Raj Family History

Indian (northern and southern states): from a personal name based on Sanskrit rājā ‘king’. In the northern states it probably evolved into a surname from use as the final element of a compound personal name such as Prithviraj ‘king of the earth’. Among Tamil and Malayalam speakers who have migrated from their home states it is a variant of Rajan.

— Note: Since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames the southern Indian name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.

Polish: nickname from raj ‘heaven paradise’ or a derivative of the verb raić ‘to pander’.

Slovenian: probably a nickname from raj ‘heaven paradise’.

Compare Ray.