Pant (

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 ...

: पंत) or Panta () is a last name, commonly found in

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 ...

and in the Indian states of

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

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. It is a traditional surname used by

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, a priestly community. Foremostly involved in the activities of the state, they were generally found involved in activities such as academics, religion, management, politics and warfare.

In India

Pant was used as a last name, suffix or title commonly by priests, as well as the officers, commanders, ministers and leaders of high influence in the affairs of the state. In

, many Brahmin communities use this as surname. In

, Brahmin groups who have used the term as part of their names usually belong to either of the 3 Brahminical groups such as

Deshastha Deshastha Brahmin is a Hindu Brahmin subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and North Karnataka. Other than these states, according to authors K. S. Singh, Gregory Naik and Pran Nath Chopra, Deshastha Brahmins are also concentr ...

Chitpavan The Chitpavan Brahmin or the Kokanastha Brahmin is a Hindu Maharashtrian Brahmin community inhabiting Konkan, the coastal region of the state of Maharashtra. Initially working as messengers and spies in the late seventeenth century, the commu ...

and

Karhade Karhaḍe Brahmins (also spelled as Karada Brahmins or Karad Brahmins) are a Hindu Brahmin sub-caste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra, but are also distributed in states of Goa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Based on Veda and Veda ...

In Nepal

Pant people are also found in good numbers in Nepal. They are ethnically same as the Pant people of Uttarakhand. Usually being amongst the chief-office bearers in the kings courts along with the majority Pande rank holders, they were foremostly involved in affairs that concerned with education (also medicine), administration and warfare.

Notable people

* Aditi Pant First Indian Lady to visit Antarctica * Aditya Bhushan Pant, Indian toxicologist, neurobiologist and a scientist *

Anju Panta Anju Panta () is a Nepalese ghazals and playback singer. She sang popular numbers including the title song of Na birse Timilai na Paye Timilai and Ma Timi Bina Marihaalchhu, of Saput, in Kismat, and ''Sustari sustari mannma'' for Darr. Panta ...

, Nepalese Pop and Folk Singer * Apa Pant, Indian

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and freedom fighter *

Bahiroji Pingale Bhaironji Pant Pingale was the younger son of Moropant Trimbak Pingle. His father, Moropant Pingle was the first Peshwa of Chhattrapati Shivaji. When Kanhoji Angre attacked Satara in 1711, Bahiroji was taken a prisoner by him. Immediately Sh ...

(1708–1711) – the fourth Peshwa of the Maratha Empire and the younger son of

Moropant Trimbak Pingle Moropant Trimbak Pingale (1620 - 1683), was the first ''peshwa'' of the Maratha Empire, serving under Shivaji Maharaj as a member of Ashta Pradhan (Council of Eight Ministers). Early life Moropant Trimbak Pingle was born to a Deshastha Brahmin ...

* Dasopant (1551–1615) –

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

poet-saint and prolific writer of

Varkari Warkari ( ; Marathi: ; Pronunciation: ; Meaning: 'The one who performs the ''Wari) is a sampradaya (religious movement) within the bhakti spiritual tradition of Hinduism, geographically associated with the Indian state of Maharashtra. Wark ...

sect.; also known as Daso Digambar *

Diksha Panth Diksha Panth is an Indian actress, known for her works predominantly in Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in the Te ...

, Indian actress *

Garima Panta Garima Panta (गरिमा पन्त) is a Nepalese actress and model known for her versatile role in movies and television. She started her career as a teenager by appearing in television commercials. She became widely known from the mov ...

, Nepalese Actress *

Govind Ballabh Pant Govind Ballabh Pant (10 September 1887 – 7 March 1961) was an Indian freedom fighter and the first chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabh Bhai Patel, Pant was a key figure in the movement for ...

, the first 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 ...

* Govind Ballal Kher (Govind Pant Bundela) (1710–1760), general and trustee of Peshwa

Bajirao I Bajirao I (né Visaji, ; 18 August 1700 – 28 April 1740) was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. He was appointed Peshwa at the age of nineteen by Shahu I, following the death of his father, Balaji Vishwanath. He is credited with establis ...

's territories in Bundelkhand * Hargovind Pant Indian Freedom Fighter *

Hari Pant Haripant Phadke, known as Hari Pant was a general of the Maratha Confederacy. Hari Pant became a general during the siege of Badami on 20 May 1786 against the Kingdom of Mysore. He became general of 50,000 and won the war in Maratha-Mysore War. ...

