Gautam Brahmins


These are Hindu Brahmins who affiliate either with the Gautam gotra and/or Gautam Dharmasutra and have their last name as Gautam.

Etymology

The name Gautam or Gautama is related to Gotama and is also written as Gowthama, Gauthama or Goutama.

The name is a compounded word derived from the Sanskrit word “Gõ' and Sanskrit root "Tama:". "Tama: " " in "Tamas )" means, inter alia, "darkness".
and "Gõ " means, inter alia, "rays of light".
Together they mean dispelling darkness by the rays of light.
Metaphorically, the combined word indicates the one, who dispels ignorance by the brilliance of his spiritual knowledge.

"गोतम: " and "गोतम " both signify the same word. The difference between "Gotama:" and "Gotama" in Sanskrit is grammatical. Gotama is the form of the stem or root "गोतम्" whereas "Gotama:" is the form of the nominative singular case. The final "a" in "Gotama:" is clearly pronounced while the final "a" in "Gotama" is not pronounced.

The name “Gotama” initially originated during the early Rigvedic times and the name “Gautama” later developed as a vrddhi
patronymic from Gotama. In the Rigveda Samhita the descendants of Gotama are also called Gotama while in later Vedic literature they are called Gautama.

Distribution

Brahmins, having "Gautam" gotra, are found across India, from Kashmir to Kerala and Assam to Gujarat. Many Brahmins also follow the Gautam Dharmasutra. However, not all Brahmins, who affiliate with Gautam gotra and/ or follow the Gautam Dharamsutra, write their last name as "Gautam". But Brahmins, who also write their last name as "Gautam", are generally found in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Western Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in India. In Nepal also some Brahmins, who affiliate with Gautam gotra, write their last name as "Gautam". In the rest of the regions of India, Brahmins who affiliate with Gautam gotra and/ or follow the Gautam Dharamsutra, either write the generic Brahmin’s name or their "Vipra Shashanam विप्र शाषनम्" or "alla अल्ल" as their last name.

Notable people