Surname Kervan - Meaning and Origin
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Kervan: What does the surname Kervan mean?
The last name Kervan (or Kervancioglu) is Turkish in origin and has been in use since at least the 1400s. It is derived from a combination of two Turkish words, kervan meaning 'caravan' and -cioglu meaning 'son of'. The name implies a connection to either the business of caravan trading or to the practice of leading or protecting caravans.
Kervan is typically cited as a Turkish last name, but its presence in areas stretching as far as Egypt suggests that it was also adopted among other ethnic groups.
Historically, caravan trading was a lucrative business that involved the transportation of goods and material from one place to another. Caravan traders often had to travel through vast and dangerous areas and, as a result, required protection. As such, Kervancioglu was a name typically used by individuals involved in providing this service.
The use of the surname 'Kervan' in modern times has also taken on an additional layer of meaning. It is not uncommon for individuals bearing this name to be described as being "hospitable" or "generous", referring to the kind of people who would extend invitations out to travellers seeking safe passage.
In a nutshell, the last name 'Kervan' is associated with the activities of the caravan traders of the medieval era, and modern day individuals bearing this name can be seen as those embodying the generous and hospitable spirit these traders and guides exhibited.
Order DNA origin analysisKervan: Where does the name Kervan come from?
The last name Kervan is most common today in Turkey, particularly in the western and southwestern regions of the country. Records show that the earliest known ancestors with this surname lived in the city of Kastamonu, located in the Black Sea Region. Since then, Kervan has become a popular surname among Turkish citizens, and is frequently found in Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara.
The Kervan surname is a patronymic name, likely derived from the small village of Kervanpınar, located in the western province of Afyonkarahisar. From there, the Kervans likely established families in the surrounding provinces, and the surname was spread throughout Anatolia by migrating farmers and traders.
Outside of Turkey, Kervan is also a relatively common surname in parts of the Caucasus region, particularly in the Republic of Georgia and Azerbaijan. In recent years, it has been adopted by many immigrants from the surrounding countries who have resettled in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom.
Variations of the surname Kervan
Kervan is a surname of Turkish origin commonly found in Central and South-eastern Europe. It is also spelled as Kerwan, Qarwan, Kervon, Kervanes, Qarvans and Karvanis.
The Kervan surname has its roots in Turkish for which its literal meaning is 'karavan', which means 'caravan'. During the Ottoman era, the Kervans were traders passing through Anatolia leading pack animals carrying goods to alternative destinations, going by the name of Karvanlar (which translates to 'Caravaners'). This could explain why, in certain European countries, the Karvans have arrived from locations such as the Balkans, the Caucasus or Anatolia with the same surname.
Variants of the Kervan surname exist in other languages, such as Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian, where it is spelled as ‘Korvan’, ‘Korvanov’, or ‘Korvanovitch’. Similarly, in Polish and Romanian, the Kervans are referred to as ‘Kowrwan’, ‘Kerwan’ and ‘Korwan’.
Kervens is a variant often linked to Kerven, the anglicised form of the French contraction of Kervan. The variant surnames Kervin and Kervins exist inSeveral towns throughout the English Midlands, while in Scotland, the Kervan surname is mainly found to be combined with the Scottish preposition ‘Mc’, giving rise to the surnames ‘McKervan’ and ‘McKerven’. Other variants in English include Kerving, Kervyn and Kervanley.
The Kervan surname can also be found in other contexts such as 'Kervens-Karavan', written in the Greek variant, which literally translates to 'Family of the Caravan', suggesting that the Kervans were likely to have had a unified identity. To this day, the Kervan surname still lives on in many nations as a result of the variety of different locations where the nomads originally settled.
Famous people with the name Kervan
- Ghassan Kervan: Ghassan Kervan is a Tunisian-born French film producer. He is best known for his works in the 1994 movie Little Indian, Big City and the 2002 film The Hidden Half.
- Bülent Kervan: Bülent Kervan is a Turkish actor who is best known for his roles in the TV series Black Money Love and the movie Miracle in Cell No. 7.
- Richard Kervan: Richard Kervan is an English musician, composer and producer who is credited with producing albums for household names like David Bowie, Coldplay and Amy Winehouse, to name a few.
- Sweet Hollyla Kervan: Sweet Hollyla Kervan is a Native American musician and actor from Montana. She is predominantly known for her roles in the TV series Into the West and The Verses.
- Sarper Kervan: Sarper Kervan is a Turkish football player who currently plays for Turkish Süper Lig club Kayserispor.
- Burcu Kervan: Burcu Kervan is a Turkish professional tennis player. She has reached the quarterfinals of numerous WTA circuit tournaments and has also represented her country in many Fed Cup competitions.
- Seyfi Kervan: Seyfi Kervan was a Turkish national football player from the 1930s who represented his country in the 1938 FIFA World Cup.