>>Is Patel a common name? We have a fellow here who was indicted on charges of murdering his ex-wife. He was initially interviewed when her son reported her missing and later apprehended.
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>Yes, it is a community surname. Similarly I could use Thaker as my surname.

Which areas of India use the "son of" formulation for names? I knew somebody from Goa where the names went something like

A B and the son was
B C and the son was
C D etc.

(They are now American citizens and have adopted "our" naming conventions for future generations)

Is this common throughout India or only in that area?
Does the same thing happen with female names?