Surname Turken - Meaning and Origin
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Turken: What does the surname Turken mean?
The last name Turken is of Turkish origin and it was often used as an ethnic name for someone from Turkey. The term may have been applied to someone who did business or trade with the Turks or possibly someone who had a Turkish appearance or who had been a prisoner of the Turks during their various invasions of central Europe in the Middle Ages. Turken can also be used to denote agricultural workers, which can be traced back to the Middle High German word "turkenei" meaning "a hen that was bred in a Turkish manner". Over time, geographical mobility, social advancement, and various administrative practices have contributed to the disparate origins of the surname. Thus, the specific meaning can vary based on family history and origin. The actual meaning can best be understood within the individual family context. The spelling variants can include Türken, Turkin, Truken, and others.
Order DNA origin analysisTurken: Where does the name Turken come from?
The last name Turken is commonly found today in areas around the world where the Turkic peoples have a presence. In particular, it is popular in Turkey, Central Asia, and the Balkans.
In Turkey, the majority of the population is of Turkic descent, and the name Turken can be seen throughout the country. It is especially common in southern areas such as Ankara, Konya, and Uzunlar, where the population contains a mixture of ethnic origins from throughout the Middle East and Central Asia.
In Central Asia, the last name Turken is also widespread among the Turkic peoples, including the Kyrgyz, Uzbek, and Kazakh peoples. It is not as common in Turkic-dominated Russia or in the Caucasus region.
The last name Turken is also popular in the Balkans, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the ethnicity is largely of Balkan and Turkic origin. Outside of Europe, the last name Turken can also be found in Australia, where there is a large Turkish diaspora.
In summary, the last name Turken is most common today in Turkey, Central Asia, and the Balkans, as well as in areas around the world where there is a presence of Turkic peoples.
Variations of the surname Turken
The surname Turken is derived from the Slavic word Turkai which initially referred to a person of Turkic origin living in Poland or Russia. The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin are Türken, Turkan, Turke, Turkis, Turkus, Turkuy, Turkevich, Turkevichy, Turki, Turkun, Turkin, and Turkhan.
Türken, usually written with the umlaut (two dots above the u), is probably the best known of the variants. It is a German variation of the original Slavic prefix for the name Türken and is the most commonly found variant of the name.
Turkan is a variation which is particularly common in Russia. Also in Russia is Turke, another variation sometimes found with the suffix -vichy or -vich. The spelling Turkis is found particularly in Poland and may suggest a person of Turkish origin rather than one of Turkic origin, if the double ‘s’ is taken to follow the German convention. Turkus is a Lithuanian variation of the surname and is especially common among Lithuanian Jews.
Turkuy is a Slovakian variation of the name and Turkevich is an especially well-known form of the same origin. It is most often associated with the Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, whose original name was Musorgsky Turkevich.
Turki is another common variation of the surname, usually encountered in regions where Muslims reside, while Turkun and Turkin are mostly found in Russia and Ukraine. Turkhan is the last of the variants which usually has the prefix "Turk" and/or "Turukh" meaning "Turk" in some Middle Eastern regions.
Famous people with the name Turken
- Nuri Bilge Ceylan: Nuri Bilge Ceylan is a Turkish film director, photographer, screenwriter and actor. He won the Palme d'Or, the highest prize at the Cannes Film Festival, in 2014 for his film Winter Sleep.
- Selma Ergeç: Selma Ergeç is a Turkish actress. She is best known for her roles in television series and films like The Moon of Istanbul, Wind of God, Life Goes On, Summer in the Forest, and Bitter Lands.
- Mehmet Ali Erbil: Mehmet Ali Erbil is a Turkish comedian and actor. He is best known for his roles in films such as Seven Dwarfs, Crazy Dog and I'm Not Sukru.
- Nurseli İdiz: Nurseli İdiz is a Turkish actress and voice actress. She is best known for her roles in films such as Five Minarets in New York and Fetih 1453, and for her voice work on TV series such as South Park and Family Guy.
- Ayşecan Turan: Ayşecan Turan is a Turkish singer and actress. She is best known for her work on TV shows like Eye of the Storm and Tears of Pain, and for her song "Crawling King Snake".
- Mert Fırat: Mert Fırat is a Turkish actor. He is best known for his lead roles in films such as It Happened One Night and For Love's Sake.
- Bergüzar Korel: Bergüzar Korel is a Turkish actress. She is best known for her roles in TV series such as Man of Peace and 1001 Night, and for her narration of the Discovery Channel series America Unplugged.
- İdil Fırat: İdil Fırat is a Turkish journalist, author and news anchor. She is best known as the host of the news program 24 Hours on CNN Türk.