General of the Maratha Empire * Hemad Pant, Prime Minister of Seuna (Yadava) dynasty * Ila Pant, Indian politician *

Jayatirtha Jayatirtha (), ''also known as'' Teekacharya () (1345 – 1388), was a Hindu philosopher, dialectician, polemicist and the sixth pontiff of Madhvacharya Peetha from (1365 – 1388). He is considered to be one of the important seers in the hi ...

(Dhondopant Raghunath Deshpande) (1345–1388) – a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

philosopher, dialectician, and polemicist * K. C. Pant, former Indian Member of Parliament *

Kamla Pant Kamla Pant, born (18 December 1956), Chamoli (Uttarakhand), is a feminist, politician and women's rights activist. She is also known for her work in the Uttarakhand movement, which resulted in Uttarakhand becoming a separate Indian state in 2000 ...

, Women Activist, part of Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, played a prominent role in the creation of Uttarakhand state *

Maheshwar Panta Maheshwar Panta or Manohar Pant (Nepali: महेश्वर पन्त) was the teacher and later Army Chief of King Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723–1775 AD). With Bhanu Aryal, he trained King Prithvi Narayan. When Biraj Thapa Magar failed to ...

(18th century), Army General of Gorkha Kingdom and Guru of King

Prithvi Narayan Shah Prithvi Narayan Shah (; 7 January 1723 – 11 January 1775), was the last king of the Gorkha Kingdom and first king of the Kingdom of Nepal (also called the ''Kingdom of Gorkha''). Prithvi Narayan Shah started the unification of Nepal. He is a ...

* Manoj Pant Director, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade * M. C. Pant, Indian radiation oncologist and

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

recipient *

Meghna Pant Meghna Pant is an Indian author, journalist and speaker. She has won a variety of awards for her contribution to literature, gender issues and journalism. In 2012, she won the Muse India National Literary Awards Young Writer Award for her debut ...

, fiction author and financial journalist * Moropant Ramachandra Paradkar (1729–1794),

poet who was the last among those classified by Marathi literary scholars as ''pandit'' poets. *

(1657–1683) – the first Peshwa in

Shivaji Maharaj Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...

's Asthapradhan Mandal *

Muktesh Pant Muktesh "Micky" Pant (born 1954) is an Indian marketing executive who was the former CEO of Yum China and Reebok India. Education Pant graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India. Career Pant started his career ...

, Indian–born businessman *

Naya Raj Pant Naya Raj Pant (; 1913–2002) was a Nepalese polymath who was active as a poet, astronomer, mathematician, scholar, and historian. He is best known for establishing Saṃśodhana Maṇḍala, research organisation, on 20 September 1952. He was ...

(1913–2002), Nepalese historian, astronomer, poet * Nilakanth Moreshvar Pingale (1683–1689) – the second Peshwa of the Maratha Empire and elder son of

Parshuram Pant Pratinidhi Parshuram Trimbak Kulkarni (1660–1718), popularly known as Parshuram Pant Pratinidhi, was a Minister (''Pradhan'') and Count (''Sardar'') of the Maratha Empire. He served as ''Pratinidhi'' (Chief Delegate) during Rajaram I and Tarabai’s reig ...

and his descendants were the hereditary

Pratinidhi The Pratinidhi (the Viceroy) was an important member of the ministry in the Maratha Empire. The title of ''Pratinidhi'' means ''the representative of the King,'' and such officials were entitled to sign and seal papers and issue orders in the abse ...

's of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

and also the rulers of Aundh and

Vishalgad Vishalgad (also called Vishalgarh, Khelna or Khilna) was a jagir during the Maratha Empire and then later part of the Deccan States Agency of the British Raj. Fort A fort had existed at Vishalgad for a long period. During the Bahmani rule it ...

* Pitambar Pant, Indian independence activist, civil service officer and writer * Prafulla Chandra Pant, former judge Supreme Court of India. *

Prakash Pant Prakash Pant was a Bharatiya Janata Party leader and member of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly in India. He was elected from Pithoragarh (Vidhan Sabha constituency) in the 2002 to 2007 but in 2012 Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly election ...

, Uttarakhand Politician *

Pushpesh Pant Pushpesh Pant (born 1946) is an Indian academic, food critic and historian. He retired as a Professor of International relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. He is one of India's leading experts on International Relations as well as ...

