Gupta () is a common
surname
In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
of Indian origin, meaning "guardian" or "protector".
Origins and distribution
The name is based on the
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
word
गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means "guardian" or "protector".
According to historian
R. C. Majumdar, the surname ''Gupta'' was adopted by several different communities in northern and eastern India at different times.
The Rāmpāl plate of the
Chandra dynasty ruler
Srichandra mentions a line of
Brahmin
Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
s who had Gupta as their surname. In
Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
region, the surname is found among
Baidyas (mainly) as well as
Kayasthas.
According to Tej Ram Sharma, the name ''
Sri Gupta'', "Sri" serves as an honorific title, similar to its usage for other
Gupta emperors mentioned in inscriptions. If the first ruler's name had indeed been ''Sri Gupta'', it would likely have been recorded as ''Sri Sri Gupta'', as seen in the
Deo-Barnark inscription of Jivitagupta II, where the name ''
Srimati'' appears in a similar format. Therefore, if ''Gupta'' is accepted as the personal name of the dynasty's founder, it would indicate that the Gupta suffix did not function as a surname during that period.
The Gupta surname is also used by
Banias and
Jains in the northern part of India.
Notable people with the surname
In academia
*
Akhil Gupta (born 1959), professor at the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
, in the field of social and cultural anthropology
*
Amar Gupta, professor and scientist
*
Amlan Das Gupta, Indian professor of English in Jadavpur University, Kolkata
*
Anil Kumar Gupta, Delhi based professor and policy expert on environment, climate change and disasters
*
Arvind Gupta (born 1961), 13th President of the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...
*
Arvind Gupta, Indian toy inventor and populariser of science
*
Devendra Prasad Gupta (1933–2017), Indian academic and a former vice-chancellor of Ranchi University
*
M. G. Gupta,
Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
poet and research scholar
*
Mrinal Kumar Das Gupta (1923–2005), Indian professor and scientist
*
Modadugu Vijay Gupta (born 1939), Indian biologist
*
Narmada Prasad Gupta
*
Neena Gupta, Indian mathematician
*
Sanjay Gupta, American neurosurgeon and medical reporter
*
S. P. Gupta, Indian archaeologist and art historian
*
Suraj N. Gupta (1924–2021), Indian-American physicist
*
Taruna Madan Gupta, Indian
Clinical pharmaceutical scientist
In business and management
*
Ajit Gupta, founder of
Aryaka
*
Aman Gupta, founder and CEO of Boat
*
Anant Gupta, former CEO and President of
HCL Technologies
*
Anil Rai Gupta, chairman and CEO of
Havells
*
Desh Bandhu Gupta, was an Indian billionaire, philanthropist, entrepreneur and the founder of
Lupin Limited
*
Gupta family, well known South African family with significant business interests whose most notable members are the brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta
*
Himanshu Gupta, co-founder and CEO of ClimateAI
*
Mahendra Mohan Gupta, owner of the
Dainik Jagran group of
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
newspapers
*
Naren Gupta (1948–2021), Indian-American entrepreneur
*
Nilesh Gupta, Indian businessman, managing director of
Lupin Limited
*
Piyush Gupta, CEO and Director of
DBS Group
*
Raj Gupta, CEO and president of
Rohm and Haas
Rohm and Haas Company is a US manufacturer of specialty chemicals for end use markets such as building and construction, electronic devices, packaging, household and personal care products. Headquartered in Philadelphia, the company is organiz ...
*
Rajat Gupta,
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
special advisor on management reforms, former director of
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...
and former head of
McKinsey & Company
*
Rajiv Gupta (technocrat), general manager of
Hewlett Packard's E-speak project
*
S. K. Gupta, vice-president of the
Lockheed Martin
The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...
