Lal (, , , , ) is an Indo-Iranian surname and given name, which means "darling", "precious", or "beloved", from 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 ...

''lala'' ("cajoling").''Dictionary of American Family Names''
Family History"
Oxford University Press, 2013. Retrieved on 19 January 2016. In addition, Lal means "

garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. Garnet minerals, while sharing similar physical and crystallographic properties, exhibit a wide range of chemical compositions, de ...

" or "

ruby Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...

" in Persian, "ruby" in

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

, and "red" in Hindustani and Bengali. The name Lal may refer to mainly

Kayastha Kayastha (or Kayasth) denotes a cluster of disparate Indian communities broadly categorised by the regions of the Indian subcontinent in which they were traditionally locatedthe Chitraguptavanshi Kayasthas of North India, the Chandraseniya Ka ...

as well as used by other communities:

Surname

Lal is a surname related to honorific title Lal, and is found among various social groups and

caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

s. The surname is also common in the

Indian diaspora Overseas Indians (ISO 15919, ISO: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origin (PIOs) are people of Indian descent who reside or originate outside of India (Including those that were directly under the British Raj). Acc ...

Notable people

* Akash Lal (born 1940), Indian cricketer * Amrit Lal (1940s Southern Punjab cricketer) * Amrit Lal (1960s Southern Punjab cricketer) * Ananda Lal (born 1955), Indian theatre critic * Arun Lal (born 1955), Indian cricketer * B. B. Lal (1921–2022), Indian archaeologist * Bansi Lal (1927–2006), Indian politician and two-time chief minister of Haryana * Bhai Nand Lal (1633–1713), Persian poet * Bhajan Lal (1930–2011), Indian politician * Bihari Lal (1595–1663), Indian poet * Brij Lal, Indo-Fijian politician * Brij Lal (historian) (born 1952), Fijian historian * Chatur Lal (1925–1965), Indian tabla player * Chaudhary Devi Lal (1909–2001), Indian politician who twice served as Chief Minister of Haryana * Chuni Lal (1968 - 2007) Indian Army soldier * Deepak Lal (born 1940), British economist * Durga Lal (1948 - 1990), Indian Kathak dancer * Gobind Behari Lal (1889–1982), Indian journalist * Jean Paul Lal (born 1988), Malayalam film director * Kishan Lal (1917 – 1980), Indian field hockey player * K. S. Lal (1920–2002), Indian historian * Lallu Lal (1763–1835), Indian writer * Madan Lal (born 1951), Indian cricket player and coach *

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...

(born 1960), Indian Actor * Nidhin Lal (born 1991), Indian footballer * Padma Narsey Lal (born 1951), Fijian ecological economist * Pancham Lal (born 1951), Indian Administrative Service officer * Pratap Chandra Lal (1916–1982), Indian air marshal * Prerna Lal (born 1984), Fijian writer * Priyaa Lal (born 1993), British Indian actress * Purshotam Lal (born 1954), Indian cardiologist * Purushottama Lal (1929–2010), Indian writer * Sanjay Lal (born 1969), American football coach * Shaneel Lal (born 2000), Fijian-New Zealand activist *

Siddhartha Lal Siddhartha Vikram Lal (born October 1973) is an Indian businessman. The son of businessman Vikram Lal, Siddhartha Lal is the executive chairman of Eicher Motors, a director of Eicher Goodearth and chairman and MD of VE Commercial Vehicles. La ...

(born 1973), Indian businessman *

Sunder Lal Sunder Lal ( – 3 January 1987) was an Indian independence activist and politician. A member of the Indian National Congress, he served as a Member of Lok Sabha six times. For the first 5 Lok Sabha elections, Lal represented the Saharanpur c ...

, Indian freedom fighter * Vikram Lal (born 1942), Indian businessman * Vinay Lal (born 1961), Indian historian

Given name

* Lal Behari Dey (1824–1892), Indian journalist * Lal Jayawardena (1935–2004), Sri Lankan economist * Lal Jose (born 1966), Indian filmmaker * Lal Khan (born 1956), Pakistani political activist * Lal Krishna Advani (born 1927), Indian politician * Lal Mia (died 1960), Bengali politician *

Lal Thanhawla Pu Lal Thanhawla (born 19 May 1938 or 1942) is an Indian politician and former List of chief ministers of Mizoram, Chief Minister of Mizoram, belonging to the Indian National Congress party. He holds the record for longest-serving Chief Ministe ...

(born 1942), Indian politician * Lal Thanzara, Indian politician *

Lal Wickrematunge Lal Wickrematunge is a Sri Lankan business man, media mogul and chairman of Leader Publications which he co-founded with brother Lasantha Wickrematunge. Wickrematunge is the son of Harris Wickrematunge former deputy mayor of Colombo. Life an ...

(born 1950), Sri Lankan businessman * Lalu Prasad Yadav, Indian politician. 'Lalu' is a variant of 'Lal' * Lal Ensari, Turkish actress

References

{{given name, type=both Indian given names Surnames of Indian origin

Surname

Notable people

Given name

See also

References