Khan (surname)


Khan 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 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-Turkic 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.
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.
, 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.

Notable people

Scholars, intellectuals and academics

Politicians and rulers

Actors and entertainers

Sportspeople

In science and technology

Other professions

  • Abul Kashem Khan, jurist, political leader, and industrialist from Bangladesh
  • Alan Khan, South African radio presenter
  • Amjad Khan, Indian film producer
  • Baseera Khan, American artist
  • Chantal Khan Da Silva, Canadian journalist born to a Pakistani-Brazilian family; currently residing in the United Kingdom. An NBC News reporter and editor.
  • Fazal Khan, Pakistani lawyer and Pashtun human rights activist
  • Gauri Khan, Indian interior designer and film producer
  • Hakim Khan descendent of Shershah Suri and chief commander of Rana Pratap's army
  • Inayat Khan,, founder of Universal Sufism and the Sufi Order International
  • Irene Khan, Bangladeshi lawyer, former Secretary General of Amnesty International
  • Kiran Rao Khan, Indian director, film producer and screenwriter
  • The 'M Khan', the subject of many gag routines on The Mary Whitehouse Experience because of long-standing graffiti visible from a major London road
  • Mansoor Ali Khan, Pakistani journalist and television anchor
  • Mirza Abu Taleb Khan, Indian tax-collector and travel-writer
  • Mohammad Sidique Khan, London train suicide bomber
  • Nawab Muhammad Hayat Khan British-Indian administrator and aristocrat
  • Nick Khan Iranian American President of WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
  • Noor Inayat Khan, British spy in occupied France
  • Oghuz Khan, legendary forefather of the Turkic people
  • Peter Khan, Australian member of the Universal House of Justice of the Bahá'í Faith
  • Shahid Khan, co-owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League and Fulham F.C. of the EFL Championship, Founder, co-owner of the All Elite Wrestling promotion.
  • Shahal Khan, American Businessman and founder of Burkhan Family Office.nawab Malik Ameer Muhammad Khan he belongs to kalghan Awan tribe
  • Sussanne Khan, Indian interior fashion designer and entrepreneur
  • Syed Ahmed Khan, Islamic scholar
  • Tariq Ali Khan, British-Pakistani writer, intellectual and socialist
  • Tasmin Lucia Khan, British Bangladeshi journalist and news presenter for BBC News
  • Tony Khan, American businessman; co-owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham F.C. along with his father Shahid, and CEO, President of All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor Wrestling.
  • Vilayat Inayat Khan, former head of the Sufi Order International
  • Usman Khan, Islamic terrorist and perpetrator of the 2019 London Bridge stabbing
  • Zia Inayat Khan, the Pir of the Sufi Order International

Fictional characters