No matter how surprising it may sound, but until the 20th century, the inhabitants of Turkey did not have surnames. Until 1934, the country used the Arabic name system, which was very difficult to understand, especially for foreigners. This system is represented by a long chain of several names.
But on June 21, 1934, the "Law on Surnames" was approved in the Turkish state, after which each resident called his own name and surname. Another innovation was adopted on November 26 of the same year: the law "On the abolition of prefixes to names in the form of nicknames and titles" was established. Since then, no changes have been made regarding Turkish names and surnames.
So what names are popular in Turkey today? What do Turkish surnames mean?
How often are boys called?
Male Turkish names have a beautiful sound and noble designation. They used to be long, long and hard to pronounce. But after the reform they found a new sound. Now in modern Turkey, the following names are popular:
- Ahmet - worthy of praise;
- Arslan is a lion;
- Aychoban - shepherd of the month (celestial body);
- Aykut - the holy month;
- Barysh - peace-loving;
- Batur is a true warrior;
- Burke - strong, persistent;
- Burkhan - the master of hurricanes;
- Volcano - volcano;
- Gohan - the ruler of heaven;
- Gurhan is a powerful Khan;
- Joshkun - joyful, emotional, unstoppable;
- Dogan is a falcon;
- Dogukan - ruler of the countries of the East;
- Dokuhtug - nine horse tails;
- Yengi is a victory;
- Zeki - smart, judicious;
- Ibrahim - a large father;
- Iskander - protector of the people;
- Yigyt - a brave dzhigit, a strong young hero;
- Yildirim - lightning;
- Kaplan - tiger;
- Karadyuman - black smoke;
- Kartal - an eagle;
- Kyrgyz - 40 tribes;
- Mehmed / Mehmet - worthy of praise;
- Murat - desire;
- Ozan is a performer of songs;
- Ozdemir - metal;
- Osman is a chick;
- Savas - war;
- Serhat - bordering;
- Suleiman - peaceful;
- Tanryover - praising God;
- Tarkan - feudal lord, owner;
- Turgai is an early lark;
- Tunch - bronze;
- Umut - inspiring hope;
- Hakan - overlord, Emperor;
- Yshik - light;
- Ediz is tall;
- Emin - honest, fair;
- Emre is a bard songwriter;
- Engin - huge;
- Yaman is unbridled, bold, fearless.
Popular names for girls
Turkish female names are also given special attention. Many of them are of Arab, Pakistani origin. But they took root so firmly in Turkey that they began to be actively used.
Girls are most often called the following names:
- Aigul - the moon;
- Eileen - the light of the moon surrounding the luminary (halo);
- Akgyul - a white rose;
- Bingul - a thousand roses;
- Gelistan - a garden in which only roses grow;
- Gulgyun - pink light;
- Dolunai - full moon (full moon);
- Jones - clover;
- Yildiz - stars of the night sky;
- Lale - a tulip;
- Leila - the dark night;
- Nergis - a flower of a daffodil;
- Nulefer - water lily;
- Ozai is an unusual moon;
- Ela is a hazel.
As you can see, the Turks like to call their daughters names of flowers, as well as "moon" names that emphasize the femininity, sophistication and fragility of the girl.
The most common Turkish surnames
Surnames appeared in the country not so long ago, so most of them are the same names, for example, Kaplan - a tiger.
Turkish names are spelled in one word. They are transmitted exclusively on the paternal side, from father to children. But if the children are born out of an official marriage, then they are awarded a maternal surname.
A woman, when she is married, is obliged to take her husband's surname. But she also has the right to leave her girl. Moreover, in the documents she must write a girl in front of her husband's surname. In the event of a divorce, a woman may retain her husband’s surname.
Next, we present a list of Turkish surnames that are common in the country:
- Yilmaz. Translated into Russian, it means "unstoppable". This surname comes from a name. It is the most common in the country. It’s the same as Ivanov in Russia.
- Kylych - a saber.
- Kuchuk is small.
- Tatlybal - sweet honey. This is one of the few beautiful Turkish surnames perfect for girls.
There are several more common surnames in Turkey: Kaya, Demir, Shahin and Chelik, Yildiz, Yildirim, Ozturk, Aydin, Ozdemir, Arslan, Dogan, Aslan, Cetin, Kara, Koch, Kurt, Ozkan, Shimshek.
Rare names
In Turkey, there are names that you can hardly find in everyday life. Their rarity is that they can not be called newborns. And in most cases, the ban is imposed by religion.
These names include:
- Huffav;
- We give;
- Aguar;
- Valha.
What is the justification for the ban on names? The thing is that in Turkish mythology they called evil spirits and demons. But no matter how strange it may sound, the Turks do not call their children the names of angels and saints. But here the ban acts as a respect for the "heavenly inhabitants." In addition, words related to the description of Allah are excluded as names.
There is another ban. Residents of Turkey are not entitled to give their children Western and European names. It is believed that a true Muslim should bear a name authorized by his culture and religion. And if it is still noted in the Qur'an, then it is considered sacred and revered.
Origin of first and last names
Most Turkish surnames are derived from names. And the names, as can be judged from the above, are the names of plants, animals, celestial bodies, varieties of character, etc. In addition, in Turkey it is customary to name newborns in honor of the departed ancestors or famous people of the country.
Another name, and later the surname, was given on the basis of what time of day, day of the week, a child was born. The name could be a natural phenomenon or element that raged during birth.
Often, residents of Turkey carry surnames that symbolize luck, hope, joy, health or wealth. It is not uncommon to meet a person with a double surname, inherited from both his mother and father. Sometimes a combination of such surnames form a successful, beautiful tandem.
