Genealogy for the TURK Surname
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Genealogy for the TURK Surname
History & Origin(s) of the TURK Surnames
When we say TURK we use it as a general reference to all the variant
spellings
When you see a specific spelling of Turc then you know it is specific
to that country, family or person.
GENERAL: How names have changed over time
www.crests.com/namesvary.htm
The source of our TURK surnames is a fascinating study. It is even
more interesting with the TURK Y-DNA study occurring now. Some of the
variations of the Turk surname appear to be linked to Turkomen or
people of Turkey. Researcher Dr. Toni Richard Turk explains: The
surname TURK not only has numerous variant spellings, it also has
numerous origins. The website www.turkgenealogy.com is dedicated to
gathering into a single database the genealogical record of all the
variant spellings without preference among the various origins.
Etymologists have identified the following origins:
1. Derivation from a place name, e.g. from Türkwitz in Breslau,
Turknwitz in Bohemia and Turckheim in France.
2. Derivation from a natural or manmade feature near which the
original surname bearer lived, e.g. "zum Türken" and "zum Dürken".
3. Derivation from a nickname, a physical characteristic or personal
attribute of the original bearer.
4. Derivation from a patronymic such as Dietrich from Theodorich.
5. Derivation from a shortened title of a "fighter against the Turks"
given to a returned Crusader.
6. Derivation from a descriptive title for a Turk who settled among
non-Turks, i.e. "the Turk".
7. Finally in 1930 Turkey required its citizens to assume a surname.
Many assumed the surname Turk or Türk.
The TURK surname was first encountered in the eleventh century. This
surname is now encountered throughout the world. Still those who do
not bear this surname usually do a double-take when first encountering
it. Regardless of the origin, bearers of this surname share in common
the experience of life with their distinctive name. Our website, which
is devoted to the broadest definition of TURK genealogy, invites
papers from around the world on any aspect of the TURK surname. Please
read the call for papers for more information.
The Turk name in Various Countries:
It is interesting to search the web for information on surname origins
in various countries:
In the French Etymologic dictionary it is explained that all the Turc
names come mainly from the east of France. The name appeared after
the crusade and is possibly the nickname of a crusader who came back
to Europe after fighting in Turkey.
"THE SURNAMES OF IRELAND," by Edw. MacLysaght Ma Dlittmria Shannon,
Ireland Irish Univ. Press 1969
says: TURK: Either for MacTurk (Mac Tuirc), a Scottish name found in
Antrim, Ireland, or more often an abbreviated form of TURKINGTON.
Turkington: An English toponymic closely associated with Co. Armagh,
Ireland since the 17th Century.
The Turk name seems to have various origins. One source might be
Norway and Sweden. I have heard that the name came from Thor, the
Scandinavian god of thunder, war, and strength.
First came nicknames meaning "dear" or "little" Thor: Thorketil,
Torketil, Turketil. Then these were shortened to "Thorell" or "Turk."
The Vikings could have brought it to the British Isles directly or
could have taken it through Kievan Russia to Normandy (Northmen's
land), France, and then into England.
Here is how some of the surname variations play out in different
countries:
France: Turc, Turcq, Leturc, Leturque, Turquet, Turquin
Italy: Turco, Turci, Turchio, Turcu, Del Turco, Turcheschi
German: Turck, Turck, Thurch, Terkel,
English: Turk - derives from a medieval name
Flemish/Dutch: De Turk
Jewish: Turkisher, Turkow, Turkov, Terkel - the Jewish names mean "Jew
from Turkey"
Poland/Czech: Turek, Turecek, Turkowski, Turkiewicz
Hungary: Torok,Turk, Turkovich, Turkowski,
Scottish: Mac Torc, McTurk
Irish: Turkington (Northern Ireland)
Turkey:
The surname TURAK belongs to my wife's family who comes from the city
of Ohrid (today in Macedonia). Although in the last five centuries
they might have intermarried with non-Turks, today they speak only
Turkish and do not have any other ethnic identity."Turak" is a rare
last name in Turkey - I haven't met or heard of any Turak (from
Turkey) without a connection to my wife's family. However, by
searching the Internet I've come accross several Turaks living in the
USA or Canada who generally trace their ancestry to Slovakia,
Slovenia,or Croatia. I suppose one can also add Hungary and parts of
former Yugoslavia to the source population of this surname. Best
wishes, Can Bilgin
Dr. C. Can Bilgin email: cbi...@metu.edu.tr
Department of Biology (day) +90 (312) 210-5017
Middle East Technical University (fax) +90 (312) 210-1289
06531 Ankara TURKEY http://www.metu.edu.tr/~cbilgin
Origin(s) of the Turk Name
Posted by Hamza Turk at GenForum February 5, 2002:
It is easy to figure out where Turk originated from. After the
Ottomans took over the Arabian Empire they spread around Eastern
Europe, Asia, and Africa like wild fire. When the Catholic Church
convinced Christian Europe that the Turks were infidels, because they
were Muslims, the crusades started one after another. The Christian
crusaders were no match for the Turks because at that time Turks were
much more the warrior types. Then around the time of Columbus the
Turkish/Muslim Spain was defeated and Granada fell to Christian hands.
