Surname Cemal - Meaning and Origin

Cemal: What does the surname Cemal mean?

The last name Cemal is derived from the Arabic term 'cemal', which means “beauty”. It is also a common Turkish surname, and is related to the usage of 'cemal' as a formal honorific in Turkish society.

There is speculation that the name descends from the Tamils of South India, where the term 'cemal' is used to signify 'gorgeousness'. It is also possible that the name is older and was derived from the ancient words cem and al, which mean 'vessel' or vessel of a deity'. Whatever the origin of the name, it is clear that Cemal was originally formed as a descriptive term of someone's physical appearance or spiritual essence.

In the Middle East, Cemal as a surname can be seen to represent movement from the countryside to urban areas, with people taking on the term to symbolize their attempt at upward mobility. The surname is common among Persian-speaking populations, but is also seen among people from the Middle East, Turkey, the Balkans and North Africa.

In modern usage, the term Cemal is used to refer to someone who is graceful and beautiful. It can also be used to laud someone who embodies the qualities of courtesy or fairness. The name is becoming increasingly popular in terms of its usage as a given name for newborns, symbolizing the way that people wish to honor virtues of beauty, courtesy, and fairness.

Cemal: Where does the name Cemal come from?

The last name Cemal is most commonly found among the ethnic Turks in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. It is also found in parts of North Africa and in India. The largest numbers of people with this last name are in Turkey. In Turkey, it is ranked as the 44th most common last name with roughly 95,000 people having this name. The name is also common throughout the countries of the former Ottoman Empire such as Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, and Macedonia.

In the United States, the name Cemal is much less common. As of the the 2010 Census, the name Cemal was the 9,856th most common last name in the United States, with a frequency of 0.00032 percent. There are an estimated 311 individuals with this last name residing in the US, the majority of whom are located in densely populated urban areas along the east coast. The highest concentrations are found in New York, Maryland, and Florida. The name is also somewhat common throughout Europe, particularly in France, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany.

Despite the low overall frequency of the name in the US, it remains a relatively common Turkish surname. In Turkey, the name Cemal is a popular given name and several prominent figures have held the name, including the former Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose mother is a Cemal, and the former Turkish lawmaker, Haluk Koç, whose father is a Cemal.

Variations of the surname Cemal

The surname Cemal is of Turkish origin, and is believed to have first appeared in the Ottoman Empire (now modern-day Turkey) at some point in the 16th century. It has since spread to various other countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe.

The variants of this surname generally consist of the spelling ‘Jemal’ or ‘Gemal’, as it is also known in some of the countries in which it is most popularly found. This variation can also be quite pronounced in other countries, such as in the United States, in which the surname can often be spelled ‘Camel’.

In terms of surnames of the same origin, there are several that have derived from the original name Cemal. These can include but are not limited to:

- Camal,

- Jumal,

- Jemile,

- Cumalı,

- Camilo,

- Jamali,

- Gemici,

- Gambal,

- Camila,

- Gemalli,

- Djemil,

- Jamil,

- Jemall,

- Kemal,

- Khemal,

- Gamal,

- Gummel,

- Gamali,

- Cvmall,

- Jammal,

- Gemel,

- Gimmel,

- Djamil,

- and Gomel.

Overall, the surname Cemal has a wide variety of spellings and surnames of the same origin, depending on the region of the world in which one may find it. This is indicative of the wide geographical span in which it is found, having transcended borders and languages over time.

Famous people with the name Cemal

• Cemal Yılmaz: Turkish Actor, Director, and Comedian
• Cemal Türk: Former Chairman of Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals
• Cemal Gürsel: Former President of Turkey
• Cemal Sadık Aksoy: Former Prime Minister of Turkey
• Cemal Süreya: Turkish Poet
• Cemal Erol: Turkish Actor
• Cemal Balkı: Turkish International Footballer
• Cemal Kurnaz: Co-founder of Turkey's ReWiT (Return and Reintegration to Society program)
• Cemal Fordu: Former Vice President of Turkey
• Cemal Uşaklıgil: Turkish Novelist and Playwright

Other surnames

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