Wadia family is a relatively old family of Parsis originally based in Surat. They began in shipbuilding. In 1736 Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia served The British East India Company for building docks and ships in Bombay, now called Mumbai. From then on they would be associated with Mumbai, but many of them remained in Surat. By the 1840s the family was one of the leading forces in shipbuilding in Surat. At that point they had built over a hundred warships for the British and had trading networks around the world This lead to Ardeshir Cursetji Wadia becoming

In the nineteenth century the family expanded to more non-shipbuilding related business. They became active in the cotton and opium trade. They have further diversified to be a leading force in the garment industry.

A few members of the family's younger generation have gained note in recent times. There is Jeh Wadia who became a member of the board of Britannia Industries and also headed "Go Air" aviation. There is also Ness Wadia who is active in the family business and romantically involved with Bollywood star Preity Zinta.