To this day, you can find remnants of Islam in Spain.
The Spanish king and queen ordered anyone that was Muslim to be
exterminated. A lot of them died, but a few converted to Christianity
to save their lives. It is not by accident that within a century the
name Turk showed up in England and Ireland by slowly migrating north.
For the ones from Slovania it is the same story. Turks came all the
way to the gates of Austria. That is why they have such good tea.
Austria was part of the Hungarian empire which if you trace Hungarian
Eneology they have a common ancestor the Huns. My family was from
Bosnia and we are Turkish. My grand people were generals in the
Ottoman army. After Bosnia fell to Hungary, my people decided not to
convert t ? but instead moved to Macedonia which still has many Turks
living there today. I hope this will help some. If you have any
questions feel free to email me at okta...@yahoo.com
P.S. You should be very proud of your name. Turks are one of the best
peoples that have ever walked the earth.
The Turcott Surname in France and England
Cosmic Beginnings of TURK
Hans Bahlow's book on German surnames for Türck has a "see reference"
to Thürck. He says it is a "young name as the Turks became known only
in the 16th century."
With my Turk family in Northern Ireland, I believe it was
originally Mc Turk who came to Ulster in the 1600's from Lowland
Scotland where the name is still McTurk. Colin Moore July 25, 1999
My TURK's live in England; villages in Kent and Sussex. I have
come across a 'TURK' in Cowden village in 1520 although cannot link
her to my tree. It is believed that the name was unheard of in England
until the 12th century during the Norman invasion. Regards, Les Smith
August 31, 1999
My Turk line is thought to be from Holland. H Turk-Clark
mid...@juno.com April 4, 2000
My Turks migrated to Western PA from Austria in the late 1800s.
However, they had previously migrated to Austria from Slovina. Harold
Turk August 1, 2001
My Turks came to the USA from Braquis (North-Eastern France)
where the surname was Turcq and Le Turcq and Le Turc. I am always
interested in any other Turks from that area who have done family
history. My husband Charles Turk did the Y-DNA study and had 22
matches in Germany. Nancy Turk nt...@sears.com
Who Are the Turks?
"A real Turk is a manly, though rather violent, kind-hearted being,
and if he has confidence in you, very easy to deal with." - Lady
Stanhope, October 1827.
"A humorless soldierly people whose arts are courage, honor, and
bloodletting." - Nelson Algren 1963.
The Turks first came from the wide plains of Central Asia. These
nomadic horsemen migrated westwards, converting to Islam along the
way, until they finally reached Anatolia. In 1071, the Byzantine
Emperor Romanus IV Diogenes was defeated by the Seljuk Turks at the
Battle of Manzikert, and thus opened the way for Turks into Asia
Minor. Today the ethnic cousins left behind in Central Asia are the
Azerbaijanis, Kazaks, Uzbeks, Turkmens, Kyrgyzs, Ugyur as well as
smaller groups like the Chechens and the Gagauz. The downfall of the
Soviet Union has resulted in a rise of a feeling of Pan-Turkism - that
of the unity of Turkic peoples that transcends centuries of
separation.
This site managed by Nancy Turk last revision 10/03/03 Please
inform me of any errors