MICHAEL RANA

English form of a common biblical name (meaning ‘who is like God?’ in Hebrew) borne by one of the archangels, the protector of the ancient Hebrews, who is also regarded as a saint of the Catholic Church. In the Middle Ages, Michael was regarded as captain of the heavenly host (see Revelation 12:7–9), symbol of the Church Militant, and patron of soldiers. He was often depicted bearing a flaming sword. The name is also borne by a Persian prince and ally of Belshazzar mentioned in the Book of Daniel. Since the early 1900s it has been one of the most enduringly popular boys' names in the English-speaking world. See also Michal.

Indian (Gujarat, Bombay city, and Rajasthan): Hindu and Parsi name meaning ‘king’ in modern Indian languages. Rana does not have a Sanskrit equivalent; it is probably a back-formation from rāṇī ‘queen’ (Sanskrit rājñī, based on the analogy that nouns ending in -ī and denoting females usually have masculine counterparts ending in -ā). The name Rana was used as a title by some Rajput kings. As a surname, it is now found among Rajputs as well as several other communities. It is cognate with the name Rane, which occurs in Maharashtra and Goa.