What is "baral"

Baral is a surname found in people from Nepal, Bhutan, India, and individuals of Persian ancestry.

There are over 100,000 Nepalese Barals who mainly Khas people constitute of the over 80% Brahmin 15% Chhetri and 5% magar castes in Nepal.

The surname Baral is found predominantly in India in individuals from Orissa and Bengal. Many Barals are also found in Israel, Europe, USA and in Latin America. The vast majority of non-South Asian Barals are of Persian ancestry.

There is no tangible historical evidence as to the place of origin of the Indian, Persian and Magar Barals or how such diverse groups of people came to share the same surname. It has been speculated that the Indian and Persian Barals may share a common ancestry somewhere along the line, although it is not clear whether the Indians are Persian descendants or vice versa, thereby making any assumption intangible.

There is also a separate group of Jewish Barals with a name potentially derived from the Israeli Bar-el. Barals tend to represent Ashkenazi Jews and were predominantly from Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union.