Castes and Tribes of Southern India/Rao
Rao.— The title of Dēsastha Brāhmans, and various Marātha classes, Jains, and Sērvēgāras. Some Perikes, who claim Kshatriya origin, have also assumed Rao (=Rāya, king) instead of the more humble Anna or Ayya as a title.