Puri is an Indian Punjabi surname of Khatri, derived from a Chandravanshi Indo Aryan Puru tribe of King Porus.
The Dictionary of American Family Names notes that puri means a small town in Punjabi but it is uncertain whether this is related to the surname. [1] Another theory derives it from the Purus, [2] [3] the mythological Indo-Aryan tribe.
Buddha Prakash, professor of history and of Ancient Indian history, culture and archaeology, director of the Institute of Indic Studies, said:
The Purus settled between the Asikni and the Parusni, whence they launched their onslaught on the Bharatas, and after the initial rebuff in the Dasarajna War, soon regrouped and resumed their march on the Yamuna and the Sarasvati and subsequently merged with the Bharatas, Some of their off-shoots lingered on in the Punjab and one of their scions played a notable part in the events of the time at Alexander's invitation. They probably survived in the Punjab under the name of Puri, which is a sub-caste of the Khatris. [2]
Notable people
Bankers
- Aditya Puri, Managing Director, HDFC Bank Limited
- K. R. Puri, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, former MD at LIC India
Businessmen and Managers
- Aroon Purie, Indian businessman and the founder & editor in chief of India Today
- Deepak Puri, founder of Moser Baer
- Madhabi Puri, chairperson of the securities regulatory body Securities and Exchange Board of India
- Ratul Puri, Chairman of the Board of Director of Hindustan Power
Film actors
- Amrish Puri, Bollywood and Hollywood film actor
- Amrita Puri, Bollywood film actress
- Madan Puri, Bollywood film actor
- Mayur Puri, Indian screenwriter, lyricist, actor and film-maker
- Om Puri, Bollywood and Hollywood film actor
- Pearl V Puri, Indian television actor
- Vibhu Puri, Indian film director, writer and lyricist
Independence activists and martyrs
- Ram Nath Puri, Indian freedom fighter best known as the editor of Circular-i-Azadi
- Haqiqat Rai Puri, Hindu martyr
Journalists
- Balraj Puri, Journalist, writer and human rights activist
- Kavita Puri, British journalist, radio broadcaster, and author
- Narottam Puri, Indian sports journalist and broadcaster
- Pratima Puri, Indian journalist best known for being Doordarshan's first newsreader
- Rajinder Puri, Indian cartoonist, veteran columnist and political activist
Politicians
- Hardeep Singh Puri, Indian cabinet minister
- Lakshmi Puri, former assistant secretary-general at the United Nations and the former deputy executive director of UN Women.
- Manjeev Singh Puri, Indian civil servant of the Indian Foreign Service cadre and the former Ambassador of India to Nepal
- Raghunath Sahai Puri, Minister for Housing & Urban Development in Punjab Government
- Ranjeev Puri, American state representative
Singers
- Sanam Puri, lead vocalist of the independent music band SANAM, and Bollywood singer
- Samar Puri, guitarist in the band SANAM, popularly known as 'Flying Guitarist'; the sibling of Sanam Puri
Science and academia
- Baij Nath Puri, Indian historian and author.
- Ishwar Puri, Indian-American and Canadian scientist, engineer, and academic
- Jyoti Puri, professor of sociology at Simmons University
- Manju Puri, Indian-American economics professor at Duke University and editor at the Review of Financial Studies. Currently the director of the American Finance Association.
- Munish Chander Puri, professor emeritus of mathematics at IIT Delhi
- Neel Kamal Puri, Indian author and teacher
- Madan Lal Puri, Indian-American mathematician and statistician
Spirituality
- Harbhajan Singh Puri, spiritual director of the 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization)
Sports
- Indu Puri, Indian table tennis player
- Rishi Puri, Indian Sudoku champion
- Sangeeta Puri, Pakistani Olympic swimmer
- Sunita Puri, Indian field hockey player
See also
References
- ^ Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. 2013.
- ^ a b Prakash, Buddha (1964). Political and Social Movements in Ancient Panjab. Delhi, Patna, Varanasi: M. Banarsidass. p. 77.
- ^ Kosambi, Damodar Dharmanand (1966). Ancient India: A History of its Culture and Civilisation. Delhi: Pantheon Books. pp. 81–83.
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