Mehta

Mehta is a Khatri Punjabi surname, some Gujratis are also called Mehta.[1]It means 'chief' or 'great' from Sanskrit mahita, which comes from mah- 'to praise or magnify'. In Gujarati it has also come to mean ‘teacher’ and ‘accountant’, probably because teachers and accountants were respectfully so addressed in Gujarat. Mehtas in Punjab, were usually heads of villages assigned by the King. In recent years, people have dropped their original surnames and taken up "Mehta" as their surname which was a title given to the head of their family. Guru Nanak's father was called "Mehta Kalu". Mehtas can belong to Hinduism or Jainism and speak either Punjabi, Hindi or Gujurati.

Notable Mehtas

Notable individuals with this surname include:

• Madan Lal Mehta,*(1932-2006) Well known theoretical physicist in the field of random matrix theory, Relmagra, Udaipur,India.
• Narsinh Mehta, (1414 – 1481) well-known poet-saint of Gujarat, India.
• Pherozeshah Mehta, (1845–1915) Indian political leader, activist, and leading lawyer.
• Mehli Mehta, (1908–2002) Indian musician and founder of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra and father of Zarin and Zubin Mehta.
• Tyeb Mehta, (*1925) Indian painter
• Zarin Mehta, (*1938) executive director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and Zubin Mehta's brother.
• Zubin Mehta, (*1936) Indian conductor of Western classical music and Zarin Mehta's brother.
• Deepa Mehta, (*1950) Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter.
• Harshad Mehta, Indian Stockbroker.
• Gulshan Kumar Mehta, Indian lyricist.
• Bejun Mehta, (*1968) American countertenor
• Ved Mehta, Writer
• Vikram Bhagvandas Mehta, Indian mathematician.
• Hemant Mehta, American-born Indian Secularism & Atheism Believer, Author, Web Celebrity, Award Winner, and Neuqua Valley High School Math Teacher & Speech Team Coach

References

• Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
• Mehta Name Meaning and Origin - Ancestry.com