Agnihotri is an India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n surname

Surname

A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...

 derived from agni (fire) and hotra (a ritual carried out in fire). Agnihotri means "one who carries out rituals in fire", i.e. the agnihotra

Agnihotra

Agnihotra is a Vedic yajña performed in orthodox Hindu communities. It is mentioned in the Atharvaveda and described in detail in the Yajurveda Samhita and the Shatapatha Brahmana . The Vedic form of the ritual is still performed Nambudiri Brahmins of Kerala and by a small number of Vaidiki...

. It is a Brahmin

Brahmin

Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...

 surname common in parts of Northern India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.
'Agnihotri' is also an epitheton for the god Agni

Agni

Agni is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods...

, the god of fire. At the same time he's also the lord of the sacrifices that have been carried out in fire. One of the translations of Agnihotri is the lord of the sacrifices in fire.

Other Uses

‘Agnihotri’ should be a Brahmin, selected by God/Guru. He may be a celibate or a householder. If a householder becomes a widow or a widower, she/he cannot perform as ‘Agnihotri’. The ‘Agnihotri’ has to worship the Lord as an ideal householder. He can not beg even for his own livelihood. When his right hand remains occupied with offerings to the Lord Yagna Naarayan every morning and evening, how can he extend it for begging? In fact, the last ‘Aahuti’ of the ‘Agnihotri’ is the sacrifice of his own body to the Lord.

Notable Agnihotris

• Rajesh Agnihotri (MD & CEO (Vandana Air Travels Pvt. Ltd.))
• Yatish Bhaskar Agnihotri
• Atul Agnihotri
  Atul Agnihotri
  Atul Agnihotri is a Hindi actor and director.-Career:Agnihorti's career stretches back to 1983 when he made a brief appearance as a child artist in Pasand Apni Apni. He started his film career as an adult in 1993 with Mahesh Bhatt's Sir...
  
   (born 1970), Bollywood actor
• Bharat Agnihotri
  Bharat Agnihotri
  Bharat Agnihotri is a Canadian politician and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. He represented the constituency of Edmonton Ellerslie, sitting as a Liberal...
  
   (born 1953), member of the Alberta Liberal Party
• Mezhathol Agnihothri
  Mezhathol Agnihothri
  Mezhathol Agnihothri revived the traditions of the ancient Shrauta traditions in Kerala, India the 4th century AD. At that time, Buddhism and Jainism had eroded the ancient Vedic Religion culture of India. Mezhathol rejuvenated the ancient customs by performing 99 Yaagams...
  
   (4th century AD), Shrauta High Priest who revived the ancient traditions of Yaagam in Bharatam
• Rati Agnihotri
  Rati Agnihotri
  Rati Agnihotri is a veteran Indian actress. Her portfolio mainly includes films in Hindi-Urdu, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. She was born to a Sikh family.-Film career:...
  
   (born 1960), veteran Indian actress
• Shiv Narayan Agnihotri
  Shiv Narayan Agnihotri
  Shiv Narayan Agnihotri was the founder of an atheist society in India called the Deva Samaj or "Society of God". Agnihotri enrolled in the state-sponsored Thompson Engineering College in Roorkee, and in 1873 he took up a job as a drawing master in Government School in Lahore...
  
  (1850–1929), founder of the Deva Samaj