Khandakar (, Also spelled ''Khondoker'', ''Khandaker'', ''Khandoker'') is a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

surname found in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and neighbouring regions.

Etymology and history

The Bengali surname comes from the

Old Persian Old Persian is one of two directly attested Old Iranian languages (the other being Avestan) and is the ancestor of Middle Persian (the language of the Sasanian Empire). Like other Old Iranian languages, it was known to its native speakers as (I ...

Khandan () and the suffix kar () which joins the root of the verb to mean the one who reads. The Bengali definition of the word is an instructor or teacher. The usage of Persian as an official language 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 ...

was common during the rule of the

Bengal Sultanate The Bengal Sultanate (Middle Bengali: , Classical Persian: ) was a Post-classical history, late medieval sultanate based in the Bengal region in the eastern South Asia between the 14th and 16th century. It was the dominant power of the Ganges- ...

and the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

. The

Persians Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...

as well as members of the

Turco-Persian tradition The composite Turko-Persian, Turco-Persian,
''Turko-Persia in historical perspective'', Cambridge University Press, ...

were a large immigrant community during both periods in which they integrated with the local Bengali community. Many Persians in Bengal became teachers, lawyers, scholars and clerics. These Persians merged with Bengalis to become Bengali Muslims.

Variations

Variations of the surname Khandakar also remain very common. These include different English transliterations and regional pronunciations of the term. Different English spellings include: Khondker, Khandaker, Khondoker, Khondokar, Khondaker, Khondkar, Khondakar, Khandker, and Khandoker.

Individuals

* Syed Ismail Hossain Khandaker Siraji (1880–1931), poet, author and practitioner of medicine * Khandakar Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish (1900–1986), former president of the

Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...

Khondakar Abdul Hamid Khondakar Abdul Hamid (1 March 1918 – 22 October 1983) was a Bangladeshi journalist and politician. He was awarded Ekushey Padak for journalism in 1977 by the government of Bangladesh. Early life and education Hamid was born in Kasba village ...

(1918–1983), journalist and editor of ''

The Azad ''The Azad'' () was a Bengali-language daily newspaper published from 1936 to 1990s. ''The Azad'' became Dhaka's first daily newspaper. The newspaper while based in Dhaka played an important role during the Bengali Language Movement for its adv ...

'' *

Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad (; 27 February 1919 – 5 March 1996) was a Bangladeshi politician. He was the Minister of Commerce in the third Mujib Rahman ministry under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and assumed the presidency of Bangladesh after the A ...

(1919–1996), former President of Bangladesh *

Khandaker Abdul Malik Khandaker Abdul Malik (1920-2007) was a Bangladeshis, Bangladeshi politician. He was a three-time elected member of parliament from the prestigious Sylhet-1 and Sylhet-8 seat from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's in the 1979 Bangladeshi general ...

(1920–2007), former MP for Sylhet-1 * Khondakar Abu Taleb (1921–1971), chief reporter of ''

The Daily Ittefaq ''The Daily Ittefaq'' (, Bangla pronunciation: ) is a Bengali-language daily newspaper. Founded in 1949 by Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Yar Mohammad Khan, it is the oldest and one of the most circulated newspapers in Bangladesh. The newspape ...

'' *

Mokarram Hussain Khundker Mukarram Hussain Khundkar ( – 30 November 1972) was a Bangladeshi scientist and educationist. He served as a professor at the Department of Chemistry of University of Dhaka. He was one of the founding fellows of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences ...

(1922–1972), scientist and educaionist * Abdul Aziz Khandaker (1923–1991), former MP for Patuakhali-6 * Khandakar Muhammad Illyas (1923–1995), socialist * Khondakar Ghulam Mustafa (1928–2010), Bangladeshi journalist and diplomat *

Khandaker Abdul Hafeez Khandaker Abdul Hafeez (; 1 March 1930 – 5 September 2001) is an Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest exi ...

(1930–2001), former MP for Jessore-13 * Abdul Karim Khandker (born 1930), first Chief of Air Staff *

Abdur Raquib Khandaker Abdur Raquib Khandaker (; 1 March 1933 – 25 August 2010), better known as A R Khandaker, was the 8th Inspector General of Bangladesh Police. Early life Abdur Raquib Khandaker was admitted to Uttar Shekhar Nagar Government Primary School. H ...

(1933–2010), 8th Inspector General of Bangladesh Police *

Khandakar Abdul Malek Shahidullah Khandakar Abdul Malek Shahidullah (died February 2, 2021) was a language activist of the Bengali Language Movement that took place in the erstwhile East Pakistan (currently Bangladesh) to make Bengali one of the state languages of Pakistan. He was ...

