Turkish names

A Turkish name consists of an ad or an isim (given name; plural adlar and isimler) and a soyadı or soyisim (surname). Turkish names exist in a "full name" format. While there is only one soyadı (surname) in the full name there may be more than one ad (given name). Married women may carry both their maiden and husband's surnames. The soyadı is written as the last element of the full name, after all given names (except that official documents often use the format "Soyadı, Adı").

At least one name, often two but very rarely more, are given to a person at birth. Most names are gender-specific: Oğuz is strictly for males, Tuğçe only for females. But there are many Turkish names which are unisex. Many modern given names (such as Deniz, "sea"; or Ülkü, "ideal") are given to newborns of either sex.

Among the common examples of the many unisex names in Turkey include Aytaç, Deniz, Derya, , Evrim, Özgür, and Yücel. Unlike English unisex names, most Turkish unisex names have been traditionally used for both genders. However, some unisex names are used more for one gender (Derya is used more for girls, whereas Özgür is used more for boys). Names are given to babies by their parents and then registered in "The Central Civil Registration System" (MERNIS) while preparing the baby's identity document at the birth registration office of the district's governorship.

Turkish names are often words with specific meanings in the Turkish language. These names are almost always pure Turkish names that derive from Turkish words. The names may either be modern names or be derived from ancient Turkic mythology.

Most Turkish names can easily be differentiated from others, except those of other Turkic nations, particularly Azerbaijan, especially if they are of pure Turkic origin. The Law on the Adoption and Implementation of the Turkish Alphabet of 1928, in force as decreed by article 174 of the Constitution of Turkey, prescribes that only Turkish letters may be used on birth certificates. As the Turkish alphabet has no Q, W, or X, many common Kurdish names cannot be officially given unless they are transliterated into Turkish.

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Wikipedia