Khan ( title ) Kaan / Khan / Kahn / Kagan ( , " xaan " ; , " qaγan " ; ; Azerbaijani : xan ; Ottoman : " han " ; ; Chinese : 可汗 , " kèhán " Goguryeo : 皆 , " key " ; Silla : 干 , " kan " ; Baekje : 瑕 , " ke " ; Manchu : , Persian : خان , Bengali : খান ) is an originally Mongol and subsequently Central Asia n title for a sovereign or military ruler , widely used by medieval nomadic Turko - Mongol tribes living to the north of China . " Khan " is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289 . The Rouran s were the first people who used the titles Khagan and Khan for their emperors , replacing the Chanyu of the Xiongnu , whom Grousset and others assume to be Turkic . It was subsequently adopted by the Ashina before Mongols brought it to the rest of Asia . In the middle of the sixth century it was known as " Kagan – King of the Turks " to the Persians . It now has many equivalent meanings such as commander , leader , or ruler . Presently Khans exist in South Asia , Central Asia , Eastern Europe and Turkey . The female alternatives are Khatun and Khanum , These titles or names are sometimes written as " Han " , " Kan " , " Hakan " , " Hanum " , or " Hatun " ( in Turkey ) , " xan " , " xanım " ( in Azerbaijan ) . Various Mongolic and Turkic peoples from Central Asia had given the title new prominence after the Mongol rule throughout the Old World and later brought the title " Khan " into Northern Asia . which later was adopted by locals in the country as a title . Khagan is rendered as " Khan of Khans " and was the title of Genghis Khan and the persons who are elected to rule the Mongol Empire . For instance Möngke Khan and Ogedei Khan would be " Khagans , " but not Chagatai Khan who was not proclaimed ruler of the Mongol Empire by the kurultai . Khanate rulers and dynasties . Ruling Khans . A khan controls a khanate ( sometimes spelled " chanat " . Mongolian : хаант , " khaant " ) . In the Mongolian language , " khan " is also pronounced with double " a " s like " Khaan " . Khaant means " with Khaan , " like " Khaant ulus " or " nation with Khan " or khanate . Whenever appropriate as ruler of a monarchy , Khan is also translated as emperor . Originally khans only headed relatively minor tribal entities , generally in or near the vast Eurasian steppe , the scene of an almost endless procession of nomadic people riding out into the history of the neighbouring sedentary regions . Some managed to establish principalities of some importance for a while , as their military might repeatedly proved a serious threat to such empires as China and kingdoms in Central Asia . One of the earliest notable examples of such principalities in Europe was Danube Bulgaria ( presumably also Old Great Bulgaria ) , ruled by a " khan " or a " kan " at least from the 7th to the 9th century . It should be noted that the title " khan " is not attested directly in inscriptions and texts referring to Bulgar rulers – the only similar title found so far , " Kanasubigi " , has been found solely in the inscriptions of three consecutive Bulgarian rulers , namely Krum , Omurtag and Malamir ( a grandfather , son and grandson ) . Starting from the compound , non - ruler titles that were attested among Bulgarian noble class such as " kavkhan " ( vicekhan ) , " tarkhan " , and " boritarkhan " , scholars derive the title " khan " or " kan " for the early Bulgarian leader – if there was a vicekhan ( " kavkhan " ) there was probably a " full " " khan " , too . Compare also the rendition of the name of early Bulgarian ruler Pagan as ( " Kampaganos " ) , likely resulting from a misinterpretation of " Kan Pagan " , in Patriarch Nicephorus ' s so - called Breviarium In general , however , the inscriptions as well as other sources designate the supreme ruler of Danube Bulgaria with titles that exist in the language in which they are written – " archontеs " , meaning ' commander or magistrate ' in Greek , and " knyaz e " , meaning " duke " or " prince " in Slavic . Among the best known Bulgar khans were : Khan Kubrat , founder of Great Bulgaria ; Khan Asparukh , founder of " Danubian Bulgaria " ( today ' s Bulgaria ) ; Khan Tervel , who defeated the Arab invaders in 718 Siege of Constantinople ( 718 ) , thus " saving Europe " ; Khan Krum , " the Terrible " . " Khan " was the official title of the ruler until 864 AD , when Kniaz Boris ( known also as Tsar Boris I ) adopted the Eastern Orthodox faith . The title Khan became unprecedently prominent when the Mongol Temüjin created the Mongol empire , the greatest land empire the world has ever seen , which he ruled as Genghis Khan . His title was " khagan " , or " Khan of Khans " , but has often been abbreviated to Khan ( rather like the Persian " Shahanshah " - also meaning " King of Kings " - is usually called Shah , equally incorrect , in most Western languages ) or described as " Great Khan " ( like the Ottoman Padishah being called " Great Sultan " ) . The great leader was regarded as a khan in the middle east and Asia . Ming Dynasty Chinese Emperors also used the term Xan to denote brave warriors and rulers . The title Khan was used to designate the greatest rulers of the Jurchens , who , later when known as the Manchus , founded the Mongolian - Manchu Qing dynasty of China . The Mongolian use of the title khan as by Bogd Khan , would later be used by the eighth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu after Mongolia ' s declaration of independence in 1911 . Once more , there would be numerous khanates in the steppe in and around Central Asia , often more of a people than a territorial state , e . g . : While most Afghan principalities were styled emirate , there was a khanate of ethnic Uzbeks in Badakhshan since 1697 . Khan was the title of the rulers of various break - away states later reintegrated in Iran , e . g . 