Chughtai
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged with Chagatai_language. (Discuss) Proposed since May 2007. |
Chughtai (in Urdu: چغتائ)is a family name in portions of Asia (Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the associated diaspora) that claims descent from Chagatai Khan (the second son of Genghis Khan), and thus status as Chagatai Turks.
Origin of the name
Chughtai is a distorted form of Chaghadai which is a version of Chagan (white) formed using the –dai suffix as described in "On the Documentation and Construction of Period Mongolian Names" by Baras-aghur Naran[1]; it defines Chaghadai as he who is white.[2]
The Mughal Emperors of India claimed to be of the same lineage[3]. Babur consciously made a decision to drop the Mirza from his name[citation needed]. The names of minor (and sometimes even major) princes of the dynasty continued to carry the prefix and/or the suffix. The nomenclature is still in use today, though Chughtai as family name is relatively more common.
Alternative forms
The names of members of the family (especially males) often carry the prefix Mirza and the suffix Beg, and are thus usually of the form Mirza [given name] Beg[citation needed] e.g., Mirza Aslam Beg, a recent Chief of Army Staff in Pakistan. Modern variations include the use of Beg, Baig, or even Mirza as a family name[citation needed].
See also
Notes
- ^ Period Mongolian Names - On the Documentation and Construction of Period Mongolian Names
- ^ Chaghadai - Æthelmearc Internal Letter of Intent Æ72
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica
Additional references
- Babur - Founder of the Mughal dynasty of India