The clan name Gautam means "descendant of Gautam or one who has most light", "Gautama" meaning "one who has the most light,"[6] and comes from the fact that
Kshatriya clans adopted the gotra of their ancestors.[7][need quotation to verify]
^Singh, Ram Bali (1975). Rajput Clan-settlements in Varanasi District. National Geographical Society of India. p. 61.
^Singh, Ram Bali (1977). Clan Settlements in the Saran Plain (Middle Ganga Valley): A Study in Cultural Geography. National Geographical Society of India, Banaras Hindu University. p. 145.