Khan (surname)

Not to be confused with Kahn or Kan (surname).

Look up Khan or khan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Khan (/xɑːn/) is a surname of Turkic and Mongolian origin, used as a title in various global regions, and today most commonly found in parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Iran, Eastern Europe, Uzbekistan and Russia.

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 surname Khan is extremely common among Muslims in South Asia of Afghan descent, but also, to a lesser extent, among Muslim Rajputs and those of Mongolic descent. Khan as a last name is also used by the Maithil Brahmin and Kashmiri Hindus, native to the Kashmir Valley of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. In the Caribbean, the surname is largely carried by Muslims of Indo-Caribbean descent.

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

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