The Colombo Chetty Lineages in Sri Lanka in Recent Centuries

NAREN CHITTY in Sydney has kindly and helpfully responded to my QUERY and provided a list of COLOMBO CHETTY SURNAMES/LINEAGES that can be found in Sri Lanka over the past few centuries. Quite a revelation!! Many  more names than I was aware of. I anote m also appending the DIGITAL Webnote re this collective identity….. Michael Roberts

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the list from WorldGenWeb: Sri Lanka Colombo Chetty Family Genealogy

Family Names of Colombo Chetty’s of Sri Lanka

ALLES (Also used by Sinhalese)

ADAMAN

ANANDAPPA

ANANDAPULLE

ASERAPPA

AMMIAPPA

BABAPULLE

BRITO (Also used by Tamils)

BRITO BABAPULLE

BRITO MUTUNAYAGAM

CADIRAMEN

CADERAMENPULLE

CANDAPPA (Kandappa when used as a Tamil name)

CANJEMENADEN

CASIE CHETTY

CASIE CHITTY

CHITTY

CHRISTY DAVID

COREA

DAVID (Also a Tamil name)

DE COSTA

DE MELHO

DE ROSAIRO

FERNANDOPULLE

GNANAMUTTUPULLE

KAITHANPULLE

MASSILAMANY (Massilamani when used by Tamils)

MUDIAPPA

MURUGAPPA

MUTTUPULLE

MUTTUKRISHNA (also used by Tamils)

MUTTUKISTNA

ONDAATJIE

PERUMAL (Should be coupled with Ayam or Rodrigo Muniyaram A or RM)

PERERAPULLE

PULLE

PULLENEYEGAM

PULLE TISSERA

RAMANADEN (Ramanathan when used by Tamils)

RAMANATHAPULLE

REVELPULLE

RODRIGO (also used by Tamils)

RODRIGOPULLE

SAVERIMUTTUPULLE

SAVERIMUTHAPULLE

SAVUNDRANAYAGAM (Savundaranayagam when used by Tamils)

SILVAPULLE

SILVESTERPULLE

THEVARAYAN

TISSERA  (also used by Burghers and Sinhalese)

TISSERAPULLE

VINDURAMPULLE

WANNIAPPA

WEERAPPA

Here are some other sites I found today: https://colombochetty.com/

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A WIKIPEDIA NOTE re this ETHNIC CATEGORY

Distinct ethnic group in Sri Lanka
The Colombo Chetties are   are distinct ethnic group in Sri Lanka, originally from South Indian merchant castes, particularly the Tana Vaisya. They migrated to Sri Lanka during the colonial period under Portuguese, Dutch, and British rule, primarily for trade and commerce. Historically, they were known for their financial acumen and played significant roles in intra Asian trade networks. Today, they are recognized as separate ethnic group, with population primarily concentrated in the Western Province, especially in Colombo. The term “Chetty” is derived from the Pali term “Setthi,” referring to merchants, and they have rich cultural heritage influenced by their Indian roots and colonial influences. 

A THUPPAHI FIND ON WEB: “History of the Chetty Community” …

The Chetties are community domiciled in the Western, North Western and Southern Provinces. Today, there are around 150,000 Chetties in Sri Lanka with higher populations in the Western and North Western Provinces.

Chetties can be interpreted as Setti or Setthi in Pali, Hetti, Situ or Sitana in Sinhalese and Etti in Tamil. In his book, “Recollections of Ceylon” Selkirk states that Chetties comes from a nobility tribe named Tana Vaisyas. The ancestors of the Chetties came to Ceylon from the regions of Madura, Malabar, Nagapatam and Coromandel Coasts. According to the records in “Social History of Early Ceylon” by Prof. H. Ellawela the Chetties first came to Sri Lanka just after the arrival of Prince Vijaya and his followers. Not all Chetties arrived to Sri Lanka during the same period. Neither did they settle in the same locality.

In more recent records it is stated that the descendants of the Colombo Chetty community were a class of traders who identified themselves from pre-Portuguese times with commercial activities which eventually gave rise to their migration to Sri Lanka. The names of these Chetties are recorded in the Portuguese Thombu of Littoral of 1613-15 and in the Head, Land and School Thombus.

It is stated that the Chetties did not come as ruthless invaders who despoiled ancient architecture, nor as blood thirsty warriors with brutal and predatory instincts, but as men of peace and goodwill. They were noted to possess strong religious zeal and high sense of tradition that’s over three thousand year old and are common to both Aryans and Dravidians.

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One response to “The Colombo Chetty Lineages in Sri Lanka in Recent Centuries

  1. Suvendrini

    Thank you for this. I belong in the Brito-Mutunayagam family. Since I am compiling a family tree and referencing most of these names. I am most grateful. I have found the Sri Lanka Genealogy Websitehttps://www.worldgenweb.org/lkawgw/index.html webmaster Fazli Sameer very helpful, and https://colombochetty.com// put up by Ben Anandappa too.

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