Indian family names are derived from several sources:
Caste or subcaste name: These are analogous to western family names like Smith and Barber to the extent that they represent occupation. However, Indians almost always marry within the caste, and often within the subcaste.
Religion: A number of Sikhs are named Singh, and most Jains are called Jain. However, there are Hindus with these two surnames as well.
Placename: Many South Indians have the name of their place of origin as the family name. In this case the surname is placed before the given name. Some have both a village name and a caste name as part of their name, for instance Madurai Mani Iyer. Here, Madurai is a town and Iyer is a caste.
Learning and Academics: Some Hindu families have names that reflect the academic achievements of their forefathers. e.g., Sastri - one who has studied the Sastras, Dwivedi - one who has studied two vedas, Trivedi - three vedas, Chaturvedi - four vedas, Pathak, etc.
Many Indians have no family names. This too is common in southern India, particularly among Tamilss. The pressure of conformity (especially strong for overseas Indianss) often forces them to acquire surnames, either by inventing one, or splitting their given name, or adopting their patronyms as family names.
