Could it be that the Konkani sārasvat brāmhaṇa acquired the prefix gauḍa after they came to Konkan ? Gauḍa meant 'chief' or 'head man' or 'wise man' in Konkan. For instance, Derret uses the term gāvuṇḍa for 'a respectable farmer having many tenants under him and wielding authority in the hamlet' in the Māḷēnaḍu plains. [Derret, 1957 : The Hoysaḷas, 7] The word gāmuṇḍa was commonly used in Kannad to mean a headman in and around the 6th century CE. [Dhume, 2009 : The Cultural History of Goa, 68]

more »

... he kuṇbi have their wise man called the budvont or gauḍo. [Dhume, 2009 : 66] So, could that prefix gauḍa be a symbol of the hegemonic position the sārasvat brāmhaṇa acquired on their settlement in Konkan ? Just like śeṇai, which became śeṇvi later – meaning a teacher or wise man. In fact in the earlier records we find śeṇai rather than gauḍa sārasvat.