Prabhu

{{wiktionary|Prabhu|prabu}} {{italic title}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} '''''Prabhu''''' means ''master'' or ''prince'' in Sanskrit and many of the Indian languages; it is a name sometimes applied to God.<ref name="BABA WORDS, The Master's Glossary, N-P">{{cite web | url=http://www.avatarmeherbaba.org/erics/glossn-p.html#p | title=BABA WORDS, The Master's Glossary, N-P | accessdate=29 July 2016 | author=Frank Davis}}</ref>

== Surname ==

Prabhu is a surname among Gaud saraswat Brahmins, saraswat Brahmins and other Brahmins across the Konkan Coast in India, from Karnataka and Maharashtra to Goa.<ref name="Prabhu Family History">{{cite web | url=http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=prabhu | title=Prabhu Family History | publisher=Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press | work=Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press | date=2013 | accessdate=29 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="Sarasvati's Children: A History of the Mangalorean Christians - Google Books">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UdTYAAAAMAAJ | title=Sarasvati's Children: A History of the Mangalorean Christians - Google Books | publisher=I.J.A. Publications, 1999 | author=Alan Machado | year=1999 | page=264 | isbn=9788186778258}}</ref>

==As a title== "Prabhu" as a title is mainly found among Gaud saraswat Brahmins, Saraswat Brahmins, Karhade Brahmins and other Brahmins in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Glk6AQAAIAAJ |title=The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 91, Part 3 |publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press |year=1970 |page=8 |quote=Prabhu is a title found amongst Saraswats, Karhade and other brahmins.}}</ref> Prabhu was a title accorded to the representative of the main village of the ''taluka'' (district) committee. The Prabhus may have also occupied official posts in the central administration, without prejudice to their original posts which were hereditary. Traditionally, a Prabhu was a village chief, Ministers, Zamindars, administrators, landlord and as such a master to the many agricultural labourers that were needed to cultivate his lands.<ref name="The Last Prabhu: A Hunt for Roots : DNA, Ancient Documents and Migration in Goa - Google Books">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4EclMwEACAAJ | title=The Last Prabhu: A Hunt for Roots : DNA, Ancient Documents and Migration in Goa - Google Books | publisher=Goa 1556, 2011 | author=Bernardo Elvino de Sousa | year=2011 | page=163 | isbn=9789380739151}}</ref>

==Notable people== * Prabhu (actor), Indian actor and film producer * Lakshman Prabhu, a minister in the court of the Silhara dynasty * Manohar Prabhu Parrikar (1955–2019), Indian politician * Suresh Prabhu (born 1953), Indian politician * Bolanthur Krishna Prabhu (1882–?), wrote ''Chandrahas Natak'' * Gayathri Prabhu (born 1974), Indian novelist * Girish Prabhu, Indian musician * {{ill|Uday Krishna Prabhu|qid=Q28043557}} (born 1954), Indian sprinter * Jaideep Prabhu (born 1967), professor * K. N. Prabhu (1923–2006) * Mamta Prabhu (born 1983), table tennis player * Manjiri Prabhu (born 1964), Indian author, TV producer and filmmaker * N. U. Prabhu (1924–2022), Indian-American mathematician * Neeraj Prabhu (born 1976), Indian-born former English cricketer * R.S. Prabhu (born 1950), Indian film producer and film director * Rakesh Prabhu, Indian cricketer * S. R. Prabhu, Indian film producer * Satyajit Prabhu, music arranger, composer, and multi-instrumentalist * Seetharam Prabhu (born 1964), Indian cricket umpire * Shashi Prabhu (born 1944), Indian architect * Srinivas Prabhu, actor * Sunil Prabhu (born 1969), Indian politician * Vasant K. Prabhu, professor * Vasant Prabhu (died 1968)

==See also== * Prabhu Communities, a group of distinct Hindu castes found in Maharashtra, India * Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1533) * A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896–1977), Indian spiritual teacher * ''Rani'', the Sanskrit word for "princess" * ''Prabhu'' (film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam-language film * ''Hey Prabhu!'', a 2019 Indian web TV show * {{look from}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Surnames Category:Surnames of Indian origin Category:Konkani-language surnames