(1936–2021), former MPA and language activist * Khondokar Mahmud Hasan (born 1939), 13th Chief Justice of Bangladesh *

Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled (4 July 1941 – 24 February 2021) was a Bangladeshi economist and former Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank. In 2011, Bangla Academy awarded him an honorary fellowship. Early life Khaled was born on 4 July 1941 in G ...

(1941–2021), former Deputy Governor of

Bangladesh Bank Bangladesh Bank (BB; ) is the central bank of Bangladesh and is a member of the Asian Clearing Union. It is fully owned by the Bangladesh, Government of Bangladesh. The bank is active in developing green banking. and financial inclusion poli ...

Khondakar Abul Kashem Khondakar Abul Kashem (3 January 1944 – 9 September 1971) was a Bengali educator and of the former East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. He was one of the Bengali intellectuals killed by the Pakistan Army's paramilitary Razakars during the 1971 Bangla ...

(1944–1971), historian and academic * Khandaker Rashiduzzaman Dudu (1944–2014), former president of the

Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI; ) is the apex trade organization of Bangladesh playing consultative and advisory role in safeguarding the interests of the private sector in the country. History The Federatio ...

* Khandoker Mohammad Nurunnabi (1946–2016), major general and retired footballer *

Khandaker Abdul Baten Khandaker Abdul Baten (17 May 1946 – 21 January 2019) was a Bangladesh Awami League politician and a member of Parliament from Tangail-6. Early life Baten completed his education up till the undergraduate level, securing a B.A. with honours. ...

(1946–2019), former MP for

Tangail-6 Tangail-6 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Delduar Upazila, Delduar and Nagarpur Upazila, Nagarpur upazilas. History The constituency was create ...

* Khandaker Shahiduddin Firoz (1946–2020), actor * Khondakar Ashraf Hossain (1950–2013), writer and poet * Akbar Ali Khondkar (1957–2005), President of Hooghly District Trinamool Congress *

Khandaker Golam Mostafa Khandaker Golam Mostafa () was a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and a former member of parliament for Rangpur-11. Career Mostafa was elected to parliament from Rangpur-11 as a Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate in 1979. He was a ...

(1943–2020), journalist and former MP *

Khandaker Abdur Rashid Khandaker Abdur Rashid is a Bangladeshi fugitive and former officer of the Bangladesh Army, who was a key organizer of the 15 August 1975 coup d'état. Early Life Khandaker Abdur Rashid was born on 21 July 1946 in Comilla of then Bengal Provi ...

(born 1946), Bangladesh Army officer *

Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain Mosharraf Hossain (), a Bengali masculine given name of Arabic origin, may refer to: * Mir Mosharraf Hossain (1847–1912), Bengali novelist and playwright. * Musharraf Hussain (nawab) (1871–1966), former Education Minister of Bengal * Sheikh M ...

(born 1946), former Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources * Khandakar Mofizur Rahman (1948–2018), former MP for Kishoreganj-6 *

Khondkar Siddique-e-Rabbani Khondkar Siddique-e-Rabbani (; born 9 May 1950) is a Bangladeshi Biomedical physicist and notable for developing the Focused Impedance Measurement method. In 2008, he was awarded the ''Academy Gold Medal'' by Bangladesh Academy of Sciences for h ...

(born 1950), biomedical physicist * Khandakar Mohammad Khurram (1953–2018), former MP for

Sherpur-3 Sherpur-3 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2024 by A.D.M Shahidul Islam of the Awami League. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Jhenaigati and Sreebardi upazilas. History T ...

Khandaker Anwarul Haque Khandaker Anwarul Haque is a Bangladeshi politician and former member of parliament. Early life Anwarul Haque was born in Jatabari village of Madhupur Upazila of Tangail district to Khandaker Azizur Rahman and Khadija Begum. He obtained a post-g ...

(born 1956), former MP for

Tangail-1 Tangail-1 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by popula ...

* Khandaker Rakibul Islam (born 1956), footballer * Khandakar Azizul Huq Arzu (born 1958), former MP for Pabna-2 *

Badol Khondokar Badol Khondokar (born 27 May 1960) is a Bangladeshi film director and producer. Biography Khondokar was born on 27 May 1960. He directed films such as ''Swapner Prithibi'', ''Prithibi Tomar Amar'', ''Sagorika'', ''Abar Ekti Juddho'', ''Prem Kor ...

(born 1960), film producer * Khandker Anwarul Islam (born 1960), 22nd Cabinet Secretary of Bangladesh *

Khandoker Wasim Iqbal Khandoker Wasim Iqbal (; born 21 November 1961) is a retired Bangladeshi football player and coach. He mainly played as a right winger, and was one of the most recognised players during the early years of Bangladeshi football. He was a prominent ...

