Surname Öztürk - Meaning and Origin
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Unraveling the Past: A Personal Account of Discovering Familial Roots and the History Behind the Öztürk Surname with iGENEA DNA Test
As a person intrigued by ancestry and family roots, I undertook the iGENEA DNA analysis to understand the origins of my surname, Öztürk. The DNA analysis unveiled an intriguing world of ancient migration routes, resilience of my nomadic ancestors, surprising Jewish connections, and the historical circumstances that led to my existence today.
K. Öztürk
read moreÖztürk: What does the surname Öztürk mean?
The last name Öztürk is a common Turkish surname that can be translated to mean “self-turk” or “true-turk”, drawing from the Turkish root words “öz” and “türk”. The name suggests the bearer's connection to the Turkic peoples, an ethnic group that originated from Central Asia and stretches as far out as Central Europe and the Caucuses.
The name likely originated from the Ottoman-Turkic ancestry of its bearers, specifically from the Turkish words “öz” (self) and “türk” (turk). It could be that the surname was originally given to those who are proud of their Turkic heritage.
The prefix “öz” often connotes a person or family’s autonomy, with the bearer of the name set apart from the rest of their peers. In the case of the surname Öztürk, this could mean that the person bearing the name regards themselves as standing above others in their devotion to their Turkic ancestry.
Today, the surname Öztürk is still a common Turkish surname, shared by many who are descended from the Turkic peoples. It is also found commonly in countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. In fact, Öztürk is the most common surname in Turkey, with over 100,000 registered holders.
The surname Öztürk can be seen as a powerful link that binds together the Turkic peoples over time, and should be proudly carried on by future generations. The name is an important part of Turkish identity, and will continue to proudly bear witness to the shared ancestry of the Turkic peoples.
Order DNA origin analysisÖztürk: Where does the name Öztürk come from?
The last name Öztürk is now most commonly found in Turkey and throughout other countries in Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, Albania and Kazakhstan.
Öztürk is a traditional Turkish last name often found in the provinces of Central Anatolia such as Ankara, Konya and Kayseri, where the majority of the population is of Turkish origin. It is also one of the more common surnames in Western Europa, particularly amongst a large Turkish diaspora in European countries including Germany, Austria, and France.
The surname is thought to have originated in the medieval period with the adoption of Islamic names following Seljuk Turkic conquest of Anatolia. It is a patronymic surname derived from the Turkish name Öz, which means “self” or “alone”, and Türk, which means “Turk”. This suggests that Öztürk families descend from a single father who was of either Central Turkish or Ottoman ancestry.
Today, this surname is most commonly found amongst the descendants of the large Turkish diaspora who emigrated from Turkey in the early to mid-twentieth century, and their descendants. Ottoman Turkish emigrants and refugees are also known to have adopted this surname while living in refugee camps throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
In modern Turkey, Öztürk is a very common surname and is likely to be encountered in any city or town. In addition to the Turkish population, this surname is also commonly found among Kurdish, Arabic, and Persian speaking populations in the country due to centuries of ethnic and cultural mixing.
Variations of the surname Öztürk
The surname Öztürk is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Öz," the latter being a given name common among Turkic and Azerbaijani cultures. It is often spelled "Ozturk" or "Oeztuerk," and there are variations that may be seen across different cultural and language lines such as Özdürük, Uzduruk, Uztürk, Üztürk, and Özgür.
In Turkish the surname is usually pronounced “Ohz-turk”, while in Azerbaijani, the pronunciation is more likely to be something like “Uzz-turk”. Other versions of the surname can also be seen in areas with notable Turkish populations, such as Moldova and Romania, where the versions “Uzturcu” and “Uzturco”.
Given the prevalence of the Turkish language in many countries, it is not surprising that the spelling of the surname can also vary significantly. It can be seen in both Latin and Cyrillic alphabets, and variations are likely to arise in different countries and languages. Different Turkic and Azerbaijani-speaking countries might have variant spellings of this surname, like Uzdukimov in Russia, Uzdiyar in Kazakhstan, Uzdiyarov in Uzbekistan, and Ugyakaev in Kyrgyzstan.
There are also variations on the surname outside of Turkish, Azerbaijani, and other Turkic languages. In Greece and other places with significant Greek populations, the surname is seen as Ozturkis, while in France, the surname is seen in its French form, Auzturck. In Germany, the version seen would be Ozturgu, and in Serbia, this surname might be seen as Ozturcov.
Famous people with the name Öztürk
- Berkay Öztürk, Turkish pop singer
- Can Yaman, Turkish television actor
- Hakan Öztürk, Turkish sports journalist
- Hasan Öztürk, Turkish military officer
- İsmail Güneş Öztürk, Turkish football forward
- İsmail Yüksek, Turkish sport shooter
- Kemal Öztürk, Turkish weightlifter
- Mehmet Öztürk, Turkish singer and model
- Nazmi Öztürk, Turkish football defender
- Mustafa Kemal Öztürk, Turkish architect
- Nurcan Öztürk, Turkish journalist
- Özcan Öztürk, Turkish football defender
- Ramazan Öztürk, Turkish para-athlete
- Serpil Öztürk, Turkish television actor
- Salim Öztürk, Turkish racing driver
- Zafer Öztürk, Turkish football defender
- Zeynep Öztürk, Turkish basketball player