Chughtai or Chagatai (Urdu, Persian: چغتائی; Turkish: Çağatay,) is a family name that originated in the Chagatai Khanate as taken up by the descendants and successors of Chagatai Khan who was the second son of Mongol Emperor Genghis Khan.
[1] Accordingly, some of the other descendants of the successors of Chagatai Khan in South and Central Asia use variants such as Mirza, Baig and Khan.
[2][3] The surname “Chughtai” originates from the Mongolian word “Chaghadai”, a derivative of “Chagan” meaning “white”.
The suffix “-dai” is added to form “Chaghadai”.
Over time, “Chaghadai” evolved into “Chughtai”, meaning, “he who is white”.