User:Arman57 Nayak

Nayak is a historic Indian title conferred on Sardars, who were governors of feudal states in the Middle Ages. Today it is also a surname.

As a title

 * The Nayak title was given by Vijayanagara rulers to their feudal subject rulers, who later established independent Nayak kingdoms after the downfall of the Vijayanagara Empire in South India.
 * Nayak title was given to the ministers of the Goan Kingdom.
 * Nayak title was conferred to the Hindu Sardars by rulers of Maratha Empire.
 * Nayak title was used by the Raja's of Phaltan State.
 * Even the British has adapted this title for their army personnel. Nayak was a title which was in force in Mysore especially for the army personnel of distinction.

As a surname
Today, the surname Nayak is used by various castes and ethnic groups across India. Gujarat-
 * In Assam some members of the aboriginal Keot(Kaibarta) community use Nayak as their surname.
 * In Goa and coastal parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra, members of the Saraswat Brahman community(SB, GSB, RSB, etc.) use this surname.
 * In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Nayak surname is adopted as surname by several tribal communities including Lambadis, Sugali, or Banjara.
 * The Muslim Siddis of Karnataka, use the surname Nayak which they received as title from Bijapur Kings.
 * In Konkan coast of Goa and Maharashtra, Nayak surname is used by Nayak Marathas.
 * In Maharashtra the surname Nayak is used by Marathas, CKPs, Chitpavan Brahmins, and Deshastha Brahmin communities.
 * In Tamil Nadu Vanniyar caste use Nayakkar, Naicker, Nayagar as Surname or Title.
 * In Andra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamilnadu and Orissa the people belongs to Golla caste are using the titleNayak.
 * In Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, other versions of the surnames such as Naidu and Naicker are used by people belonging to Kapu, Balija, Golla, Telaga, and Kamma castes.
 * In Raigarh region of chhattisgarh surname is used by people belongs to aghariya cast also people of this group write Naik, Patel, Nayak and Choudhary.
 * In Kerala, the Nair caste comes from Nayak(a) hailing from Northern India
 * Nayak is a privileged surname of the kshstriya or Khandayat caste of Odisha, comprising people who come from warrior classes and were anciently known for their heroism in battlefield.