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The title Mirza (Persian: ميرزا ) is a high title of nobility, originally used in the Persian Court. Starting in the 15th century, the title was also adopted by the Ottomans, Mughals, and various Tatar khanates and is still in use, in areas which were conquered by them (from modern day Eastern Europe/Former Yugoslavia to South Asia).
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The word Mīrzā is derived from the Persian term ‘Amīrzāde which literally means "child of the ‘Amīr" or "child of the leader". ‘Amīrzād in turn consists of the Arabic title ‘Amīr (engl. Emir), meaning "commander", and the Persian suffix -zād, meaning "birth" or "lineage".
Due to vowel harmony in Turkic languages, the alternative pronunciation Morza (plural morzalar; derived from the Persian word) was used in Tatar states, such as Khanate of Kazan, Khanate of Astrakhan and others, and in the Russian Empire later on.
The titles themselves were given by the kings, sultans or emperors (equivalent to the western fount of honour) to their sons and grandsons, or even distant kins. Noblemen loyal to the kings also received this Noble titles, although their usage differed.
The title itself came from the title emir. Emir, meaning "commander", -derived from the Semitic root Amr, "command". Originally simply meaning commander or leader, usually in reference to a group of people. It came to be used as a title of governors or rulers, usually in smaller states, and usually renders the English word "prince. Amir Sadri." The word entered English in 1595, from the French émir. 1.
In the past "mirza" or "murza" was used as a noble title for a knight who was Muslim (Lipka Tatar). nota bene: Only the closest relatives of a Khan or the ruling monarch were eligible to be acknowledged as princes in the Commonwealth; the process was rather long, and involved proper documentation as well as vote by the Diet (or Noble Congress) and the Polish King's Lithuanian Grand Duke's signature (almost always the same person, since after 1410), yet quite a few Islamic families were acknowledged as such, amongst others the Kryczynskis. The princes used the titles of beg or bey.
The title "Murza" is used nowadays by a tatar noble community in Russia and Former USSR countries (Commonwealth of Independent States), and means a Prince or Duke.
The famous tatar noble families are:
and others.
The name today also has a high degree of usage in the South Asia although the diaspora is wide and stretches across the world from Europe to Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries (such as Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan etc).
For the South Asia usage, when prefixed to a last name it is a title of honor, but when annexed to a persons name it means a prince of royal blood. Few countries still used the title as an office or military rank, usually monarchies and emirates, but they are decreasing in numbers and "Mirza" is being added only as surnames, to reflect a royal or honorary/princely lineage. In Pakistan, as well there are a lot of families of Mughal tribe who write Mirza with their names as suffix or prefix. In Pakistan, the city Gujranwala, there is also a Mughal complex where the meetings of those are held periodically.
Noble families and their descendants in South Asia and Central Asia have "Mirza" in their name or as a last name. (For example Mirza Kashif Baig, Dr. Muhammad Asif Mirza or Asmaa Jalil Mirza)