(born 1961), footballer * Khandaker Abdullah Jahangir (1961–2016), Islamic scholar, academic and author * Khandkar Mohammad Adil Hussain (born 1963), Bollywood actor *

Khandker Golam Faruq Khandker Golam Faruq is a retired Bangladeshi police officer and an additional inspector general of police of the Bangladesh Police. He served as the 35th commissioner of DMP. Prior to join here, he was the 13th rector of Police Staff College Ban ...

(born 1964), 34th Police Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police * Khandakar Sayed Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman (born 1964), industrialist, economist and agriculturalist * Abdul Batin Khandakar (born 1968), MLA for Abhayapuri North *

Golam Faruk Khandakar Prince Golam Faruk Prince is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and a former member of Jatiya Sangsad representing the Pabna-5 constituency. Early life Prince was born on 14 January 1969 at Krishnapur, Pabna. He has a M.S.S. and an LL.B. degree. Car ...

(born 1969), MP for

Pabna-5 Pabna-5 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2008 by Golam Faruk Khandakar Prince of the Awami League. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Pabna Sadar Upazila. History The constit ...

* Khandaker Diliruzzaman (born 1973), High Court justice * Khondaker Mosharraf Hossain Rubel (1981–2022), Bangladeshi cricket player * Khondakar Mohammad Rezaul Haque (born 1982), cricketer * Khandaker Muhammad Asad (born 1983), documentary photographer and photojournalist *

Tushar Khandker Tushar Khandker (born 5 April 1985) is an Indian field hockey coach and former field hockey player. He represented India in Men's Hockey during the 2012 London Olympics. Khandker comes from a family of hockey players as his father, uncle and ...

(born 1985), field hockey player and coach * Khondaker Shakib Al Hasan (born 1987), one of the greatest all rounder cricketers of all time *

Khandaker Abdul Jalil Khandaker Abdul Jalil () is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and a Member of Parliament from Shariatpur-2 Shariatpur-2 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2019 by AKM Enamul Ha ...

, former MP for

Shariatpur-2 Shariatpur-2 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2019 by AKM Enamul Haque Shamim of the Awami League. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Naria Upazila and the Sakhipur Thana portio ...

Khandaker Abdul Mannan Khandaker Abdul Mannan (1940 – 10 June 2020) is a Bangladesh Freedom Party The Bangladesh Freedom Party, also known as Freedom Party is a political party founded by Sayed Farooq-ur-Rahman, Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Khandakar Abdur Rashid and Ba ...

, former MP for Comilla-6 *

Khandaker Al Moin Khandaker Al Moin is a Bangladesh Navy Commander and former Legal and Media Wing Director of the Rapid Action Battalion. He had defended Rapid Action Battalion after it was sanctioned by the United States for human rights violations. Career Moin ...

, Bangladesh Navy Commander * Khandaker Amirul Islam, former MP for Mymensingh-6 *

Golam Akbar Khandaker Golam Akbar Khondakar is a politician from Chittagong District of Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most ...

, former MP for Chittagong-6 *

Khondakar Harun-ur-Rashid Khondakar Harun-ur-Rashid is a Bangladesh Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in ...

, former MP for Dhaka-1 *

Hassan Mahmood Khandker Hassan Mahmood Khandker is a former Bangladeshi police officer who served as the 26th Inspector General of Bangladesh Police from 31 August 2010 to 30 December 2014. He was the longest serving Inspector General in Bangladesh Police's history. It w ...

, longest serving

Inspector General of Police (Bangladesh) The Inspector General of Police (IGP) is the senior-most and highest ranked police officer of Bangladesh and the head of the Bangladesh Police, who oversees all police activities throughout the country. He reports directly to the Ministry of Home ...

* Khondaker Hasibul Kabir, landscape architect and sustainability advocate * Humayun Kabir Khandaker, civil servant and philosopher *

Khondker M. Talha Khondker M. Talha is the ambassador of Bangladesh to France. He is also the ambassador of Bangladesh to UNESCO. Early life Talha completed a master's degree in economics and an MBA from the University of Dhaka. He did another masters at Monash Uni ...

, ambassador to France * Khondkar Misbah-ul-Azim, Bangladesh Navy admiral * Khandaker Nasirul Islam, former MP for Faridpur-1 *

Khondaker Nurjahan Yesmin Bulbul Khondaker Nurjahan Yesmin Bulbul is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and a former member of the Bangladesh Parliament The Jatiya Sangsad (), often simply referred to as Sangsad and also known as is the unicameral Legislature, legi ...

, former MP *

Obaidul Huq Khandaker Obaidul Huq Khandaker was a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician. He was elected a member of parliament from Chittagong-1 in 1979 and February 1996. Biography Obaidul Huq Khandaker was born on 11 June 1926 in Paschim Alinagar village of w ...