Corporation
*
Sanjay Gupta (businessman), Indian civil servant
*
Sanjay Gupta (business executive), country manager and vice-president (sales and operations) of
Google India
*
Sanjeev Gupta, founder of
Liberty House Group
*
Shravan Gupta, chairman of MGF Group, previously a director at
Emaar MGF Land
*
Umang Gupta, Indian-American entrepreneur
*
Vikas Gupta (businessman), Indian American internet entrepreneur, founded
Jambool, an online company that was acquired by Google
*
Vinita Gupta (born 1950), Indian-American businesswoman and founder of Digital Link Corporation (now Quick Eagle Networks)
*
Vinita D. Gupta (born 1968/1969), Indian-American businesswoman and CEO of Lupin
*
Vinod Gupta, chairman and CEO of
infoUSA
*
Vivek Gupta (business executive), President and CEO (Chief Executive Officer), and Director on the Board of
Mastech Digital
In entertainment
*
Aarti Gupta, winner of Miss Teen India International 2014, Indian-American model
*
Additi Gupta, Indian television actress
*
Ankit Gupta, Indian television actor
*
Aakash Gupta, Indian comedian
*
Appurv Gupta, Indian comedian
*
Amrapali Gupta, Indian television actress
*
Anil Gupta, British writer and producer (radio and television)
*
Buddhadev Das Gupta, Indian classical
sarod musician and teacher
*
Esha Gupta, Femina Miss India International title in 2007, Indian film actress
*
Kovid Gupta, Indian-American author, screenwriter, filmmaker, and social activist
*
Manish Gupta, Indian film director
*
Megha Gupta, Indian television actress
*
Neena Gupta, Indian film and television actress
*
Partho Sen-Gupta, Indian film director and script writer
*
Puja Gupta, winner of Miss India Universe in 2007
*
Rachel Gupta, Indian model and Miss Grand International 2024
*
Raman Gupta, Indian actor
*
Rajendra Gupta, actor in cinema for good character roles.
*
Rohit Gupta, American Film director
*
Sanjay Gupta, American teleneurosurgeon and
CNN senior medical correspondent
*
Sanjay Gupta, Bollywood director
*
Siddharth Gupta, Indian actor and model
*
Tanika Gupta, British playwright of Indian origin
*
Vikas Gupta, Indian television producer, director and host
*
Yana Gupta, Indian model-actress of Czech origin
In journalism
*
Shekhar Gupta, former editor-in-chief of
Indian Express
In law
*
Deepak Gupta, a judge of the
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...
and former Chief Justice of the
Tripura
Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...
and the
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...
High Courts
*
Rajiv Gupta, former Chief Justice of
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...
,
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...
and
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
High Courts
*
Vanita Gupta, former head of the Civil Rights Division at the
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...
In literature
*
Maithili Sharan Gupt, Indian Hindi poet
*
Baldev Raj Gupta, Indian writer
*
Ishwar Chandra Gupta, Indian Bengali poet and writer
*
Jagadish Gupta, Bengali poet and writer
*
Mahendranath Gupta, Indian spiritual writer and disciple of
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
*
Sanjay Gupta Indian comic book writer and editor
*
Subhadra Sen Gupta, a historical children's writer
In politics
*
Asim Dasgupta, former Finance and Excise Minister of
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
*
Badal Gupta, Indian revolutionary
*
Banarsi Das Gupta, former Chief Minister of
Haryana
Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...
*
Chaman Lal Gupta, Minister in the
Vajpayee Government (
BJP)
*
Chandra Bhanu Gupta, served three terms as Chief Minister of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
*
Dinesh Gupta, Indian revolutionary
*
Indrajit Gupta, Indian communist leader,
Union Minister for Home Affairs during 1996-98
*
Jay Prakash Gupta, former Minister of
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
*
Kavinder Gupta, former
Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
*
Mahesh Chandra Gupta, Indian politician (
MLA of Budaun)
*
Manish Gupta, MP, Rajya Sabha and former MLA from
Jadavpur,
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
*
Manmath Nath Gupta, Indian revolutionary and author of autobiographical, historical and fictional books in Hindi, English and Bengali
*
Niranjan Sen Gupta, Indian revolutionary
*
Nolini Kanta Gupta, Indian revolutionary, linguist, scholar, critic, poet, philosopher and mystic
*
Ram Prakash Gupta, former Chief Minister of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
and Governor of
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...
*
Ram Prakash Gupta, Indian social worker and participant in the
Indian Independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed.
The first nationalistic ...
and
Bhoodan movement
*
Rekha Gupta, 4th female Chief Minister of
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
*
Sanjay Gupta, Indian politician
*
Shyama Charan Gupta, Indian politician
In sports
*
Abhijeet Gupta, Indian chess player
*
Abhinn Shyam Gupta, Indian badminton player
*
Deepdas Gupta, Former Indian cricketer
*
Pankaj Gupta, Indian sports administrator
*
Sandip Gupta, Kenyan cricketer
In art
*
Janet Pancho Gupta, Filipino artist
*
Masaba Gupta, Indian fashion designer
*
Rolf Gupta, Norwegian conductor
*
Subodh Gupta, Indian artist
Fictional characters
*
Nina Gupta (''EastEnders''), fictional character from the British soap opera ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...
''
References
{{Authority control
Surnames of Indian origin
Bengali Hindu surnames
Gujarati-language surnames
Bania_communities