Kamat

Kamat (also spelt as Kamath) is a common surname amongst the Konkani Saraswat Brahmins of the Konkan coast of India in the states of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. They usually speak Konkani and is considered as their mother tongue. And most often Kannada or Tulu as their secondary language. The surname is believed to be derived from kaali maTTaachi which means people from Kali Math. Another opinion holds that it was derived from profession as many Konkani Saraswat Brahmin names are Kamats were said to be land owners among Konkani Saraswat families - the name could have been derived from "kaam mathichen", meaning work of the soil.

Variations

Kamat is a common surname of Konkani Saraswat Brahmins and of a few Konkani Roman Catholics of Goa and Canara. "Kamat" is mostly used in Goa, around the Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, and Konkan in Maharashtra. Kamath is used by Brahmins around Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka. "Camotim" was used in the erstwhile Portuguese territory of Goa but has given way to "Kamat" today.[1] "Camat" word is still in use in Indonesia which was a Portuguese colony at some point of time in the history. In Indonesia "Camat" means administrative and political head of the sub-district or taluk. Taluk may be said as kecamatan (spelled as ke-chamatan). The name is also in use among some Konkani Catholics who trace their ancestry to the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of Goa.[2]

There are many GSB and RSB families, original "Kamats" from Goa who migrated to Maharashtra in the 16th Century during the Portuguese rule and they adopted the place name from Goa where they originally belonged to.

Notable people

The following is a list of notable people with last name Kamath/Kamat.

Citations

  1. Saradesāya 2000, p. 24
  2. Sarasvati's Children: A History of the Mangalorean Christians, Alan Machado Prabhu, I.J.A. Publications, 1999, p. 137
  3. Late Dr. K. L. Kamat
  4. Riya Chakravarty (May 3, 2013). "Indian cinema@100: First women on screen: Durgabai Kamat and her daughter Kamlabai Ghokhle". NDTV. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  5. "Vikram Gokhale has an illustrious family lineage". The Times of India. Jan 23, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.

References

External links

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