Chughtai or Chagatai (Urdu: چغتائی, romanized: Cuġtā'ī) is a surname in Central Asia and South Asia, originating in the Chagatai Khanate as taken up by the descendants and successors of Chagatai Khan who was the second son of Genghis Khan. Accordingly, some of the other descendants also use variants such as Mirza, Baig and Khan.

The surname “Chughtai” originates from the Mongolian word “Chaghadai”, a derivative of “Chagan” meaning “white”. The suffix “-dai” is added to form “Chaghadai”. Over time, “Chaghadai” evolved into “Chughtai”, meaning, “he who is white”.