Banu Family History

Muslim (Indian subcontinent): from Persian bānū ‘lady mistress’. This is a respectful term of address normally used with a Muslim woman's personal name. Compare Bano — Note: Originally this is not a surname although a woman without another surname might use it as her last name.

In any case it was registered as a surname after immigration of its bearers to the US. Romanian: from the medieval title ban (see Ban) denoting a chief of the territorial unit called banat + the definite article -u(l).