Patel

Patel is an Indian surname, predominantly in the state of Gujarat, India, representing a community of farmers and later (with the British East India Company) agriculturalists and merchants. The surname was a status name referring to village chieftains during medieval ages, and was later adopted by various communities of land owners, including among Patidars, Kolis, some Parsis and Muslims. Currently, there are two major branches of people bearing the surname: Leuva and Kadva. The branches are distinguished mainly by geographic location and varying cultural practices. There are roughly 500,000 Patels outside India, including 150,000 in Britain and 150,000 in the US. Nearly 1 in 10 people of Indian origin in the US is a Patel.

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