Gowda

Gowda is a surname and traditional title in Karnataka, India. The term derives from the Kannada word gowda, or gōda, historically used to designate a village headman or chief. Over time, gowda became a hereditary surname associated with agrarian communities, most prominently the Vokkaliga.

Gowdas are most common in Karnataka, particularly in districts such as Mandya, Mysore, Hassan, and Bengaluru Rural, and in the Malnad region. The Vokkaliga, a major farming community in southern Karnataka, includes subgroups and lineages that identify with the Gowda surname. In both historical and contemporary contexts, Gowdas have been tied to rural administration, landholding, and regional social leadership, reflecting the community’s longstanding involvement in agricultural and local governance.

Notable individuals with the surname include Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda, commonly known as H. D. Deve Gowda, who served as Prime Minister of India from 1996 to 1997, and his son H. D. Kumaraswamy, a former Chief Minister of Karnataka. The Gowda surname appears across Kannada-speaking populations and among members of the broader Vokkaliga community, as well as in diaspora communities connected to Karnataka.

In summary, Gowda functions as both a hereditary title and a surname rooted in Karnataka’s agrarian social structure, with strong associations to the Vokkaliga community and regional leadership historically and in modern times.