Search or browse the sage lineage and meaning behind traditional Hindu gotra names.
Name of a revered Vedic sage and one of the Saptarishi (seven great sages). The exact root meaning is debated, but it's often connected to Sanskrit terms for nourishment or vigor carried forward.
From Sanskrit "vasishtha", the superlative of "vasu" (wealth/excellence) - literally "most excellent" or "wealthiest". One of the Saptarishi.
From Sanskrit "vishva" (all/universe) and "mitra" (friend) - literally "friend of all". One of the Saptarishi, remembered as having been born a king before becoming a sage.
Traditionally connected to the Sanskrit word for tortoise ("kachhapa"), reflected in Puranic stories linking the sage to tortoise imagery. One of the Saptarishi.
Traditionally read as "devourer", or in some Puranic interpretations "one beyond the three gunas" - the precise etymology is genuinely debated among traditional sources. One of the Saptarishi.
Often read as "one whose fire (agni) blazes" or "born of fire", reflecting the sage's strong association with sacred fire rituals in the Puranas. Remembered as the father of Parashurama.
Name of a revered Vedic sage. The same name later became closely associated with the historical Buddha's clan, though the gotra itself predates that connection.
Name of a revered sage credited in legend with subduing the rising Vindhya mountains. Also the traditional Sanskrit name for the star Canopus.
Name of one of the Saptarishi, traditionally regarded as a mind-born son of Brahma and credited with authoring several Vedic hymns.
Literally "descendant of Bhrigu" - a patronymic gotra name for lineages tracing descent from the sage Bhrigu.
Name of a revered sage credited with an early Upanishadic teaching on the nature of the self (atman).
Name of a sage. The same name is also historically linked to early Indianized ruling dynasties in Southeast Asia, most notably Cambodia's Funan kingdom.
From Sanskrit "vatsa" (calf/beloved child), name of a sage lineage. Also the name of an ancient kingdom in northern India.
Name of a revered sage, traditionally remembered as the father of Ved Vyasa, who is credited with compiling the Vedas and composing the Mahabharata.
Name of a Rigvedic sage credited with composing several hymns of the Rigveda.
Name of a sage traditionally credited as the founder of the Samkhya school of Indian philosophy.
Name of a revered sage and astronomer, traditionally credited with early contributions to Vedic astrology (jyotisha).
Literally "descendant of Garga" - a patronymic gotra name for lineages tracing descent from the sage Garga.
Name of a Rigvedic sage credited with composing hymns of the Rigveda.
Name of one of the Saptarishi, traditionally regarded as a primal fire-priest figure and ancestor of several major Brahmin lineages, including Bharadwaja and Gautama.
Literally "of the Kusha lineage" - traditionally the birth-lineage name associated with the sage Vishwamitra before he attained rishi status.
From Sanskrit "maitri" (friendship/loving-kindness) - name of a sage lineage.
From Sanskrit "harita" (green/tawny), name of a sage traditionally counted among the descendants of Vashistha.
Name of a sage remembered in the Mahabharata as a devoted disciple known for his unwavering faith.
From Sanskrit "shri" (auspicious) and "vatsa" (beloved) - also the name of an auspicious mark traditionally associated with Vishnu.
Name of a sage lineage, related to the Sanskrit root "sam-kri" (to prepare or accomplish well).
Name of a revered Rigvedic sage credited with composing many hymns of the Rigveda, and remembered in the Mahabharata as the sage who raised Shakuntala.
Literally "descendant of Katya" - name of a noted Vedic grammarian and ritual scholar.
Literally "descendant of Vatsa" - a patronymic gotra name, separately also the name traditionally attributed to the author of the Kama Sutra.
From Sanskrit "dhana" (wealth) and "jaya" (conqueror) - literally "winner of wealth", also an epithet of Arjuna in the Mahabharata.
Name of a sage lineage, also historically the dynastic name of an ancient ruling family in the Andhra region.
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A gotra is a lineage system used in Hindu tradition, traditionally tracing descent from one of the ancient Vedic sages (rishis). It's commonly referenced in naming, ritual, and marriage customs across many Indian communities.
No. This tool looks up gotra names themselves, not a surname-to-gotra mapping. Which gotra a family belongs to depends on that family's own lineage, and the same surname can belong to different gotras in different families, castes, and regions.
Ask a family elder, or check with the family priest who conducts your rituals - gotra is passed down within a family and isn't reliably determined from a surname or region alone.
Several gotra names are ancient Sanskrit words whose precise root meaning genuinely isn't settled among traditional sources. Rather than presenting one guess as fact, those entries note the uncertainty.