, academic, food critic and historian *

Raghuji Pant Raghuji Pant (रघुजी पन्त) is a Nepalese politician currently serving as the Minister for Education, Science, and Technology in the government formed in April 2025. A veteran figure in Nepali politics, his career is rooted in jou ...

, CPN-UML politician * Ram Raj Pant,

Linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

of the

Nepali language Nepali (; , ), or ''Gorkhali'' is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Himalayas region of South Asia. It is the official and most widely spoken Languages of Nepal, language of Nepal, where it also serves as a ''lingua fr ...

, literary writer and promoter of

legal education Legal education is the education of individuals in the principles, practices, and theory of law. It may be undertaken for several reasons, including to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for admission to legal practice in a particular j ...

in Nepal *

Ramchandra Pant Amatya Ramchandra Neelkanth Bawadekar (1650–1716), also known as Ramchandra Pant Amatya, served on the Council of 8 (''Ashta Pradhan'') as the Finance Minister (''Amatya'') to King (''Chhatrapati'') Shivaji, dating from 1674 to 1680. He then served ...

(1689–1708) – ''Amatya'', ''Peshwa'' and ''Hukumat Panah'' of the Maratha Empire during the reign of

Shivaji Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...

and

Rajaram I Rajaram I (Rajaram Bhonsale, ; 24 February 1670 – 3 March 1700), also known as Ram Raaje, was the third king ( Chhatrapati) of the Maratha Kingdom, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of Shivaji, the founder of t ...

* Ranjan Pant, CEO Advisor and Global Strategy Management Consultant *

Rishabh Pant Rishabh Pant (; born 4 October 1997) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team as a wicket-keeper batter. He is currently the vice captain of Indian cricket team in the Test format. He captains and plays for th ...

, Indian cricketer *

Samarth Ramdas Ramdas (c. 1608 – c. 1682), also known as Samarth Ramdas Swami or Ramdas Swami, was an Indian Hindu saint, philosopher, poet, writer and spiritual master. He was a devotee of the Hindu deities Rama and Hanuman. Early life Ramdas or previous ...

(Narayan Suryajipant Thosar) (1608–1681) –

Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

saint from

* Santosh Panta, Nepalese actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director * Sheila Irene Pant, 10th

Governor of Sindh The governor of Sindh is the appointed head of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The office of the governor as the head of the province is largely a ceremonial position; the executive powers lie with the Chief Secretary of Sindh, Chief Secretary ...

, wife of the first

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Cabinet of Pakistan, cabinet, desp ...

Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (1 October 189516 October 1951) was a Pakistani lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the first prime minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the he ...

. *

Shivani Gaura Pant (17 October 1923 – 21 March 2003), better known as Shivani, was a Hindi writer of the 20th century and a pioneer in writing Indian women-centric fiction. She was awarded the Padma Shri for her contribution to Hindi literature in ...

, Gaura Pant, story writer for women's magazines *

Sorabh Pant Sorabh Pant born 14 September 1981) is an Indian stand-up comedian and writer. He has performed over 250 shows. He was rated amongst India's top-ten stand-up comedians by ''The Times of India''. In a poll by IBN Live in March 2012, he was lis ...

Indian standup comic and writer *

Sumitranandan Pant Sumitranandan Pant (20 May 1900 – 28 December 1977) was an Indian poet. He was one of the most celebrated 20th century poets of the Hindi language and was known for romanticism in his poems which were inspired by nature, people and beauty wi ...

, poet and philosopher *

Sunil Babu Pant Sunil Babu Pant (; born 28 June 1971) is a Nepali human rights activist, monk, and former politician who served as a member of the Nepalese Constituent Assembly between 2008 and 2013. Pant's campaigning for LGBT rights led to the Supreme Court ...

, LGBT social activist In Nepal *

Surakshya Panta Surakshya Panta ( Nepali: सुरक्षा पन्त) is a Nepalese actress, creative director, and producer. She made her acting debut in Alok Nembang's 2015 film '' Ajhai Pani'' in a supporting role. Panta gained fame for her performan ...

, Nepalese actress * Yadav Pant, Nepalese economist, politician and former Governor (Fifth) of

Nepal Rastra Bank The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB; ) was established on April 26, 1956 A.D. (Nepali Date: Baisakh 14, 2013 B.S.) under the Nepal Rastra Bank Act, 1955, to discharge the central banking responsibilities including guiding the development of the embryonic ...

References

{{Chhetri communities Surnames of Indian origin Nepali-language surnames Khas surnames