Chughtai

For the minor planet, see 11417 Chughtai.

Chughtai or Chagatai (Urdu: چغتائی, romanized: Cuġtā'ī) is a surname in Central Asia and South Asia, originating in the Chagatai Khanate as taken up by the descendants and successors of Chagatai Khan who was the second son of Genghis Khan.^[1] Accordingly, some of the other descendants also use variants such as Mirza, Baig and Khan.^[2][3]

Etymology of Chughtai

The surname “Chughtai” originates from the Mongolian word “Chaghadai”, a derivative of “Chagan” meaning “white”. The suffix “-dai” is added to form “Chaghadai”. Over time, “Chaghadai” evolved into “Chughtai”, meaning, “he who is white”.^[4]

People with the surname

• Abdur Rahman Chughtai (1897-1975), Pakistani painter.
• Ismat Chughtai (1915–1991), Indian writer
• Ikram Chughtai (1941–2023), Pakistani researcher
• Dr Inam ul haq Chughtai (1968), Pakistani Doctor
• Mohammad Shafiq Chughtai (1948–2011), Saudi Music Composer

See also

• 11417 Chughtai
• Chagatai Khanate
• Chagatai language

Notes

1. John F. Richards (1995). The Mughal Empire: Volume 5 of New Cambridge history of India: The Mughals and their contemporaries. pp. 19, 60, 110. ISBN 0521566037.Full text at Google Books
2. Encyclopædia Britannica
3. Past present: Emperor's new names
4. Baras-aghur, Naran. "On the Documentation and Construction of Period Mongolian Names". The Academy of Saint Gabriel. Retrieved 2024-07-26.