Desai ([d̪eːsaːiː]) is an administrative, princely or honorary title and surname
The word is derived from the Sanskrit words deśa- 'land' and pati meaning 'lord'.
Desai, or rather a loftier compound, was a rare title for rulers a few princely states, notably :Desai Shri in Patdi (the former Viramgam State), in Eastern Kathiawar, where Desai was also the name of the Rajput ruling family, which belongs to the Desai clan of Kadwa Patidar.Raja Sar Desai in the Maratha Savantvadi State from 1627 until the adoption of Raja Bahadur in 1763Just Desai is also an honorary title conferred to Reddy caste of Telangana by the Nizam of Hyderabad for holding large amounts of land and also as a mark of their ruling of samsthanas.Most people with Desai last name belong to Deshastha Brahmin and Anavil Brahmin community of south Gujarat.
Notable individuals with the surname Desai :
Public offices Gopaldas Ambaidas Desai – Politician and former Prince of DhasaKrishna Desai – CPI politicianMorarji Desai – Prime Minister of India (1977–79)Mahadev Desai – Secretary to Mahatma GandhiS. T. Desai – Chief Justice of GujaratCulture and ScienceAnoop Desai – American singerEbrahim Desai – Islamic scholarKiran Desai – AuthorKishwar Desai - AuthorManmohan Desai – DirectorMeghnad Desai, Baron Desai – EconomistNitin Chandrakant Desai – Art directorPadma Desai – EconomistRanjit Desai – Popular Marathi writerRavish Desai – ActorSalil Desai - AuthorAnita Desai – Author, mother of author Kiran DesaiBindu Desai – ActressKrutika Desai – ActressPrachi Desai – ActressRashami Desai - ActressRenu Desai – ActressTina Desai – ActressOtherC. D. Desai – Banker and philatelistBhairavi Desai – American labor union leaderDigvijay Desai – Shell Flowline Engineer and Dilbert aficionadoMavjibhai Desai – Vice chairman of Banas DairyRamakant Desai - Cricket player, India's first fast bowlerSubhash Desai – Shivsena leaderUmedram Lalbhai Desai – Physician