Surname Arat - Meaning and Origin
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Arat: What does the surname Arat mean?
The last name Arat is of Turkish origin—specifically, it is a patronymic surname derived from Arak, a word of Arabic origin which means “pleasant”. Its use as a surname appears to have originated from Sultan Arak, a ruler of the Altınordu, an ancient Turkic state.
As a patronymic surname (a name formed from the given name of an ancestor), it is likely that the Arat surname was first adopted by the family or descendants of Sultan Arak. The surname has been used for centuries, and is still common in parts of Turkey today.
Since the Turkic people are a nomadic group who migrated into Turkey centuries ago, the surname could be a product of several different cultures, including Persian, Byzantine Greek, and Armenian. Bulgarian and Serbian variants of this last name also exist—in Bulgarian, it is spelled Arad; in Serbian, Arar.
The prevalence of the surname Arat suggests that the family likely was an influential one throughout the centuries. It likely has been used by powerful leaders and members of the aristocracy or royal families. To this day, the surname is found amongst people from a number of different countries, including Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Kazakhstan, and many other former Soviet states.
Order DNA origin analysisArat: Where does the name Arat come from?
The surname Arat is most commonly found in Turkey. It is believed to have originated from the ancient Turkish Arat tribe, of which little is known about the original members or their location. According to local legend, the Arat tribe lived in the area around what is now the city of Adana in the Mediterranean region of Turkey.
The Arat surname is most prevalent in southeastern Turkey today. The cities of Adana, Mersin, and Gaziantep all have significant populations of people bearing this surname.
In addition to its use in Turkey, the Arat surname is also found in other parts of the Middle East, including Iran, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.
In recent years, the Arat surname has spread to other parts of the world, particularly in the United States, as people of Turkish and Middle Eastern descent have emigrated. The city of Los Angeles, California, has the highest concentration of Arat surnames in the United States, with other significant populations in other major cities like New York, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco.
The Arat surname is still quite rare in other parts of the world, such as Europe and Australia, but is slowly becoming more prominent in those regions as well as a result of immigration.
Variations of the surname Arat
The surname Arat is an unusual name of Armenian origin. Though it is far from common, there are several variants, spellings, and other surnames related to the same origin.
The most commonly seen variant of the surname Arat is the spelling Araj, which is used primarily by Eastern Armenian population. This surname, derived from the Armenian word for 'stronghold', can also be spelled Arajian and Arajyan.
Another variant is Arut, used primarily by Western Armenian population. It is also derived from the Armenian word for 'stronghold', and can be spelled Arutiun or Arutun.
The surname Erato is also of Armenian origin, and is often considered a variant of the name Arat. It is derived from the Armenian word for 'love'. However, Erato is much less common than its counterpart Arat.
Surnames related to Arat that also hold the same origin include Badalian, Demirci, Golkarian, and Mardian. All of these surnames are derived from Armenian words for different professions and can be found commonly throughout the Eastern and Western Armenian population.
In conclusion, the surname Arat has numerous variants, spellings, and other surnames related to it. Each of these variants is found through both Eastern and Western Armenian population, though some are much less common than others.
Famous people with the name Arat
- Burhan Arat: Champion Grandmaster in World Correspondence Chess Federation who was born in 1926.
- Hale Arat: Turkish journalist and the founder of Star newspaper whose career spanned more than four decades in print and electronic media.
- Mitat Arat: Member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey who served from 1957 to 1960.
- Mustafa Arat: Turkish politician, author and educator who served as the Mayor of Ankara from 1994 to 2000.
- Yasin Arat: Turkish professional footballer who played for many clubs including Denizlispor and Antalyaspor.
- Yener Arat: Turkish sports journalist and the former deputy director of A Spor television which is part of the Fox Sports Network.
- Zerrin Arat: Emeritus professor of political science at Istanbul University who has written extensively on civil society, democratization and politics of the Middle East.
- Yılmaz Arat: Prominent figure in Turkish art and photography who has been widely recognized for his career as an artist, photographer, professor and curator.
- Ali Arat: Professional boxer and Turkish national champion who competed in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
- Engin Arat: Former professional basketball player, coach and prominent philanthropist who played for Fenerbahçe from 1999 to 2004.