Chawla, also spelled Chowla, is a surname of Punjabi and Sindhi Hindus and Sikhs of India. It originates from the name of a clan of the Arora caste, likely stemming from the crop word chawal, which means rice.[1]

Notable people

Notable people with the surname, who may or may not be affiliated with the clan/religions, include:

Other uses

  • Chawla (crater), a lunar crater named after Kalpana Chawla.
  • Rakshata Chawla, a fictional character in the Japanese science fiction anime series Code Geass

References

  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Coates, Richard; McClure, Peter, eds. (2016). The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 480. ISBN 978-0-19-967776-4. Chawla: ... Indian (Panjab): Hindu (Arora) and Sikh name, based on the name of a clan in the Arora community, which is apparently named with čāwəl 'rice'.