Kamat

Kamath or Kamat is a common surname amongst the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of the Konkan and Malabar coasts of India in the states of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra. They usually speak Konkani and is considered as their mother tongue. And most often Marathi or Kannada as their secondary language. The surname is believed to be derived from kaali maTTaachi which means people from Kali Math. The intelligence of the Kamats is attributed to their ancestors, who spent time in the Math learning from the goddess Kali. Another opinion holds that it was derived from profession as many GSB names are Kamats were said to be land owners among GSB families - the name could have been derived from "kaam mathichen", meaning work of the soil. The Konkani meaning of "Kamot" seems to be "cultivator". However, in modern times, the surname is no more linked to profession.

Variations

Kamat is a common surname of Goud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) and of a few Konkani Roman Catholics of Goa and Canara. "Kamat" is mostly used in Goa, around the Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, and Konkan in Maharashtra. Kamath is used around Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka and also in Kerala. "Camotim" was used in the erstwhile Portuguese territory of Goa but has given way to "Kamat" today. The name is also in use among some Konkani Catholics...
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