Answer

In Madhya Pradesh, many Jain families use surnames that are also common among wider Indian communities. A surname alone does not always prove whether someone is Jain, but some surnames are commonly found among Jain communities in Madhya Pradesh.

Common Jain surnames in Madhya Pradesh include:

• Jain
• Agrawal
• Oswal
• Porwal
• Doshi
• Shah
• Seth / Sethia
• Patni
• Chhajed
• Kothari
• Gandhi
• Bhandari
• Lodha
• Mehta
• Singhai
• Kasliwal
• Badjatya
• Gadia
• Surana
• Sogani

Explanation

Madhya Pradesh has both Digambar and Shwetambar Jain communities. Many Jain surnames are connected with traditional Jain merchant, scholar, and household communities.

However, the same surname may be used by Jain and non-Jain families. For example, surnames like Agrawal, Shah, Mehta, Gandhi, Kothari may be found among different religious communities too.

Takeaway

The most direct Jain surname is usually “Jain”, but many Madhya Pradesh Jain families also use community or family surnames like Porwal, Oswal, Agrawal, Kothari, Bhandari, Singhai, and others.