Surname Aktas - Meaning and Origin

Aktas: What does the surname Aktas mean?

The last name Aktas is derived from the Turkish word "aktaş", which describes someone who works with or handles metals. It comes from the Turkish root word "ak", which means "white" or "metal". As such, the name Aktas reflects a sense of craftsmanship and hard work and implies an individual who is resourceful, inventive, and skilled with their hands.

Originally, this surname was held by a variety of metalworking professions such as blacksmiths, goldsmiths, coppersmiths, silversmiths, and gunsmiths. In more modern times, it has come to reflect anyone who works with or manipulates metal in some form. This could include welders, machinists, masons, miners, and metalworkers of all kinds.

The surname Aktas represents the labor and dedication that come with creating and manipulating metal products. Traditionally, this included the makings of tools, armor, weapons, utensils, jewelry, and decorative objects. Today, the Aktas name still holds the same values of hard work, practicality, and expertise, describing someone with a penchant for creating solutions to problems and a commitment to detail.

Aktas: Where does the name Aktas come from?

Today, the last name Aktas is most commonly found in Turkey, particularly in the southeastern region of Anatolia. In Turkey, it is estimated that 30,000 people currently bear the surname of Aktas, with the majority residing in Istanbul and other large cities. Additionally, the last name of Aktas is very common among Turks living in Germany and has been recorded in Austria, Switzerland, Canada, United States and England. It is estimated that there are over 300 families of Aktas living outside of Turkey.

Traditionally, the Aktas last name was derived from a variety of clans and tribes who inhabited Anatolia prior to the Turkish Constitutional Monarchy of 1923. In these tribes, Aktas means "noble family,” which places the name among the top 500 most common surnames in Turkey.

The origin of the name Aktas is a subject of debate. Some believe the name comes from the Turkish words "ak," meaning white, and "tas," meaning stone, and was probably adopted by the Aktas family in reference to their white stone ancestral home or castle. Another theory suggests that the name is derived from the Turkish word "ak," meaning free, signifying the good fortune, independence and peaceful living of the Aktas family.

The name Aktas has been carried down through the centuries, and is sure to be found for centuries to come, with descendents spread all over the world.

Variations of the surname Aktas

The surname Aktas has three common variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. These are Ağtaş, Aktaş, and Aghaš.

Ağtaş is a Turkish and Azerbaijani name derived from Arabic, meaning ‘white line’ or ‘pillar’. This spelling is most commonly used among Turkish people and is especially popular in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The spelling Aktaş is used more in South and Central Asia, primarily among ethnic Turks and Azerbaijani people.

The variant spelling Aghaš is usually reserved for Iranian-Azerbaijani people and can be found among other ethnicities in fact that speak one of the Persian/ Persianized languages.

The surname Aktas is also commonly associated with a place of origin, such as the village of Aktas in the municipality of Derbent in Dagestan, Russia, which is believed to be the original home of the Aktas family. This surname is also linked to the town of Aktash in Turkey, close to the city of Konya, which was a major settlement in Ottoman times.

Locally, there is a large population of Aktas’s living in Member countries of the Council of Europe, mainly in German-speaking countries. In Germany the surname is known as Aktash, while in neighbouring countries like Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands it is written as Aktasch.

Famous people with the name Aktas

• Esmeray Aktas: Turkish actress, singer and television presenter.
• Cem Aktaş: Turkish actor and director.
• Kadir Aktas: retired Turkish footballer.
• Selim Aktaş: Turkish actor, director, and screenwriter.
• Yakup Aktaş: Turkish footballer.
• Murat Aktaş: Turkish football manager and former player.
• Yalçın Aktaş: Turkish footballer.
• Levent Aktaş: Turkish musician and composer.
• İbrahim Aktaş: Turkish-German footballer.
• Berna Aktaş: Turkish actress.

Other surnames

Aktay