Md, Mohd or Sk Name Spelling in Documents in West Bengal: Pick One Form and Match Every Record
Your Madhyamik certificate says Md Rahim Sk, your Aadhaar says Mohammad Rahim Sheikh, and your PAN says Mohammed Rahim Shaikh. You never changed your name. Each office simply wrote the short form or the spelling it liked. This page shows how to choose one master form, which record to fix first, and why most people do not need a gazette for this.
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Md, Mohd or Sk in Your Documents (Quick Answer)
Md and Mohd are short forms of Mohammad, and Sk is the short form of Sheikh. A record that says Md and another that says Mohammad show the same name, not two names. In most cases a one and the same person affidavit on Rs 10 or Rs 50 stamp paper is enough to explain it. If a record keeps causing trouble, choose one master form, fix Aadhaar and PAN first, then the rest. A gazette is needed only for a real change of name, or when an office asks for it in writing.
| Full form | Short forms and other spellings | In Bengali records |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammad | Md, Md., Mohd, Mohammed, Muhammad, Mahammad | মোঃ, মহঃ, মহম্মদ |
| Sheikh | Sk, Sk., Shaikh, Seikh, Sekh | শেখ |
| Khatun | Khatoon, Khaton | খাতুন |
| Bibi | Bibee, sometimes missing | বিবি |
| Rahaman | Rahman, Rehman | রহমান |
| Hossain | Hussain, Hosen, Hossen | হোসেন |
On This Page
- Why Md, Mohd and Sk cause mismatches
- Is Md the same name as Mohammad?
- Choosing your master form
- The one and the same person affidavit
- PAN: short forms are not allowed
- Aadhaar: think before you spend an update
- Passport: expand the short forms
- Sk as a surname or a first word
- Khatun, Bibi and Begum for women
- Madhyamik and High Madrasah certificates
- When a gazette is really needed
- FAQ
Why Md, Mohd and Sk Cause Name Mismatches in West Bengal Documents
About one in four people in West Bengal is Muslim (Census 2011). Many of their names start with Mohammad or carry Sheikh, and both are very often written in short. The trouble is that every office writes the short form its own way.
In Bengali records, Mohammad is usually written মোঃ or মহঃ, and Sheikh as শেখ. When a clerk turns these into English, one writes Md, another Mohd, a third types the full Mohammad. Sk becomes Sk, Sheikh, Shaikh or Sekh. The person has one name. The papers show four.
Some offices also have their own rules. The PAN form does not allow short forms in the first name or surname. The passport form asks for initials to be expanded. Schools and madrasahs, years ago, often wrote whatever was on the admission register, usually Md and Sk.
So the mismatch is rarely your mistake. But you are the one who has to clear it when a bank, an exam board, EPFO or a visa office asks. The good news: most of the time it is cheap and simple to clear.
Is Md the Same Name as Mohammad? What Offices Accept
Yes. Md, Mohd, Mohammad, Mohammed and Muhammad are forms of one name. Sk, Sheikh and Shaikh are forms of one name. Nothing about your name changed. This is the same kind of difference as Chatterjee and Chattopadhyay, which our name spelling correction guide covers.
Most offices know this. A bank, an employer, an insurance company or a university will usually accept the difference with a one and the same person affidavit and copies of both documents. Some will accept it with no affidavit at all if the rest of the name, the father's name and the date of birth match.
Where it gets harder is when the difference is more than the short form. For example, Md Rahim on one paper and Rahim Sk on another: one drops the first word and the other adds a surname. An office may then ask more questions, or ask for a gazette. Read the sections on Sk as a surname and when a gazette is needed.
Choose One Master Spelling of Your Name Before Correcting Anything
Before you visit any office, decide one form of your name that you will use for the rest of your life. Write it down exactly, letter by letter, with spaces. Then every correction you make moves towards that one form.
- Start from your Class 10 paper. Your Madhyamik or High Madrasah certificate is the strongest name proof you have and the hardest to change. If it says Md Rahim Sk, think carefully before choosing anything else.
- Full forms travel better. Mohammad and Sheikh written in full work on a passport, on PAN and abroad. Short forms often get questioned.
