What is the Gotra of Sharma Surname? (शर्मा)
What is the gotra of the Sharma surname? The answer depends on your ancestral sub-community and family village records. While Shandilya and Bharadwaj are the most frequent, families should verify whether their paternal line descends from Shandilya, Bharadwaj, Vashishtha, or Kashyapa.
Important: Multiple Gotras for Sharma
The surname "Sharma" is traditionally an honorific title for Vedic Brahmins and is used across multiple sub-traditions (Gaur, Kanyakubja, Saraswat, Sarayupareen, Maithil, and Sanadhya). Consequently, individuals with the surname Sharma do not all share one single gotra. Instead, the surname maps to several classical Vedic gotras, most commonly Shandilya, Bharadwaj, Vashishtha, and Kashyapa.
Possible Mapped Gotras:
- Shandilya Gotra (शांडिल्य) — Brahmin (Kanyakubja, Gaur, Saraswat) (Very prevalent among Kanyakubja, Gaur, and Maithil Brahmins.)
- Bharadwaj Gotra (भारद्वाज) — Brahmin (Gaur, Sarayupareen, Saraswat) (Common among Gaur, Sarayupareen, and South Indian Brahmin families.)
- Vashishtha Gotra (वशिष्ठ) — Brahmin (Saraswat, Gaur, Sanadhya) (Prevalent among Saraswat, Gaur, and Sanadhya traditions.)
- Kashyapa Gotra (कश्यप) — Brahmin (Pan-Indian) (Found widely across North, Central, and Eastern Indian Brahmin families.)
Prevalent Communities & Regions
Associated Communities: brahmin, brahmin gaur, brahmin kanyakubja, brahmin saraswat, brahmin sarayupareen, brahmin maithil
Historical Regions: Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi (NCR), Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand