Sheikh (Bangladeshi Surname)

The surname "Sheikh" is prevalent in the Bengali Muslim community. It is from the Arabic word "Sheikh" ( Arabic: شيخ shaykh [ʃajx]), meaning elder, this word is also applied to those who are in a position of respect such as a leader, especially a religious leader or preacher. After the advent of Islam into the subcontinent, then eventually into Bengal, many Sufi Islamic preachers known as 'Pirs' and 'Dervishes' from places in Western Asia such as Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan had come to spread Islam in Bengal.[1][2][3] Notable amongst these Sufi Muslim preachers were Shah Jalal, Bayezid Bostami, Sultan Balkhi, and many other preachers had came to Bengal, all at different times. These preachers had been given the title of 'Sheikh', in Bengal, the title of a person's ancestor in society is the family name, the descendants of these Islamic preachers have the family name of 'Sheikh'. They are part of a larger social class in Bengal, known as the 'Khandan' or 'Sharif', the upper class of Bengali Muslim society.[4] Amongst, this class are families with surnames with a similar origin, being taken from the founder of the family's title, such as 'Khondaker', 'Syed', 'Kazi', 'Mirza', and more.[5]

• Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founder of Bangladesh
• Sheikh Hasina, Current PM of Bangladesh
• Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain, Judge in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh
• Sheikh Md Abdullah, Bangladeshi Politician, Minster of Religious Affairs
• Mohammad Naim Sheikh, Bangladeshi Cricketer
• Sheikh Abdullah Al-Muti, Bangladeshi educator and scientist
• Sheikh Abdul Hamid Madarshahi, Bangladeshi Islamic Scholar
• Sheikh Abdul Awal, Judge in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh
• Qudratullah Sheikh, Zamindar of Faridpur Mahakumar who defeated the British in court, ancestor of Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani
• Sheikh Enayetullah, Zamindar of Jalalpur Pargana (Barisal), Founder of Ahsan Manzil Zamindar Bari