- Pick one spelling of the full form. Mohammad, Mohammed or Muhammad: choose one and never mix them again.
- Decide your surname. Is Sheikh your surname, or part of your given name? This matters for the passport and for exam forms.
- Check your father's name too. If your father's name also has Md or Sk, list how it reads on each of your papers.
If the master form you choose is only the full version of what your Class 10 paper says, you usually need no gazette. If you choose something new, such as dropping Sheikh altogether or adding a new surname, that is a real change of name.
One and the Same Person Affidavit for Md, Mohd and Sk Differences
The usual answer is a one and the same person affidavit. It is a sworn statement that Md Rahim Sk, Mohammad Rahim Sheikh and Mohammed Rahim Shaikh are all you. It is typed on West Bengal non-judicial stamp paper, usually Rs 10 or Rs 50, and signed before a notary. Some offices ask for a Magistrate instead, so ask first.
Put every version in it, with the document and number that carries each one. If the office later finds a version you left out, it can refuse the affidavit. Attach self-attested copies of each document.
Remember what it does not do. It does not correct any record. Your PAN still says Mohammed and your marksheet still says Md. The affidavit only helps one office accept another office's spelling. Like a gazette, it is supporting proof, not a correction.
Md or Mohd in PAN: Why the PAN Form Spells Out Your Full Name
The instructions for PAN Form 49A say: "Do not use abbreviations in the First and the Last name/Surname." That is why many people from West Bengal have Mohammad or Sheikh on PAN while their school papers and Aadhaar say Md or Sk. The name printed on the card may be shortened, but the record behind it is the full form.
This causes two common problems. First, the PAN and Aadhaar name mismatch at the time of linking, or when a bank or broker checks both. Second, the spelling of the full form: you wrote Mohammad, the PAN office record says Mohammed.
If the only difference is Md on Aadhaar and Mohammad on PAN, the usual fix is to bring Aadhaar up to the full form, because PAN will not accept the short form anyway. If PAN itself has the wrong spelling of the full form, file a PAN correction. A PAN correction is not a new PAN, and the number stays the same for life.
Md to Mohammad in Aadhaar: Think Before You Spend a Name Update
Aadhaar allows a name change only twice in a lifetime. Changing Md to Mohammad uses one of them. So do it once, and do it to your master form, not to a spelling you may change again later.
UIDAI updates the name to what your proof document shows. If you want Mohammad Rahim Sheikh on Aadhaar, you need one accepted photo ID that already says Mohammad Rahim Sheikh, such as your PAN card or passport. The update is done in person at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra, with a fee commonly of Rs 75. Our Aadhaar name change guide has the full steps.
Your Aadhaar also carries your name in Bengali. If the English side says Mohammad but the Bengali side still says মোঃ, or the Bengali spelling is wrong, that is a separate fix at a centre with the local language facility. See our page on Aadhaar Bengali and English name mismatch.
Md and Sk in a Passport Application: Expand the Short Forms
The Passport Seva instruction booklet says: "No initials should be written and all initials (if any) in the applicant's name should be expanded." It also bars honorifics and titles in the name. Md and Sk are short forms, so for a fresh passport the safe choice is the full form, Mohammad and Sheikh, written exactly as your supporting documents show it.
The passport is the record that travels abroad. Many people from West Bengal work in the Gulf or go for Hajj and Umrah, and a passport name that does not match the visa, the ticket or the employer's papers causes real trouble at airports.
If you already hold a passport with Md or Sk, you do not have to change it just because other papers say Mohammad. Change it when a visa office, an employer abroad or the passport office itself asks. A passport is never edited: any name change means a reissue with a new number, and old visas do not move to the new book.
For the reissue, the passport office looks at your documents and may ask for a gazette if the change is more than expanding a short form. Our pages on passport name correction and the gazette for a passport explain both cases.
Sk or Sheikh as a Surname: Surname Field Mismatches in West Bengal
In West Bengal, Sk is often written before the name on one record (Sk Abdul Karim) and after it on another (Abdul Karim Sk). On some forms it lands in the surname box, on others in the first name box. Online portals then treat it as two different people.
