Editing Patel

{{Short description|Indian surname}}
{{Distinguish|Patal (disambiguation){{!}}Patal}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}

'''Patel''' is an Indian surname or [[Indian honorifics|title]], predominantly found in the [[States and union territories of India|state]] of [[Gujarat]], representing the community of land-owning farmers and later (with the British [[East India Company]]) businessmen, agriculturalists and merchants. Traditionally the title is a status name referring to the village [[Tribal chief|chieftains]] during [[Medieval India|medieval]] times, and was later retained as successive generations stemmed out into communities of landowners. Circa 2015 there are roughly 500,000 Patels outside India, including about 150,000 in the [[United Kingdom]] and about 150,000 in the [[United States]]. As of the [[2000 U.S. Census]], nearly 1 in 10 people of Indian origin in the [[United States|US]] is a Patel.<ref name="toi">{{cite news|last=Rajghatta|first=Chidanand|date=4 June 2015|title=Global Gujaratis: Now in 129 nations|work=[[The Times of India]]|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/nris-in-news/global-gujaratis-now-in-129-nations/articleshow/45748322.cms}}</ref>

== As a title ==
*'''Patel'''<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=A community called Koli - Indian Express|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/a-community-called-koli------------------------/214908/|access-date=2021-09-07|website=archive.indianexpress.com}}</ref> is a title of the [[Koli people|Koli]] caste of [[Gujarat]] in [[India]] which has the greatest importance in the [[Politics of Gujarat]]. The Koli Patels of [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] benefited the most under the rule of [[Indian National Congress]] party.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Bhatt|first1=Himansshu|date=November 23, 2022|first2=Melvyn |last2=Thomas|title=Koli Patels have their say in south Gujarat |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/koli-patels-have-their-say-in-south-gujarat/articleshow/17341369.cms|access-date=2021-09-07|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Desai|first1=Akshayakumar Ramanlal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ubk4qXLI9AQC&q=Koli+Patel|title=State and Repressive Culture: A Case Study of Gujarat|last2=D'Costa|first2=Wilfred|publisher=Popular Prakashan|year=1994|isbn=978-81-7154-702-9|location=New Delhi, India|pages=12|language=en}}</ref> Koli Patels are recognised as an [[Other Backward Class]] caste by [[Government of Gujarat]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Baviskar|first1=B. S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PLmGAwAAQBAJ&dq=Koli+Patel&pg=PA417|title=Inclusion and Exclusion in Local Governance: Field Studies from Rural India|last2=Mathew|first2=George|date=2009-01-14|publisher=SAGE Publications India|isbn=978-81-321-0089-8|location=[[New Delhi]], [[India]]|pages=416–17|language=en}}</ref> Koli Patels are [[Agriculturist]] by profession and own the high [[Landed property|landholding]] in villages.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Baumgartner|first1=Ruedi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ndRjDwAAQBAJ&dq=Koli+Patel&pg=PT227|title=In Search of Sustainable Livelihood Systems: Managing Resources and Change|last2=Hogger|first2=Ruedi|date=2004-08-10|publisher=SAGE Publishing India|isbn=978-93-5280-266-1|language=en}}</ref> Koli Patels also call themselves as [[Mandhatri|Mandhata]] Patel and Mandhata Koli Patel and those who have migrated to [[East Africa]] are Businessman and civil servants.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hahlo|first=Ken|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UKybDwAAQBAJ&dq=Koli+Patels&pg=PT113|title=Communities, Networks and Ethnic Politics|date=2018-08-10|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-0-429-86435-3|location=India|language=en}}</ref> Some of the well known Clans of Koli Patels are [[Chauhan clan|Chauhan]], [[Makwana]] and [[Rathore (Rajput clan)|Rathod]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Perez|first=Rosa Maria|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GDRWAglUumEC&q=Koli+Patel|title=Kings and Untouchables: A Study of the Caste System in Western India|publisher=[[Orient Blackswan]]|year=2004|isbn=978-81-8028-014-6|location=New Delhi, India|pages=71|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Patidar]]s of Gujarat also use the Patel title as traditionally village headmen.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Basu |first=Pratyusha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zJxY9IWzGewC |title=Villages, Women, and the Success of Dairy Cooperatives in India: Making Place for Rural Development |date=2009 |publisher=Cambria Press |isbn=978-1-60497-625-0 |pages=54 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Parsis]], who were biggest herdsman of the village adopted the title of Patel.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-11-17 |title='Patel', the most common Indian surname: Oxford |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/%E2%80%98Patel%E2%80%99-the-most-common-Indian-surname-Oxford/article16666859.ece |access-date=2023-05-07 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
*[[Muslim]]s of Gujarat also use Patel as title who converted from [[Hindu]] [[Koli people|Koli]]s and [[Patidar]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sheikh |first1=Aziz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQwlR3tu3LYC&q=Patel |title=Caring for Muslim Patients |last2=Gatrad |first2=Abdul Rashid |date=2000 |publisher=Radcliffe Publishing |isbn=978-1-85775-372-1 |pages=65 |language=en}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The Gujarati term ''paṭel'', along with its cognate Marathi terms ''pāṭel'' and ''pāṭīl'', are derived from the Prakrit word ''paṭṭaïl(l)a-'' "village headman", itself derived from the Sanskrit word ''paṭṭakila'' "tenant of royal land", a term first appearing in the [[Vetala Panchavimshati|''Vetālapañcaviṃśatikā'']].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Turner |first=Ralph Lilley |title=A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1962 |pages=434}}</ref>''<br />''

==Geographical distribution==
The surname historically originated in the Indian state of [[Gujarat]], where it is amongst the most common of surnames.<ref>{{cite book|title = India Old and New: With a Memorial Address|first = Edward|last = Washburn |year=2005 |page=178 |isbn=0-543-99414-7}}</ref> Today, the name is found across India, as well as in the [[Indian diaspora]].

In 2009, ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' released a news article indicating that, in the United Kingdom, the surnames Patel and [[Singh]] now rank amongst native ones such as [[Smith (surname)|Smith]] and [[Jones (surname)|Jones]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-03-24 |title=Britain's most popular surnames: Singh and Patel catch up on Smith and Jones |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5040755/Britains-most-popular-surnames-Singh-and-Patel-catch-up-on-Smith-and-Jones.html |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}}</ref> With those who immigrated to Germany during [[British Raj|British colonial rule in India]], [[Gujarati people|Gujaratis]] used the variation "Pätel", with an [[Umlaut (diacritic)|umlaut]], to better integrate with German society.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pätel Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History |url=https://forebears.io/surnames/p%C3%A4tel |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=forebears.io}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of people with surname Patel]]
* [[Patil (title)|Patil]]
* [[Patil (surname)]]

{{wiktionary|Patel}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patel}}
[[Category:Agricultural castes]]
[[Category:Gujarati people]]
[[Category:Gujarati-language surnames]]
[[Category:Indian feudalism]]
[[Category:Koli people]]
[[Category:Koli titles]]
[[Category:Occupational surnames]]
[[Category:Social groups of Gujarat]]
[[Category:Surnames of Indian origin]]