One of Tibet's ancient royal families, the Dhogonpa, also known as Gonpawa, is said to have unbroken paternal lineage directly from the Yarlung emperors. The root of the name traces back to king Kyide Nyima Gon (skyid sde nyi ma mgon). The family held large amounts of land and estates throughout and surrounding Nyemo County, which was held under their political rule since the era of fragmentation. Traditionally, the head of the family was referred to as Depa Gonpa and ruled the region autonomously.
The family name changed during the reign of the Fifth Dalai Lama. When the Fifth Dalai Lama first took power, the Depa Gonpa sent a household manager to submit to the Ganden Podrang government. Desi Sonam Chopel took the absence of the Depa Gonpa as a slight towards the Fifth Dalai Lama. Numerous accusations towards the Gonpawa family were made, as the family’s palace had features that were reserved for rulers of Tibet, and were suspicious of the Depa Gonpa. Apologies were made on behalf of the Depa Gonpa, and subsequent efforts were made to remove the architectural details, such as corner windows and ornamentation with elephant trunk imagery on curtains and windows. (Remnants of these were still evident even up until the twentieth century when the palace was demolished.)
Desi Sonam Chopel visited the Gonpawa Palace and inquired about the reason for the prefix Depa being used by the Gonpawa family head, insisting that the title was reserved for the Fifth Dalai Lama. Wanting to avoid further conflict, the household treasurer responded that the family name was Dhogonpa, succeeding in avoiding punishment or conflict. Throughout the biographies of the Fifth Dalai Lama, the family is referred to as both Gonpawa and Dhogonpa. The family held various positions within the Ganden Podrang Government, including gerpa, into the twentieth century.