This is a name order difference, not a spelling error, and it is usually explained with the same affidavit. Our guide to name order and format mismatch explains why surname first on one document is not a mistake.
Where it matters most is the passport and exam forms, because they split the name into surname and given name. Decide once: is Sheikh your surname? If yes, put it in the surname box every time. If your family does not use a surname, the passport form allows the surname box to be left blank with the full name in the given name box.
Khatun, Bibi or Begum Missing From One Document
Women in West Bengal often have Khatun, Bibi or Begum on one record and not on another. A school certificate may say Rahima Khatun, the voter ID may say Rahima Bibi, and Aadhaar may say only Rahima. After marriage, a husband's name or Sheikh may be added on some papers.
Where the word was simply left out or written differently, the one and the same person affidavit usually works, as it does for Devi or Kumari. Where the name changed because of marriage, attach the marriage certificate, and see our guide to name change after marriage for the order to update records in.
Be careful with Lakshmir Bhandar and other schemes
Lakshmir Bhandar and other scheme portals match the name with Aadhaar and the bank account. A missing Khatun or Bibi between them can stop payments. Match Aadhaar and the bank first, then update the scheme.
Md or Sk on a Madhyamik or High Madrasah Certificate
Your Class 10 paper is either a Madhyamik certificate from WBBSE or a High Madrasah certificate from the West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education. Both boards correct errors against the admission register. If the register says Md Rahim Sk, the board will usually see Md as correct, not as a mistake.
So expanding Md to Mohammad on a board certificate is generally not possible as a correction. That is fine. Keep the certificate as it is and use the affidavit to show the full form is you.
If the board certificate has a real error, such as Sk where the register says Sheikh, or a wrong letter, the correction goes through your school or madrasah, not directly to the board. A WBBME fee schedule from the 2019-20 session lists Rs 70 per item corrected per document; ask the madrasah for the current rate.
Our marksheet and school certificate correction guide explains the WBBSE route, which works the same way.
Which Document to Correct First When Md and Mohammad Do Not Match
List every version
Class 10 or High Madrasah papers, Aadhaar (English and Bengali), PAN, voter ID, passport, bank, ration card. Write how each one reads.
Choose the master form
Usually the full form of what your Class 10 paper says.
Ask the office that raised it
It may need only the affidavit. Asking is free.
Make the affidavit
List every version. Rs 10 or Rs 50 stamp paper, before a notary unless told otherwise.
Aadhaar and PAN first
If records must be corrected, these two come first. Banks, EPFO and most portals check them.
The rest in one round
Bank, voter ID, ration card and others, all to the same master form, with the affidavit attached.
Common Mistakes With Md, Mohd and Sk Name Corrections
Mixing Mohammad, Mohammed and Muhammad
Fixing Md to Mohammad on one record and to Mohammed on another just creates a new mismatch. Use one spelling everywhere.
Using an Aadhaar update on a short form
Aadhaar allows only two name changes in a lifetime. Use one only when you have settled your master form.
Paying for a gazette for Md versus Mohammad
This is not a change of name. Try the affidavit first, and buy a gazette only if an office refuses it in writing.
Forgetting the Bengali side
Aadhaar, voter ID and land records carry the Bengali name too. Check that মোঃ or শেখ matches what you want.
Leaving the father's name out
If your father's name also has Md or Sk written differently, put it in the affidavit as well.
When You Need a Gazette for an Md, Mohd or Sk Name Change
You need a gazette only in these cases: you are really changing your name, such as dropping Sheikh or taking a new surname; an office has refused the affidavit; or an office, often the passport office, asks for a gazette in writing. Our gazette guide explains how to choose the route.
Kolkata Gazette Part II (state route, adults living in West Bengal)
Affidavit before a Magistrate
A name change affidavit sworn before a First Class Judicial Magistrate. A notary will not do.
Two newspapers
One Bengali and one English newspaper. Keep the complete pages.
Apply online
At wbgazettepart2.in, with ID up to 2 MB and a photo up to 100 KB.
Pay on GRIPS
Rs 1,100.
Download
Usually in about 7 days, with an SMS on your registered mobile.
