Chopra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Castes of India | |
Chopra | |
Classification | Kshatriya Chamar |
Subdivisions | Ad dharmi Ravidassia Chamar |
Significant populations in | Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of Northern India |
Languages | Punjabi and Hindi |
Religions | Hinduism, Sikhism |
Chopra (Devanāgarī: चोपड़ा, IAST: chopṛa) is a Punjabi Khatri and Chamar family name.
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[edit] Etymology and Historical references
According to the Dictionary of American Family Names, 'Chopra is a Hindu (Khatri) and Sikh Chamar name of unknown meaning. The Panjabi Khatris and Chamar have a clan called Chopra, as also have the Sikhs.'
The earliest reference to this family name dates back to around 400 AD. One of the important characters of a famous Punjabi legend 'Raja Rasalu' is minister Mahita Chopra. Most scholars agree that Raja Rasalu is a historical figure that ruled from Sialkot and lived sometime between 400 to 500 AD. If this is true, then the Chopra family name developed by that time.
Other references are more recent. The father and son pair of the Diwan Sawan Mal and Mul Raj Chopra were successive governors of Multan under Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the early 1800s.
[edit] List of notable people
Some well known people with this last name include (no relation to each other in most cases):
- B.R. Chopra — a film director
- Daniel Chopra — a professional golfer
- Deepak Chopra — a contemporary writer
- Michael Chopra — a football player
- Prem Chopra — a film actor
- Priyanka Chopra — a film actress and former Miss World
- Ravi Chopra — a film director
- Vidhu Vinod Chopra — a film director, writer, and producer
- Yash Chopra — a film director, writer, and producer
- Aditya Chopra — a film director and producer
- Uday Chopra — a film Actor (bollywood)
- Nikhil Chopra — former Indian cricketer
- Akash Chopra — Indian cricketer from Delhi
- Anjum Chopra — Indian woman cricketer
- Varun Chopra — English cricketer
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Temple, R.C. "The Legends of The Panjab", 1884. Many reprints 1977, 2002 (ISBN 81-7167-636-7, 0405101287)
- Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
- Imperial Rule in the Punjab: The Conquest and Administration of Multan, 1818-1881 by James Royal Roseberry, III. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 110, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1990), p. 176
- Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab chiefs, historical and biographical notices, 1865
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