Mirza Tajamul Baig Badakhshani! Yes I know thats pretty long name :)
I, for long now have had a few ideas about the what and where-from of the parts of my name. I can gladly admit most of my preconceptions seem to be correct. I had been curious to try and understand how I got such a name and what it means, if at all anything. I have been told stories about my forefathers having come from Persia, and then more recently from Afghanistan with the Mughals (I am not sure if we were Mughals or not).
With a little help from these stories it is pretty much easy to comprehend the origins of each of the parts of my name. Well yes, except for the part that says Tajamul, thats because it is my given name.
Although I did have a vague idea about the origins of some of the parts of my name, but I was in for some surprise. Quite recently I was made aware of a much deeper Persian connection than I had ever imagined when one of my friends from Iran wanted to know if I was from the royal family.
A few minutes back I gladly fumbled upon some literature on Wikipedia which explains my name to me, and I must admit it sounds very convinsing.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirza) : -
The title Mirza (Persian: ميرزا - Mīrzā) is used for a member of a royal family descent or a member of the highest aristocracy. The name Mirza is still in use today by members of ruling or formerly ruling princely and royal houses all over the world. The Mirza is a caste of Mughals. The Mirza title was also given to Muslim Warriors during the Mughal rule and to other noblemen loyal to the king.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baig) : -
The name Baig is derived from the Turkic word Beg or Bey, which means chieftain or chief (i.e leader/commander.) Baig was a title given to honorary members of the Barlas clan, and was used as the family name for their children. The members of the Mughal Dynasty belonged to the Barlas clans and "Baigs" were high ranking military leaders and advisors to the Mughal Royal Families. Baigs occupied the upper echelons of society in the conquered parts of South Asia.
Baig was also used as a military rank in the Ottoman Empire.
The diaspora of Baig's can be found in India/Pakistan, Iran, Central Asia, Turkey, Former Yugoslav and the Balkans. Significant immigrant populations in Canada, US, UK, Europe
For the Mughal use, the honorific title Mirza (Persian: ميرزا) was added before the given name for all the males and 'Baig' (Persian: بیگ) was added as a family name.
Historically Mirza (as the title), The Given Name, and Baig (as the surname), was the naming style for the Baigs who settled in Mughal South Asia. For example: 'Mirza Mansur Baig'.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badakhshan) : -
Badakhshan (Persian: بدخشان, Tajik: Бадахшон) is an historic region comprising parts of what is now northeastern Afghanistan and southeastern Tajikistan. The name is retained in Badakhshan Province which is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the far northeast of Afghanistan, and contains the Wakhan Corridor. Much of historic Badakhshan lies within Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province located in the in south-eastern part of the country. The music of Badakhshan is an important part of the region's cultural heritage.
