Raj

Indian (northern and southern states): Hindu name from Sanskrit rājā ‘king’. In the northern states, it probably evolved into a family name from use as the final element of a compound personal name such as Prithviraj ‘king of the earth’. In South India it is used only as a male given name, but it has come to be used as a family name in the U.S. among people from South India. Among Tamil and Malayalam speakers who have migrated from their home states, it is a variant of Rajan.