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PILAI Surname Meaning & Heritage Data

12,409th

Most common surname in India

995

People with this surname currently in the iMeUsWe database

History:

The gotras associated with this surname are aatreya, dadich, kasyapa, maadhalla and ravi. The Kuldevtas associated with this surname are amba-bai of kolhapur, kali, khandoba and tirupati balaji.

Description:

The surname Pilai, which is also spelled Pillai, is mainly found in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The religion associated with PILAI surname is hinduism. The communities associated with this surname are nair and pillai. The MotherTounge associated with this surname is tamil.
Historically, this surname is linked to different communities, especially the Nair community of Kerala. Ruling chiefs gave the Pilai title to important people in that community. In Tamil Nadu, the Pilai title was historically used by communities like the Vellalar community, who were involved in farming and owned land. How this surname was used and what it meant changed depending on the region and social setting, showing the different socio-economic roles it played. While many people use the name, it is most closely associated with the Nair and Vellalar communities.

The surname Pilai, which is also spelled Pillai, is most common in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Therefore, people with this surname often speak Tamil and Malayalam. The name has complex origins connected to historical social structures, as it was a title given to certain community leaders and administrators. Because of historical migrations within India and overseas, people who speak other languages, such as English, may also have this surname. However, Tamil and Malayalam are still the main languages linked to the origin and traditional use of this surname.

The surname "Pillai" has several variations, including Pillay, Pillie, Pile, Pyle, Pelai, Pelay, Pillainaicken, Pillaimar, and Pillan.

State-wise distribution of people with PILAI surname

from iMeUsWe Database

Gujarat state distribution for PILAI surname

Gujarat

92

Karnataka state distribution for PILAI surname

Karnataka

78

Andhra Pradesh state distribution for PILAI surname

Andhra Pradesh

39

Maharashtra state distribution for PILAI surname

Maharashtra

20

Tamil Nadu state distribution for PILAI surname

Tamil Nadu

11

Delhi state distribution for PILAI surname

Delhi

7

Rajasthan state distribution for PILAI surname

Rajasthan

7

Odisha state distribution for PILAI surname

Odisha

6

Assam state distribution for PILAI surname

Assam

2

Uttar Pradesh state distribution for PILAI surname

Uttar Pradesh

2

Category-wise distribution of people with PILAI surname

from iMeUsWe Database

People with the surname PILAI appear across 3 types of official government records in iMeUsWe's database — from electoral rolls to agricultural records — showing how widely distributed this surname is across Indian society.

Voters List category for PILAI surname

152 (57%)

Voters List

Food Distribution Records category for PILAI surname

99 (37%)

Food Distribution Records

Farmer Beneficiary Records category for PILAI surname

14 (5%)

Farmer Beneficiary Records

Frequently Asked Questions

PILAI families worship AMBA-BAI OF KOLHAPUR and KALI and KHANDOBA and TIRUPATI BALAJI as their Kuldevta (family deities).

The PILAI surname is found across multiple communities including Nair, Pillai communities.

The PILAI surname is primarily associated with the Hindu religion.

PILAI families belong to multiple gotras including AATREYA, DADICH, KASYAPA, MAADHALLA, RAVI.

Gujarat has the highest concentration of the PILAI surname with 92 records (34.8%).

The PILAI surname is written in TAMIL script.

PILAI is ranked #12409 in India with approximately 995 people bearing this surname.

The PILAI surname is found across 10 states, with the top 3 being Gujarat (34.8%), Karnataka (29.5%), Andhra Pradesh (14.8%).

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