{{short description|Name list}} '''Prakash''' is a common masculine given name and surname in South Asia, widely used in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. The word prakash is derived from the Sanskrit word {{lang|sa-Latn|prakāśa}}, meaning "bright light" or "sun light" or "moon light" or "light", from a combination of {{lang|sa-Latn|pra}} meaning "forth" and {{lang|sa-Latn|kāśa}} meaning "shining." Hence the meaning "luminous; shining forth". Metaphorically, it designates the person as a source of enlightenment or wisdom.
==Given name== Notable persons with this given name include: * Prakash (film director), Kannada film director * Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar (born 1954), Indian politician from Maharashtra * Prakash Amritraj (born 1983), Indian tennis player * Prakash Amte, Indian medical doctor and social worker * Prakash Bare, Indian Malayalam actor * Prakash Bhandari (born 1935), Indian cricketer * Prakash Dahake, Indian politician from Maharashtra * Prakash Javadekar (born 1951), Indian politician from Madhya Pradesh * Prakash Jha (born 1952), Indian film producer-director-screenwriter * Prakash John (born 1947), Canadian rock bassist * Prakash Karat (born 1948), Indian communist politician * Prakash Mehra (1939–2009), Indian Hindi film producer and director * Prakash Munda, Indian cricketer * Prakash Padukone (born 1955), Indian badminton player * Prakash Persad, Trinidad and Tobago politician * Prakash Raj (born 1965), Indian film actor, director, producer and television presenter * Prakash Vir Shastri (1923–1977), Indian politician from Uttar Pradesh * Prakash Kumar Singh chairman of Steel Authority of India Limited
==Surname== * Aditya Prakash (architect) (1924–2008), Indian architect, painter, and author * Aditya Prakash (badminton) (born 1990), Indian badminton player * Amrita Prakash (born 1987), Indian actress in Hindi cinema * Balaji Prakash (born 1968), Indian structural biologist and biochemist * Cedric Prakash (born 1951), Indian Catholic priest and human rights activist * Jose Prakash (1925–2012), Indian actor and singer in Malayalam cinema * Khemchand Prakash (1907–1950), Indian musical composer for the Hindi film industry * Madappa Prakash (born 1953), Indian-American physicist * Neil Prakash, also known as Abu Khaled al-Cambodi (Arabic: أبو خالد الكمبودي), an Australian-born member of the Islamic State group * Satya Prakash (physicist) (born 1929), Indian physicist * Tejasswi Prakash (born 1993), Indian actress in Hindi television * Uday Prakash (born 1952), Indian author, scholar, and journalist * Varshini Prakash, American climate activist
== See also == * ''Prakash'' (film), 2022 Nepali film * Prakasam district, a district in Andhra Pradesh, India
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Category:Indian masculine given names Category:Masculine given names Category:Nepalese masculine given names Category:Surnames of Indian origin