The Marāthā clan system (also referred to as 96 Kuli Marathas or 96K) refers to the network of families and surnames within the Maratha

Maratha

The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...

 culture of India. The Maratha primarily reside in the Indian states of Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

, Gujarat, Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

, Goa

Goa

Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

 and Tamilnadu. Various lists have been compiled, purporting to list the 96 clans, but these lists are often at great variance with each other.
The list of ninety-six clans is divided into five ranked tiers, the highest of which contains the five primary Marathan clans.
The issue is clouded by the fact that members of the Kunbi

Kunbi

Kunbi is a generic term applied to castes of traditionally non-elite tillers in Western India. These include the Dhonoje, Ghatole, Hindre, Jadav, Jhare, Khaire, Lewa , Lonari and Tirole communities of Vidharbha. The communities are largely found in the state of Maharashtra but also exist in the...

 cultivator class living in Maharashtra also adopted some of the Maratha names, whether to indicate allegiance to a Maratha chief of that name, or as an attempt at upward mobility.