Created by Harman23
Last edited March 6, 2026


Template:Infobox surname

Chowdhury, Choudhuri, Chaudhuri, Choudhury, Chaudhri, Chaudhury, Chaudhry, or Chaudhary, is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent.[1] It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminent people, while during British rule, the term was associated with zamindars and social leaders. The common female equivalent was Chowdhurani.[2]

Meaning

"Chowdhury" is a term adapted from the Sanskrit words čatus "four-way, all-round" and dhurīya "undertaking a burden", denoting the head of a community or caste.[1]

Significance

It was a title awarded to persons of eminence, including both Muslims and Hindus, during the Mughal Empire. It was also used as a title by military commanders responsible for four separate forces, including the cavalry, navy, infantry and elephant corps.[1] These people belonged to the zamindar families in British India.[3]Template:Verify source

Later, the Mughals and the Nawabs conferred the same title in great numbers. Chaudharies were local magnates responsible for land taxes alongside an amil (revenue collector) and a karkun (accountant) in the local-level administrative units known as parganas .[4][5][6]Template:Irrelevant citation

In modern times, the term is a common South Asian surname for both males and females.

In Odisha, "Choudhury" is used as a title by Karanas.[7]

Regional

In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the titular Rajas of the Bohmong Circle and Mong Circle have the surname Chowdhury.[8][9][10][11]

The Bengali Muslim MirashdarsTemplate:NoteTag living in the former Kachari Kingdom were given titles by the Kachari Raja, which in modern-day acts as a surname for them.[12]

In Bihar, the Pasi are also known as the Chaudhary, a community traditionally connected with toddy tapping.[13]

In Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Chaudhary surname is widely used by Jat community while some other communities using it are Rajputs, Gurjars, Ahirs, Dalits, etc.[14][15][16] This surname is popular in North India and it conveys honour and strength.[17][18] It is typically used as a prefix before the given name, often represented by the prefix 'Ch' such as Ch. Charan Singh, 5th prime minister of India and Ch. Devi Lal, 6th deputy prime minister of India.

Deshastha Brahmins and Kammas from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana who got this as a title during Qutb Shahis of Golconda and Nizams of Hyderabad also use Chowdhari or Chowdhury as their surnames.[19][20][21]

Alternate spellings

Its alternate spellings include Choudry, Chaudhary, Chaudri, Chaudhri, Choudhary, Chaudhry, Chowdary, Chowdhary, Chaudry, Choudary, Choudhry, Chaudhuri, Chaudhari, Chudhry, Choudhari, Choudhury, Chowdhuri, Chowdury and Chawdhury.[1] The female equivalent is Chaudhurani and alternate spellings include Choudhurani, Chowdhurani, Chowdhrani, Choudhrani and Chaudhrani.

Chowdhury by country

Bangladesh

File:Faizunnesa.jpg
Faizunnesa Choudhurani
File:Abdul Hamid Chowdhury.jpg
Abdul Hamid Chowdhury
File:Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury.jpg
Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury
File:Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury.JPG
Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury
File:HabibullahBaharChowdhury.jpg
Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury
File:Abu Sayeed Chowdhury at the office of the Vice-Chancellor of Dacca University, November 1970.png
Abu Sayeed Chowdhury
File:মাওলানা মুহাম্মদ হুছামুদ্দীন চৌধুরী ফুলতলী.jpg
Husam Uddin Chowdhury Fultali

India

File:General Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri.jpg
Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

Assam

File:Moinul Hoque Choudhury.gif
Moinul Hoque Choudhury

Uttar Pradesh

File:Charan Singh Portrait.jpg
Charan Singh in 1979

West Bengal

Nepal

Fiji

Pakistan

File:Choudhry Rahmat Ali.jpg
Choudhry Rahmat Ali

United Kingdom

United States

Chaudhary

Business

  • Binod Chaudhary (1955-), a Nepalese businessman, industrialist, philanthropist, and politician
  • Fawad Chaudhry a Pakistani businessman, landlord, lawyer and politician

Acting, modelling and entertainment

Politics

Sports

Academia, science & scholarship

Journalism

Other occupations

Chaudhari

Chaudhari (Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Chaudhri

Chaudhry

Chaudhuri

Choudhury

Chaudhurani

Fictional characters

Other

Further disambiguation pages

Organisations

Notes

Template:NoteFoot

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Template:Cite encyclopedia
  2. A Dedicated Educationist, Karim, Elita(1 August 2008). Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  3. The Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India, Volume 51{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Anthropology Survey of India(2002)
  4. Administrative System - Sultani Period.. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  5. University of Calicut, Kerala.. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  6. Odisha State Open University - M.A. (History)..
  7. rediff.com: The evil that envelopes Orissa(14 February 2000). Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  8. InsideStoryEventsMaster - Raj Punyah Ceremony Held Both in Bandarban.... ext.bd.undp.org.
  9. Saching Prue new Mong King. The Daily Star(18 January 2009).
  10. Feature: 'Kingdom' system in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts still in force. people.cn(15 December 2008). Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  11. UNPO: Chittagong Hill Tracts: Stalemate For Land Commission. unpo.org(2 November 2009).
  12. Principal Heads of the History and Statistics of the Dacca Division{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Calcutta Central Press Company(1868)
  13. People of India Bihar Volume XVI Part Two edited by S Gopal & Hetukar Jha pages 759 to 765 Seagull Books
  14. The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians: The Muhammadan Period{{#if:Elliot|, Elliot}. Trübner and Company(1867)
  15. Gallant Haryana: The First and Crucial Battlefield of AD 1857{{#if:Sheoran|, Sheoran}. Routledge(17 June 2019). ISBN 978-1-000-43913-7
  16. Encyclopaedia of Dalits in India: Emancipation and empowerment{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Gyan Publishing House(2002). ISBN 978-81-7835-269-5
  17. Surname Choudhary: Meaning Origin Variants. www.igenea.com. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  18. FROM SIALKOT TO VANCOUVER{{#if:Bhindar|, Bhindar}. Lulu Chaudhary(2018). ISBN 9781642547917
  19. Socio-psychological Factors Influencing Industrial Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas: A Case Study in Tanuku Region of West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. National Institute of Community Development(1970)
  20. State and Society: A Reader in Comparative Political Sociology{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. University of California Press(1973). ISBN 9780520024908
  21. Revealing the missing links(24 July 2016).
  22. Handbook of General Elections and Electoral Reforms in India, 1952-1999{{#if:Ahuja|, Ahuja}. Mittal Publications(2000). ISBN 9788170997665
  23. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Abbasi, Talha. Pakistani Leaders Online. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  24. Muslim women's struggle for freedom in colonial Bengal: (1873-1940){{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Progressive Publishers(2003). ISBN 9788180640308

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