Surname Tuerken - Meaning and Origin
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Tuerken: What does the surname Tuerken mean?
The surname Tuerken is of German origin. It is a variant of the surname "Türken", derived from "Türke", which means "Turk" in German. This surname was likely used as a nickname for someone from Turkey or who had some significant association with the Turkish culture or Turkish people. It might have also been used to denote characteristics that the society attributed to Turkish people such as bravery or fierceness in battle. However, it's crucial to remember that last names can have multiple origins and meanings that change over time and geographic locations. Therefore, the precise meaning of the surname can vary depending on the family history and may have personalized interpretations within different families.
Order DNA origin analysisTuerken: Where does the name Tuerken come from?
The surname Tuerken or Turk is a surname of German origin, derived from the historical name for Germanic people who once inhabited the region where present-day Turkey is located. Traditionally common in Germany, the surname has spread more widely throughout the world, with notable variations such as the Turk or Thürk spelling. Today, the surname Tuerken is most commonly found in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is also found among the German diaspora in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Australia. It is also common among French- and Dutch-speaking communities in Switzerland. The surname Tuerken is also found in the United Kingdom, where it is thought to have spread in the 19th century due to immigration from Germany. In India, the surname has also been adopted by the Goan Catholic community, as it was originally used as a last name by non-Indians living in Goa during the Portuguese colonial era. Though the surname Tuerken is far less common today than it was in pre-modern Germanic society, its presence is still quite widespread around the world.
Variations of the surname Tuerken
The surname Tuerken is derived from the German word Tuerk, meaning Turk. It can be spelled in various ways, including Turken, Turkens, Tuerkens, and Turkens. It can be found in both German and Dutch contexts, and its variants and surnames of the same origin include Turk, Turks, Turksma, Turniski, Turkema, Turkenstein, Tuerck, Tuercken, Turkesteen, Tuerkenberg, an Turkensberg. The surname is an occupational name, referring to tradesmen who originally came from Turkey.
Turken is also a common surname in the Netherlands, derived from Turkenstraat, a street in Amsterdam. This variant is spelled with an ‘e’ at the end, and is frequently seen with the common spelling Tuurkens or Tuurkensma. This is also the spelling most often found in records from the time when this surname began to appear more sporadically in the Netherlands, in the 16th and 17th centuries. The variant Tuerk is mostly found in the German-speaking areas of northern Europe.
The spelling Turkenstein, or Turckenstijn, originates from some occurrences of the surname in the Netherlands in the 19th century. It is generally assumed to be a combination of the German Tuerk and the Dutch dimunitive ending –stijn, meaning little, resulting in Little Turk. Additionally, the spellings Turkma or Turksma can also be found in some Dutch records, indicating the same derivation.
Variants of Tuerken found in German contexts often take the form of a suffix ‘-ski’, such as Turniski or Tuerckenski. This is an example of the Slavic nis suffix, Slovak, Polish, or Russian influences seen in some German names from the 16th century onwards. Similarly, the surname Tuerkenberg is also derived from Germany, from the Middle High German words Tuerk and Berg, meaning mountain. The variant Turkensberg is most likely found in the Netherlands, utilising the same combination of German and Dutch elements.
Famous people with the name Tuerken
- Ilker Türkmen: Former Prime Minister of Turkey
- Kurk Türkmen: Turkish actor, director, and producer
- Zafer Türkmen: Turkish football manager
- Derin Türkmen: Turkish chess grandmaster
- Eren Türkmen: Turkish volleyball player
- Kadir Türkmen: Turkish Olympic taekwondo athlete
- Levent Türkmen: Turkish freestyle wrestler
- Süleyman Türkmen: Turkish football goalkeeper
- Tarık Türkmen: Turkish footballer
- Ender Türkmen: Turkish singer
- Mustafa Türkmen: Turkish sprint canoeist
- Berfin Türkmen: Turkish actress