Panikkar is sometimes mistaken for a caste

Caste

Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...

-name from India, specifically the state of Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

: which roughly comprises the former (British) Madras Presidency

Madras Presidency

The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...

 district of Malabar

Malabar District

Malabar District was an administrative district of Madras Presidency in British India and independent India's Madras State. The British district included the present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad , and Chavakad Taluk of Thrissur District in the northern part of...

 and the princely states of Cochin

Kingdom of Cochin

Kingdom of Cochin was a late medieval Hindu kingdom and later Princely State on the Malabar Coast, South India...

 and Travancore

Travancore

Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...

, plus Kasargod from Mysore at the Northern end and minus Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari District

Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...

 District at the Southern tip of India.

It is used in the same way as a surname by certain families from Hindu, Christian and faith-free communities, and does not indicate any particular caste.

Notable Panikkars

• Achyuta Panikkar
  Achyuta Panikkar
  Achyuta Panikkar, was an astronomer of the Kerala school founded by Madhava of Sangamagrama. He lived between the 14th and 16th centuries.-See also:*Kerala School*Indian mathematics*Indian mathematicians...
  
  , an astronomer of Kerala
• Ayyappa Panikkar, (1930 – 2006), a Malayalam poet, critic.
• Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan
  Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan
  Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan , popularly known as Kadammanitta, was an Indian poet. He was born in Kadammanitta province of Pathanamthitta district, Kerala. His childhood experiences, especially the Patayani songs, imparted strong influence in his literary work...
  
  , an Indian writer
• Madhava Panikkar, one of the Niranam Poets
• Sankara Panikkar, one of the Niranam Poets
• Rama Panikkar, one of the Niranam Poets
• Kavalam Madhava Panikkar
  Kavalam Madhava Panikkar
  His Excellency Sardar Kavalam Madhava Panikkar was an Indian scholar, journalist, historian, administrator and diplomat...
  
   (1894–1963), Indian diplomat and writer
• Kavalam Narayan Panikkar (born 1928), dramatist and poet
• K. N. Panikkar
  K. N. Panikkar
  K. N. Panikkar is an Indian historian, associated with the "Marxist school" of historiography.Panikkar was Professor of Modern Indian History at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University . Prior to joining JNU, he taught at University of Delhi. In 2001, he was appointed as the...
  
   (born 1936), Marxist historian
• Raimon Panikkar
  Raimon Panikkar
  Raimon Panikkar-Alemany was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and a proponent of inter-religious dialogue. As a scholar, he specialized in comparative religion.-Early life and education:...
  
  , a Catalan scholar

Note: The main article is under Panicker

Panicker

Panicker is an Indian title or last name used by members of various communities in the state of Kerala. The Kaniyars community of Kerala, particularly central and northern region, by virtue of their traditional occupation as teachers of a martial art are commonly known as Panicker...

, although that is not the commonest of the many possible spellings of this name.