy'' magazine. The photos were released two years later. She was then selected ...

(born 1984), Indian model, singer, actress and model

Military officers

* Anil Chopra, Air Marshal in

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

* Anil Chopra, Vice Admiral in

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

Politicians

Subhash Chopra Subhash Chopra (born 23 October 1947) is an Indian politician from Delhi. He thrice served as member of Delhi Legislative Assembly who represented Kalkaji Assembly constituency. He has served as the President of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee ...

, Indian politician from Delhi. *

Suneet Chopra Suneet Chopra (24 December 1941 – 4 April 2023) was an Indian communist politician and trade unionist. He was the All-India joint secretary of the All India Agricultural Workers Union. He was a Central Committee member of the Communist Party o ...

, Indian politician and trade unionist

Scientists and academics

* Bashambhar Nath Chopra, Indian zoologist *

G. P. Chopra Gyan Prakash Chopra (1920-2011) was an Indian educationist, credited with the establishment of several educational institutions in India. A recipient of the Padma Shri in 1999, he was honored again by the Government of India, in 2010, with the P ...

, Indian educationist, credited with the establishment of several educational institutions in India *

Jagjit Singh Chopra Jagjit Singh Chopra (15 June 1935 – 18 January 2019) was an Indian neurologist, medical writer and an Emeritus Professor of the Department of Neurology at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). He was the found ...

, Indian neurologist, medical writer and an Emeritus Professor at PGIMER *

Kasturi Lal Chopra Kasturi Lal Chopra (31 July 1933 – 18 May 2021) was an Indian materials physicist and a former director of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He was the founder of the ''Thin Film Laboratory'' at Indian Institute of Technology, De ...

, Indian materials physicist and a former director of the IIT Kharagpur * Ram Nath Chopra, Indian Medical Service officer. He is considered the "Father of Indian

Pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...

" for his work on pharmaceuticals *

Renu Khanna Chopra Professor Renu Khanna-Chopra is an Indian scientist. She is Principal Scientist & ICAR National Fellow Stress Physiology & Biochemistry Laboratory Water Technology Centre Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) New Delhi. Biography She w ...

, Indian scientist *

Sanjiv Chopra Sanjiv Chopra, M.B.B.S, M.A.C.P, is an Indian-born American physician, Professor of Medicine and former Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education (CME) at Harvard Medical School. He currently serves as a Marshall Wolf Master Clinician Edu ...

(born 1949), Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School *

Shiv Chopra Shiv Darshan Lal Chopra (1933 – 7 January 2018), commonly known as Shiv Chopra, was a Canadian microbiologist and human rights activist. Chopra stood for food safety and testified before the Senate of Canada in defending the public from horm ...

, Canadian microbiologist and human rights activist *

Virender Lal Chopra Virender Lal Chopra (9 August 1936 – 18 April 2020) was an Indian biotechnologist, geneticist, agriculturalist and a director-general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), known to have contributed to the development of wheat ...

, Indian biotechnologist and director-general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research with contributions in improving the wheat production of India *

Vineet Chopra Vineet Inder Chopra is an Indian–American hospitalist. Since 2021, Chopra has served as chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Deputy Editor for the ''Annals of Internal Medicine'' journal. Pr ...

, Indian–American hospitalist. Chopra has served as chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine

References

{{surname Indian surnames Surnames of Indian origin Punjabi-language surnames Hindu surnames Khatri clans Khatri surnames sv:Jater#C