Religion: Hindu / Christian/ Muslim

Language: Konkani

Regional Spread: Most Konkanis live in Goa. Some Konkani people are also settled along the Konkan coast with concentrated population in Mangalore, south coastal Maharashtra, north coastal Kerala and northern Karnataka.

Traditional Occupation: Mainly Farming. Konkanis are now increasingly moving towards tourism. The Konkani people in other states are mainly a business community. A large number of Konkanis have immigrated to the United States and other Western countries. Some Goan Konkanis also work in the oil and service industries in the Arab Gulf States.

Population: About 4.5 million

Food Habits: Some, though not all, Konkani Hindu Brahmins are known to eat fish. These are primarily Gowda Saraswat Brahmins ,Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins,Chitrapur Saraswath Brahmins.

Marriage Preference: Prefer marriage in their own community.

Famous Personalities:

• Guru Dutt – Noted Indian Actor and filmmaker
• Shyam Benegal - Indian Filmmaker
• Reita Faria - First Indian woman to win the Miss World title
• Girish Karnad - Noted actor, director, playwright
• Kalpana Lajmi - Indian Filmmaker, niece of Guru Dutt
• Shankar Nag - Indian actor and filmmaker
• Leena Chandavarkar - Former Indian actress
• Isha Koppikar - Actress
• Amrita Rao - Bollywood actress
• Remo Fernandes - Indian Pop legend and singer
• Gerard Da Cunha - Indian Architect.
• Rafiq Zakaria - Indian politician and Islamic Scholar
• George Fernandes - Former Defense Minister
• Dom Moraes - Celebrated Indian Poet, Writer and Journalist
• Nandan Nilekani - CEO, Infosys
• MV Kamath - Indian Journalist, Editor and Columnist
• Prakash Padukone - Indian Badminton Player'
• Vijay Mallya - Indian Business man and liquor baron
• Leander Paes - Internationally known Indian tennis player

History and Origin:
History of Konakis can be traced back to 4000 BC. These tribes are said to have moved to the region of present day Goa sometimes in 11th century AD. Well-documented history of Konkani people starts from the time of the Maratha empire in the 15th century. A large fraction of the population now live in the Konkan coastal pockets of the Ratnagiri and Sawantwadi districts of Maharashtra, Goa, and coastal Karnataka and Kerala. These settlements can be dated from the early 16th Century.

About Konkani:
The Konkani people are an Indian ethnic group. The word 'Konkani' is said to have been derived from "kum", meaning 'Mother Earth' and "Kana", meaning 'dust' or 'atom'. Konkani families are known to be large and extended. Most of the families have names like Kamath, Nayak, Bhat, Shanbhag, Puranik, Pai, Shenoy, Baliga, Acharya and Prabhu. Some of these names are derivatives of their profession or are conferred upon them by their Swami or religious head of the community. The Kamaths, Pais and the Shanbhags are known for their restaurants and hotels which are spread across the country.

Some Konkani population are called Daivadyna Brahmins who stay at the Karnataka-Goa border. Surnames start with Shet, Revankar, Palankar, Vernekar, Raikar. Most of them are traditional jewelers.