Khan (surname)

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Khan (/xɑːn/) is an ancient Indo-European surname and in the variant of 'Khan' of Mongolic origin, used as a title in various global regions,^[1] and today most commonly found in parts of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan and Iran.

In the Caribbean the surname is largely carried by Muslims of Indo-Caribbean descent.^[2][3] It is derived from the historic title khan, referring to military chief or royalty. It originated as a hereditary title among nomadic tribes in the Central and Eastern Eurasian Steppe during antiquity and was popularized by Afghan dynasties in the rest of Asia as well as in Eastern Europe during the medieval period.

The name's earliest discovered usage as a title for chiefs and for monarchs dates back, respectively, to the Hepthalites and the Hepthali Empire, two proto-Mongolic societies in Inner Asia during antiquity; in the Pannonian Basin and Carpathian Mountains and their surrounding regions of Central and Southeast Europe, the title was used by the Pannonian Avars and the early Bulgars during the early medieval period before being more widely spread by various Muslim chieftains in a region spanning the empires centred in modern-day Turkey and Crimea to those in the Indian subcontinent.^[4][5]

The surname Khan is extremely common among Muslims in South Asia^[6][7] of Afghan, Muslim Rajputs and Mongolic descent. Khan as a last name is also used by Kashmiri Hindus, native to the Kashmir Valley of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.^[8][9]

As of 2014^[update], Khan is one of the most common surnames worldwide, shared by over 22 million people in Asia and 23 million people worldwide.^[10] It is the surname of over 108,674 British Asians, making it the 12th-most common surname in the United Kingdom.^[11]