Gazette of India (central route, for passport cases, minors and people living outside West Bengal)
Notary affidavit
A name change affidavit on stamp paper before a notary.
Newspaper notice
Keep the original page, not a clipping.
Typed proforma
Fill it in, with two witnesses.
Sign in the old name
You and both witnesses sign in the old name, for example Md Rahim Sk.
Pay on BharatKosh
Rs 1,100 for an adult, Rs 1,700 for a minor, Rs 3,500 from abroad. Revised each financial year and non-refundable.
Post it to Delhi
In your own name, to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. Agents cannot submit it.
Download it free
After 30 to 45 days at egazette.gov.in. The downloaded copy needs no certification.
A gazette does not rewrite any record either. After it is published, you still apply to each office, Aadhaar, PAN, bank and the rest, one by one.
Md, Mohd and Sk Name Spelling: Frequently Asked Questions
Are Md and Mohammad the same name?
Yes. Md and Mohd are short forms of Mohammad. A record that says Md and another that says Mohammad show the same name. Most offices accept this with a one and the same person affidavit.
Is Sk the same as Sheikh in documents?
Yes. Sk is the short form of Sheikh. Shaikh and Sekh are other English spellings of the same word. In Bengali records it is usually written শেখ.
Do I need a gazette if Aadhaar says Md and PAN says Mohammad?
Usually not. This is not a change of name. A one and the same person affidavit normally explains it. If you want the records to match, update Aadhaar to the full form using your PAN as proof.
Why does my PAN say Mohammad when I wrote Md?
The Form 49A instructions say not to use abbreviations in the first name or surname. So the PAN record carries the full form even if the card print is shortened.
Can I write Md in a passport application?
The passport instruction booklet says initials should not be written and should be expanded. For a fresh passport, write the full form, Mohammad, as your supporting documents show it.
Should I write Mohammad, Mohammed or Muhammad?
Any one of them is fine, as long as you use the same one everywhere from now on. Choose the one already on most of your important records, usually PAN or passport.
Can my Madhyamik or High Madrasah certificate be changed from Md to Mohammad?
Generally no. Boards correct errors against the admission register. If the register says Md, Md is not an error. Keep the certificate and use the affidavit.
Will changing Md to Mohammad in Aadhaar use one of my two name changes?
Yes, a name change in Aadhaar counts towards the limit of two in a lifetime. Make the change once, to the form you will keep for life.
Sk is my surname on one document and my first word on another. Is that a problem?
It is a name order difference, not an error. The same affidavit usually explains it. For the passport and exam forms, decide whether Sheikh is your surname and use that every time.
My school certificate says Khatun but Aadhaar does not. What should I do?
If the word was just left out, a one and the same person affidavit usually works. If you changed your name after marriage, attach the marriage certificate.
What stamp paper is used for the affidavit in West Bengal?
West Bengal non-judicial stamp paper, usually Rs 10 or Rs 50, as the receiving office asks. It is signed before a notary, or a Magistrate if the office says so.
When do I really need a gazette for an Md or Sk name?
When you change the name itself, such as dropping Sheikh or adding a new surname, when an office refuses the affidavit, or when an office, often the passport office, asks for a gazette in writing.
Official Sources for Md, Mohd and Sk Name Spelling Rules
Passport Seva instruction booklet
passportindia.gov.in: initials to be expanded, no titles in the name, surname box rules.
PAN Form 49A instructions
Protean (NSDL): no abbreviations in the first name or surname.
UIDAI
uidai.gov.in: name updates, accepted documents and the lifetime limit.
West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education
wbbme.org: High Madrasah certificates and corrections through the madrasah.
Kolkata Gazette Part II
wbgazettepart2.in: the state route for a real change of name.
eGazette of India
egazette.gov.in: the central route and free downloads.
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Send Us How Your Name Reads on Each Document
Tell us where it says Md, Mohd, Mohammad, Sk or Sheikh, and which office is asking. Often a simple affidavit is all you need, and we will tell you so. If a record really has to change, we will tell you which one first and whether a gazette is needed at all. Monday to Saturday, across West Bengal.