Navab

Navab is a transliteration variant of Nawab, a historic title and, in some contexts, a surname. The term derives from the Persian nā’ib meaning deputy, passed into Urdu as nāwāb and used to designate a provincial governor or high noble in the Mughal Empire and in various South Asian polities. Nawabs enjoyed ceremonial and political authority under imperial suzerainty, and many ruled from princely states or held key regional positions. Notable areas associated with Nawabs include Bengal, Awadh (Oudh), and the Carnatic region, among others. With the rise of British influence in India, the title continued in use for rulers of princely states, though sovereignty was increasingly constrained by colonial authority. In English, the word nabob emerged to describe a person who had acquired wealth and power in the East, sometimes used pejoratively, while the local title Nawab remained the formal designation of rank.

In contemporary usage, Navab or Nawab also appears as a surname and, less commonly, as a given name among Persian-, Indian-, Pakistani-, and Afghan-origin communities. Spelling variants reflect transliteration into different languages and cultural contexts. While the ceremonial and administrative roles associated with the title are historical, the word remains a marker of noble status in historical discussions and appears in literature and historiography as part of the scholarship on Mughal and South Asian governance.