*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Khan

As a surname, via Hindustani خان (xān) / ख़ान (xān), from Classical Persian خَان (xān), from Turkic. As a title, a proper noun form of khan.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A male given name used extensively among Muslims of South Asia. · A surname derived from the given name.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

As a surname, via Hindustani خان (xān) / ख़ान (xān), from Classical Persian خَان (xān), from Turkic. As a title, a proper noun form of khan.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "inc-hnd"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindustani"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa-cls",
        "3": "خَان"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Persian خَان (xān)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "trk"
      },
      "expansion": "Turkic"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "خان",
      "خان#Urdu"
    ],
    [
      "ख़ान",
      "ख़ान#Hindi"
    ],
    [
      "خَان",
      "خان#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "khan",
      "khan"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A male given name used extensively among Muslims of South Asia.",
        "A surname derived from the given name."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "efd8cc1a92cdcc351fc2d77b48eb1bca25c9c151d66befcfaf6d67f7e6739866",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0f14b3896644098c68b3e3705250bbfc374bac44aa783d52e70ed53edcebba76",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328124
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Khan →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-S2hhbg