, former MP for Chittagong-1 *

Khandakar Oliuzzaman Alam Khandakar Oliuzzaman Alam is a Jatiya Party (Ershad) politician in Bangladesh and a former member of parliament for Joypurhat-1 Joypurhat-1 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh. Since 6 August ...

, former MP for

Joypurhat-1 Joypurhat-1 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh. Since 6 August 2024, the constituency is vacant. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Joypurhat Sadar Upazila, Joypurhat Sadar and Panchbibi ...

Rahima Khandaker Rebeka Mahmoud is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (), popularly abbreviated as BNP (), is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. It was founded on 1 September 1978 by ...

, former MP * Rezaul Alam Khandaker, former MP for Rangpur-18 * Khandaker Sadrul Amin Habib, former MP for

Rajbari-2 Rajbari-2 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh. Since 6 August 2024 the constituency is vacant. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Pangsha Pangsha () is a town in Rajbari District, Ban ...

* Shahid Khandaker, former MP for Dhaka-1 *

Khandaker Asaduzzaman Khandaker Asaduzzaman (22 October 1935 – 25 April 2020) () was a Bangladeshi Civil Servant and is known as the First Finance Secretary of Independent Bangladesh in the Mujibnagar Government. Early life Asaduzzaman was born on 22 October 1935. ...

, former MP for

Tangail-2 Tangail-2 is a constituency represented in Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

* Khondoker A. Mottaleb, Ph.D., Professor (Assistant) Texas Tech University

Families

*Khandaker family of Faridpur **

Khandaker Nurul Islam Khandaker Nurul Islam (also known as Nuru Mia; died 11 July 2001) was a Bangladeshi politician and lawyer. He was a member of the country's first National Parliament as a member of the Awami League from the Faridpur-2 constituency. Early life an ...

(died 2001), first MP of

Faridpur-2 Faridpur-2 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Nagarkanda and Saltha upazilas, and one union parishad of Sadarpur Upazila: Krishnapur. History Th ...

(born 1942), former Minister of Labour *Khondkar family of Kodalia, Faridpur **

Khondkar Nazmul Huda Khondkar Nazmul Huda (6 July 1938 – 7 November 1975) was a veteran of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The Bangladesh government awarded him the title of Bir Bikrom for his bravery in the war of independence. Early life Huda's ancestral home is ...

(1938–1975), army colonel ** Naheed Ezaher Khondkar, member of parliament *Khandaker family of Naruchi, Tangail **

(1935–2020), first finance secretary of Bangladesh ** Khandaker Aparajita Haque (born 1964), member of parliament *Khandkar family of Pachuria, Manikganj **

Khandaker Delwar Hossain Khondkar Delwar Hossain (1 February 1933 – 16 March 2011) was a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician. He served as the secretary general of the party. He was elected five times as a Member of Parliament from constituency Manikganj-1 (Ghior ...

(1933–2011), 5th Chief Whip of Parliament ** Khandkar Manwar Hossain (1930–1999), founder of the Department of Statistics in Rajshahi University *Khandakar family of Salar, Murshidabad **

Khandakar Fazle Rabbi Khandakar Fazle Rabbi (; 1848-1917) was a writer and clerk. He served as the Dewan for the Nawab of Murshidabad. Early life and birth Khandakar Fazle Rabbi was born into one of the aristocratic Bengali Muslim families of Murshidabad during the ...

(1848-1917),

Dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...

of the

Nawab of Murshidabad Nawab Bahadur of Murshidabad (), or simply Nawab of Murshidabad, was a hereditary title of Bengal akin to a Western peerage. They were direct descendants of the former nawabs of Bengal, who were the de facto rulers of Bengal Subah, Bengal, and ...

** Khandakar Rehman Sobhan (born 1935), economist ** Khandakar Farooq Sobhan (born 1940), former diplomat and foreign secretary of Bangladesh ** Khandakar Zafar Sobhan (born 1970), lawyer, journalist and political analyst *Khandaker family of Attorney Generals ** M. H. Khandaker, first Attorney General of Bangladesh **

A. J. Mohammad Ali Abdul Jamil Mohammad Ali (15 December 1951 – 2 May 2024) was a Bangladeshi lawyer who served as the 12th attorney general of Bangladesh from 2005 to 2007. Early life Ali was born on 15 December 1951 in Naogaon in the then East Bengal, Dominio ...

, twelfth Attorney General of Bangladesh *Khandokar family of Gopinathpur, Gopalganj ** Khandokar Shams Uddin Ahmed (1892–1981), lawyer and member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly ** Khandokar Mahbub Uddin Ahmad (1925–2014), MP for Dhaka-9

Institutions

*Khondoker Abdul Majid High School, Ullahpara, Sirajganj * Government Khandakar Musharraf Hussain College, Jhenaidah

References

{{surname Bengali Muslim surnames

Etymology and history

Variations

Individuals

Families

Institutions

See also

References