köken: Etymology tree Proto-New Indo-Aryan *𑀧𑀝𑁆𑀞𑀸𑀡 (*paṭṭhāṇa) Hindi पठान Inherited from Proto-New Indo-Aryan *𑀧𑀝𑁆𑀞𑀸𑀡 (*paṭṭhāṇa). Compare Punjabi ਪਠਾਣ (paṭhāṇ), Odia ପଠାଣ (paṭhāṇa), Gujarati પઠાણ (paṭhāṇ), Marathi पठाण (paṭhāṇ), Bengali পাঠান (paṭhan). Related to Pashto پښتانۀ (paẍtânë); see there for more.
köken: Most likely derived from *Parstāna- (compare Ashokan Prakrit *𑀧𑀝𑁆𑀞𑀸𑀦 (*paṭṭhāna) < *𑀧𑀱𑁆𑀝𑀸𑀦 (*paṣṭāna)), from Old Iranian *Parswāna-, with the basic stem *Parsū-; closely related to *Parθaʰ (“Parthian”) and Old Persian 𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿 (p-a-r-s /Pārsaʰ/, “Persian”), both from the earlier *Parsūa-, probably meaning "border or borderland" (in contrast to Media, meaning "central land"); cf. Sanskrit (Pāṇini)…