- By Ridam Sharma
- Fri, 17 Oct 2025 03:10 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Unique Parsi Surnames: Parsi surnames like Poonawala, Daruwala, and Batliwala have individual histories of their surnames, based on the history of the community and the practical responses they developed over time. The common endings of their surnames, like ‘wala' or 'walla', literally signify 'of' or 'about' and were employed to signify either a vocation, a region of origin, or belonging to an activity or trade.
When Parsis had migrated to India from Persia, they did not have formal surnames like they have today. Things changed when, in the British colonial era in the 1900s, Parsi people needed formal surnames, due to census and registration laws. As Parsis were a small, enterprising group, they innovatively took up surnames according to their occupation, which are the present Parsi surnames like Daruwala (one related to alcohol or liquor), Batliwala (bottle carrier or vendor), and Poonawala (of Pune), or areas they hailed from, like Bharucha or Suratwala. These surnames became their identity in documents, as these associated them with their trade or residential areas.
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Other than occupations and locations, a few Parsi surnames were derived from their forebears or senior family members, and some even an indication of idiosyncrasies or playful aspects like food or humorous events. The Parsi surnames, therefore, reveal a narrative of the Parsis' adaptability, entrepreneurial spirit, and their engagement with both their surroundings and colonial administrative needs.
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In short, the Parsi surnames that end with '-wala' are usually about the region or occupation and assist in locating links either to geographical origin or trading skill. This convention of naming developed mainly because of British colonial government requirements and the Parsis' cleverly pragmatic method of establishing identities within their group.