1747 – 1808 Khanate of Ardabil ( in northwestern Iran east of Sarab and west of the southwest corner of the Caspian Sea ) , 1747 – 1813 Khanate of Khoy ( northwestern Iran , north of Lake Urmia , between Tabriz and Lake Van ) , 1747 – 1829 Khanate of Maku ( in extreme northwestern Iran , northwest of Khoy , and 60 miles south of Yerevan , Armenia ) , 1747 – 1790s Khanate of Sarab ( northwestern Iran east of Tabriz ) , 1747 – c . 1800 Khanate of Tabriz ( capital of Iranian Azerbeidjan ) . There were various small khanates in and near Transcaucasia . In present Armenia , there was a khanate of Erivan ( sole incumbent 1807 – 1827 Hosein Quli Khan Qajar ) . Diverse khanates existed in Azerbaijan , including Baku ( present capital ) , Ganja , Jawad , Quba ( Kuba ) , Salyan , Shakki ( Sheki , ruler style " Bashchi " since 1743 ) and Shirvan = Shamakha ( 1748 – 1786 temporarily split into Khoja Shamakha and Yeni Shamakha ) , Talysh ( 1747 – 1814 ) ; Nakhichevan and ( Nagorno ) Karabakh . As hinted above , the title Khan was also common in some of the polities of the various – generally Islamic – peoples in the territories of the Mongol Golden Horde and its successor states , which , like the Mongols in general , were commonly called Ta ( r ) tars by Europeans and Russians , and were all eventually subdued by Muscovia which became the Russian Empire . The most important of these states were : Further east , in imperial China ' s western Turkestan flank : Compound and derived princely titles . The higher , rather imperial title Khaqan ( " " Khan of Khans " " ) applies to probably the most famous rulers known as " Khan " : the Mongol imperial dynasty of Genghis Khan ( his name was Temüjin , " Genghis " Khan a never fully understood unique title ) , and his successors , especially grandson Kublai Khan : the former founded the Mongol Empire and the latter founded the Yuan Dynasty in China . The ruling descendants of the main branch of Genghis Khan ' s dynasty are referred to as the " Great Khans " . The title " Khan of Khans " was among numerous titles used by the Sultan s of the Ottoman empire as well as the rulers of the Golden Horde and its descendant states . The title " Khan " was also used in the Seljuk Turk dynasties of the near - east to designate a head of multiple tribes , clans or nations , who was below an Atabeg in rank . Jurchen and Manchu rulers also used the title Khan ( " Han " in Manchu ) ; for example , Nurhaci was called Genggiyen Han . Rulers of the Göktürks , Avars and Khazars used the higher title Kaghan , as rulers of distinct nations . Other khans . Noble and honorary titles . In imperial Persia , Khan ( female form " Khanum " ) was the title of a nobleman , higher than Beg ( or bey ) and usually used after the given name . At the Qajar court , precedence for those not belonging to the dynasty was mainly structured in eight classes , each being granted an honorary rank title , the fourth of which was Khan , or in this context synonymously Amir , granted to commanders of armed forces , provincial tribal leaders ; in descending order , they thus ranked below Nawab ( for princes ) , Shakhs - i - Awwal and Janab ( both for high officials ) , but above ' Ali Jah Muqarrab , ' Ali Jah , ' Ali Sha ' an ( these three for lower military ranks and civil servants ) and finally ' Ali Qadir ( masters of guilds , etc . ) The titles Khan ( the lowest commonly awarded ) and Khan Bahadur ( Mongolic root " baghatur " , related to the Mongolian " baatar " ( " brave , hero " ) ; were also bestowed in feudal India by the Mughals ( whose protocol was largely Persian - inspired ) upon Muslims , and later by the British Raj , as an honor akin to the ranks of nobility , often for loyalty to the crown . Khan Sahib was another title of honour , one degree higher than Khan , conferred on Muslims ; again like Khan Bahadur , it was also awarded with a decoration during British rule . In the major South Asian Muslim state of Hyderabad , Khan was the lowest of the aristocratic titles bestowed by the ruling Nizam upon Muslim retainers , ranking under " Khan Bahadur " , Nawab ( homonymous with a high Muslim ruler ' s title ) , Jang , Daula , Mulk , Umara , Jah . The equivalent for the courts Hindu retainers was Rai . In Swat , a Pakistani Frontier State , it was the title of the secular elite , who together with the Mullah s ( Muslim clerics ) , proceeded to elect a new Amir - i - Shariyat in 1914 . It seems unclear whether the series of titles known from the Bengal sultanate are merely honorific or perhaps relate to a military hierarchy . Other uses ( surname ) . Like many titles , the meaning of the term has also extended downwards , until in Persia and Afghanistan it has become an affix to the name of any Muslim gentleman , like Effendi in Osmanli , Esquire in English . Khan and its female forms occur in many personal names , generally without any nobiliary of political relevance ( although it remains a common part of noble names as well ) . Notably in South Asia it has become a part of many South Asian Muslim names , especially when Pashtun descent is claimed . It is also used by some Muslim Rajputs of India and Pakistan after earlier converts from Hinduism to Islam translated the term Rajput ( son of Raja ) to Khanzada ( son of Khan ) in order to claim Muslim nobility rather than their Hindu origin . As used by the Pashtuns the name is claimed to be related to the Hebrew name Cohen or Kohen . The more plausible explanation is the Hun origin of the Pashtuns . Hun in its original pronunciation is Khun and thus Khan . To this day in India a Pashtun is ordinarilly called Khan Sahib regardless of whether his surname contains that word or not . During the Russian Civil War following the Bolshevik takeover of 1917 , White general Roman Ungern von Sternberg , who , admittedly was trying to reconstitute the empire of Genghis Khan , was often styled as " Ungern Khan " between 1919 and his death in 1921 . Other Meaning . The title " khan " influenced Iran and the Muslim countries in Central Asia , but in the Arab World ( the origin of Islam ) , " khan " is the word for " inn " ( its first use was applied to " inn for the caravans " ) .