Bhat (surname)

Bhat (Hindi: भट (Devanagari), بھٹ (Nastaleeq)), also spelled as Butt (Pahari: بٹ), both of which are a shortened rendition of Bhatta, also spelled Bhatt, (Hindi: भट्ट (Devanagari), بھٹٹ (Nastaleeq)), is a common surname in India and Pakistan.

Historians state the surname is a distorted form of Bhatta, which originates from Sanskrit (भटट), meaning "scholar" according to the Brāhmaṇa. While the original shortened rendition of "Bhatta" was "Bhat" or "Bhatt," many of the migrants to the Punjab region started spelling their surname as "But" or "Butt" which is the spelling of the clan used in the Pahari language.

The Bhatt of South India were said to be invited there King Pratapa Rudra of the Kshatriya dynasty of Warangal (1295 to 1323) After the fall of this dynasty, the Bhatraju became court bards and entertainers for a number of Vellama and Reddi chiefs who had carved out small principalities for themselves in the Telegu country. The Bhatraju are now a Telugu speaking community.

The surname is in use among some Konkani Christians who trace their ancestry to the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of Goa.

This is a common surname among Goud Saraswat Brahmins and Havyaka Brahmins of Karnataka.

...
Wikipedia