pilai

Pilai is a transliteration variant of Pillai, a surname and honorific used among Tamil- and Malayalam-speaking communities in South Asia and in diaspora populations. The root Pillai originates in Tamil and Malayalam usage as an honorific meaning “descendant,” “child,” or “son,” and historically carried associations with status, landholding, or elder authority. In contemporary contexts, Pilai appears as a family name in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and among Sri Lankan Tamils and other South Asian communities, with the spelling preserved or adapted in diaspora communities.

Spelling variations arise from transliteration differences, colonial-era records, and migration. Today, Pilai functions primarily as a surname but may also be encountered as a given name in some individuals. The form is related to other variants such as Pillai and Pillay, reflecting the same root across different languages and regions. The Pilai identity is primarily genealogical and cultural, rather than representing a single, uniform caste or title in modern usage.