De (surname)

De or Dey (দে), is a native Bengali surname commonly used by the Bengali Hindu community of India and Bangladesh. De/Dey is derived from the last name Deb/Dev or Deva. The surname has been associated mainly with Bengali Kayasthas, but is also found among Suvarna Banik, Teli, Barujibi and some other castes of Bengal.

In 12th–13th century, a Bengali Hindu dynasty Deva ruled over eastern Bengal after the Sena dynasty. The capital of this dynasty was Bikrampur in present-day Munshiganj district of Bangladesh. This Hindu Vaishnava dynasty is different from an earlier Buddhist Deva dynasty (c. 8th–9th century) of Samatata, whose capital was Devaparvata. Four rulers of this dynasty are known from the inscriptions: Shantideva, Viradeva, Anandadeva and Bhavadeva.

Academics

 * Barun Dey (1932–2013), historian
 * Bishnu Dey (1909–1982), poet
 * Chandra Kumar De (1889–1946), Indian folklorist
 * Harinath De (1877–1911), linguist
 * Kanny Lall Dey (1831–1899), chemist
 * Sambhu Nath De, (1915–1985), scientist
 * Sushil Kumar De, Sanskritist
 * Shobhaa De (1948), writer

Artists

 * Manishi Dey (1906–1989), artist
 * Mukul Dey (1895–1989), artist
 * Rani Chanda (née Dey) (1912–1997), artist

Bar and the Bench

 * Niren De, lawyer

Businessmen

 * Ramdulal Dey (Sarkar) (1752–1825)

Civil Servants

 * Brajendranath Dey (1852–1932), ICS officer

Films

 * Deepankar De (1944), actor
 * Gita Dey (1931–2011), actress
 * Sreejita De (1989), actress
 * Susan Dey (1952), actress

Journalists

 * Lal Behari Dey (Mondal) (1824–1892), Indian journalist and author

Music

 * K.C. Dey, (1893–1962), Singer
 * Manna Dey (1919–2013), Indian singer
 * Mohini Dey (1996), Bengali Indian bass player, singer and song writer

Social Reformers

 * Saroj Nalini Dutt (née Dey), M.B.E., (1887–1925), social worker

Spiritual Leaders

 * A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, born Abhay Charan De (1896–1977), spiritual teacher and founder of ISKCON

Sports

 * Krishanu Dey (1962–2003), Indian football player