primarily endogamous society until the arrival of the Portuguese, marrying only within their own caste and so keeping the tribal ties strong. Subsequently, they became exogamous and from this came the use of names based on Portuguese origin. Family names such as Fernando, Costa, da Cruz and Roche are a direct consequence of these marriages, and familiar names, such as Susai (a Tamil translation of Joseph), reflect both the marriages and the general Portuguese influence. Robinson offers a different thesis, claiming that they remained endogamous even after conversion, that these family ties strengthened their ability to ascend socially and that the use of Christian family names was in fact a privilege granted to them by the Portuguese and deemed to be a sign of their superiority over other castes such as the Mukkuvars. There are four family names of non-Christian origin still in common use, these being Kalingarayan, Villavarayan, Poobalarayan and Rayan. These names are thought possibly to have their origin in arayan, which was used by Tamil fishing groups as a caste title. Arayan is claimed by some modern descendants of the Paravars to be itself derived from rayya (rajah, king) and "MOTHA" is the surname of all jatithalavas who ruled and it is also followed till now. Notable people Dewan Bahadur Chevalier I. X. Pereira, colonial-era Sri Lankan businessman and politician. Rao Bahadur Cruz Fernandez (Legislator). Chevalier J. L. P. Roche Victoria (Former State Minister from Tamil Nadu). Chandrababu (Cinema actor from Tamil Nadu). Dunstan M. Devotta, freedom fighter and member of the Indian National Congress. Abdul Kalam was an Indian aerospace scientist who served as the 11th president of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. Velupillai Prabhakaran was a Eelam Tamil Nationalist and Sri Lankan Tamil guerrilla and the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant organization that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for the Tamil people. Charles Lucas Anthony was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and leading member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka. Francis Tiburtius Roche (First indigenous bishop of Latin Rite in India, in China, in Asia and in Africa). Peter Fernando (Former Bishop of Tuticorin Diocese and Archbishop of Madurai Diocese). Thomas Fernando (Former Bishop of Tuticorin & Trichy