Somvansh 2. Suryavansh. Of these, 96 clans came together and formed their own group. It is divided according to these 96 clans.

The Sanskrit form of the word Maratha is Maharashtra, meaning those whose nation is large are Marathas. The terms Marhatta, Maharaththa, Maharath, Maharathi means Maratha aka Rashtrapati were used by the very brave Ranadhurandhar Kshatriya Rajbindya men in ancient times. This is based on the following verse from the 6th canto of Raghuvansha -