Ranchal is a Punjabi surname in the Khatri clan of Punjab (India). Khatri is the Punjabi adaptation of Sanskrit word Kshatriya, a warrior tribe from the northern Indian subcontinent. As administrators and rulers, Kshatriya were assigned with protecting dharma, and serving humanity and the world. Over time, as a result of economic and political exigencies, they also expanded into other occupations.
The Ranchal community traces its origins to the King Nandchal who ruled the regions near Dera Baba Nanak at Ravi River in district Gurdaspur of Majha regions of the Punjab (India). These regions are historically connected with the composition of the Vedas, the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Puranas as well as more modern religious texts such as the Guru Granth Sahib.