Pillai (surname)

For the title, see Pillai (Kerala title).

Pillai or Pillay, (IPA: [piɭːai̯]) meaning "Child of King" (Prince) or "Child",[1] is a surname found among the Malayalam and Tamil-speaking people of India and Sri Lanka.

In Kerala, Pillai is the most common title among upper-caste Nairs,[2][3] often bestowed by the ruling royal families of Kerala[3] and less commonly found among some Brahmins,[4] Nazrani Mappila and Marars of travancore.[3][5]

In Tamil Nadu, it is a common surname among various Vellalar subcastes.[6] It is also used by many Tamil-speaking castes, including Chetti, Rowther, Isai Vellalar, Agamudayar, etc.[7] A minority population of Tamil Pillais, including Vellala, Chetti and Rowther, have migrated and can be found in some parts of Kerala and Karnataka.

In general, the concept of "the Pillai title of Kerala" and "the Pillai surname of Tamilnadu" have two different meanings and no direct relation with each other.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a Kshatriya (Pillai Ilampel Pandarathil mentioned in Mark de Lannoy Kulasekhara Perumals of Travancore, Page 6 at para2
  3. ^ a b c Shungoonny Menon, P. (1998). History of Travancore from the earliest times (2nd AES repr. [d.Ausg.] Madras, Higginbotham, 1878 ed.). New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. ISBN 978-81-206-0169-7.
  4. ^ a Brahmin (Pillai Idathara Potti) mentioned in Mark de Lannoy, Kulasekhara Perumals of Travancore, Page 6 at para2
  5. ^ A handbook of Kerala. 2 (1st ed.). Thiruvananthapuram: International School of Dravidian Linguistics. 2002. ISBN 978-81-85692-31-9.
  6. ^ Pandian, Jacob (1987). Caste, Nationalism and Ethnicity: An Interpretation of Tamil Cultural History and Social Order. Popular Prakashan. p. 110. ISBN 9780861321360.
  7. ^ Pfister, Raymond (1995). Soixante ans de pentecôtisme en Alsace (1930-1990): une approche socio-historique. P. Lang. p. 166. ISBN 9783631486207.