Joshi

Joshi (occasionally transliterated as "Zoshi") is a surname with its origins in India & Nepal. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word jyotiṣi, prakritised as joiśī, "a practitioner of astrology" i.e. "astrologer". People with this surname are descended from a Brahmin caste of village priests and astrologer. Joshi is a common family name for Brahmins in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Konkan and Goa. In Nepal, it is a common family name for a Newar or a Khas-Brahmin.

In the Marathi populated Deccan, the last name Joshi is pronounced as ज़ोशी (dental J) as opposed to जोशी in rest of India and Nepal. In Karnataka, Joshi is sometimes pronounced as Joyisa or Joisa. In old Konkani language,its joyshi,but now commonly Joshi..In the region of Kerala the same becomes known as Jotsyan or Jyotsyar, a title among traditional astrologers of Kaniyar community.