Kulkarni

Kulkarni (Marathi: कुलकर्णी, Kannada: ಕುಲಕರ್ಣಿ), is a family name native to the Indian state of Maharashtra and Northern Karnataka.The name "Kulkarni" is a combination of two words ("kula" and "karni"). "Kula" means "family", and "Karanika" means "archivist". Traditionally, Kulkarni was a title used by people who maintained the accounts and records of the villages and used in collecting taxes. The title of the Kulkarni was later replaced by the Talathi. The Pargana and Kulkarni watans (land rights) were abolished in 1950. 
The name is found among the Brahmin communities of these states such as Deshastha, Karhade and also among the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) community.
The reason the Kulkarni was a Brahmin or CKP was because literacy was mandatory for the office. The Kulkarni operated at the village level but at a Pargana level he was known as a "Deshkulkarni", Deshpande or Nadkarni (in Karnataka).