It’s well-known that Marwari and Baniya families excel in business in India, but now there’s hard data that backs this up.
Marwaris and baniyas dominate the list of the richest surnames in India. As per an analysis by Columbia University conducted on Indians with a net worth of over Rs. 1,000 crore, which amounted to 1,318 people, the most common surname was Agarwal, followed by Gupta at the second spot. Another Marwari surname, Bansal, was ranked number 11. Here is the full list of the most common surnames among the richest Indians.
Richest Indian surnames
1.Agarwal
82 people
The surname Agarwal appears the most among the list of Indians with a net worth of over Rs. 1000 crore — over 80 of the ultra-rich Indians have the Agarwal surname. Among the richest Indians with the Agarwal surname are Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal, who has a net worth of over $2 billion, Action Construction Equipment’s Vijay Agarwal, who has a net worth of $1.5 billion, and Rajendra Agarwal from Macleods Pharmaceuticals.
2. Gupta
40 people
Of the 1318 richest Indians, 40 had the surname Gupta. Some of India’s richest Guptas are the Gupta family which runs Lupin Pharmaceuticals, which collectively has a net worth of $2.9 billion, Trident founder Rajindar Gupta who had a net worth of $1.8 billion, and Vinod Rai Gupta and Anil Rai Gupta from Havells India.
3. Reddy
34 people
The Reddy surname is common in the south Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and they’re a prosperous community. Reddy is the third most common surname among Indians with a net worth of more than Rs. 1,000 crore. Some of the richest people with the Reddy surname in India are the Reddy family from Dr. Reddy’s Labs, who have a net worth of $3 billion, PP Reddy and PV Krishna Reddy from Megha Engineering Enterprises, and PV Ramprasad Reddy from Aurobindo Pharma.
4. Singh
30 people
Singh is a popular surname in North India, and it is the fourth most common surname among the richest Indians. Some of the richest Indians with the Singh surname are DLF Chairman KP Singh, who has a net worth of over $20 billion, the Singh family which is the promoter of Alkem Laboratories.
5. Patel
30 people
Patel was the 5th most common surname among the richest Indians. Some of the richest Patels are the Patels family which runs Cadila Healthcare, and has a net worth of $6 billion, Pankaj Patel from Zadila Lifesciences and Nirma founder Karsanbhai Patel.
6. Jain
30 people
The Jain community is thought to be one of the most prosperous in India, and they make their mark on the rich lists. As many as 30 people in the list of the richest Indians have the surname Jain. Amongst the richest Jains are the Jain family which owns the Times of India Group in India with a net worth of $1.75 billion, and InoxGFL group founder Vivek Jain.
7. Shah
28 people
Shah is the 7th most common surname among India’s richest people. Some of the richest Shahs are AIA Engineering founder Bhadresh Shah and Freecharge and Cred founder Kunal Shah.
8. Kumar
22 people
Kumar is the eighth most common surname among Indians with a net worth of more than Rs. 1000 crore.
9. Mehta
16 people
Mehta is the ninth most common surname among Indians with a net worth of more than Rs. 1000 crore. Some of the richest Indians with the Mehta surname are Rajesh Mehta of jewelry company Rajesh exports, who has a net worth of $2.6 billion, and Torrent Group’s Sudhir and Samir Mehta.
10. Rao
15 people
Popular south Indian surname Rao is the 10th most common surname among Indians with a net worth of more than Rs. 1000 crore. Among the richest Raos is GMR’s GM Rao, with a net worth of $2.9 billion, and Jupally Rameshwar Rao, founder of My Home Constructions, who has a net worth of $2.2 billion.
The richest surnames from ranks 11 to 20 were:
11. Bansal
12. Parekh
13. Desai
14. Mittal
15. Goel
16. Goenka
17. Dholakia
18. Thakkar
19. Sanghvi
20. Poddar