Family name origins & meanings
- Indian (southern states) : Hindu name, from Sanskrit venkạteša ‘lord of Venkata hill’, an epithet of the god Vishnu (from venkạta ‘name of the hill’ + īša ‘lord’). There is a celebrated temple dedicated to Vishnu on this hill in Andhra Pradesh. This name is found only as a male personal name in India, but has come to be used as a family name in the U.S. among south Indians.