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Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • Muslim : probably from Arabic bạhrī ‘maritime’, a derivative of bạhr ‘sea’. This could also be an ethnic name for someone from Bahrain.
  • Indian (Panjab) : Hindu (Khatri) and Sikh name, said to be from Panjabi bā’rā ‘twelve’. The Bahris are one of the major subdivisions of the Khatri community and comprise twelve clans: Chopra, Dhawan, Kapur, Khanna, Mehrotra, Sehgal, Seth, Talwar, and Vohra, and (not included in this dictionary) Tannan, Maindharu, and Wadhaun.

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