Surname Turkalak - Meaning and Origin
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Turkalak: What does the surname Turkalak mean?
The surname Turkalak appears to be of Turkish origin. However, its exact meaning isn't clearly documented in commonly available sources and databases. It seems to be a compound of two words "Turk" and "alak". "Turk" is commonly associated with Turkish people or Turkey as a country. The suffix "alak" is not clearly defined but in Turkish, "alaka" means relation or relevance, which might suggest a connection or bond with Turkish origins. Such compound surnames are commonly found in Turkish culture, often representing occupations, geographical indications, or ancestral professions. Please note that the exact interpretation may vary and the origin and meaning of a name can best be determined through detailed genealogical research or specific cultural knowledge.
Order DNA origin analysisTurkalak: Where does the name Turkalak come from?
The last name Turkalak is most commonly found in Poland today. This name can be traced back to many different parts of the country, as the surname is known to have originated in the northeast as well as the west. It wasn’t always so, however; Turkish soldiers brought the surname to Poland during the Ottoman invasions and it spread throughout the country over the next few centuries, becoming especially common in the rural villages scattered all over Poland.
Many people of the Turkalak name remained in Poland after the invasions ended and over time the Polish Turkalaks became fully integrated and adopted as citizens of their new homeland. To this day, you can find member of the Turkalak family living in major metropolitan areas such as Warsaw, Gdańsk, and Kraków.
The Orth Family Tree, an online resource created to track and document genealogical information of Polish ancestry, identifies hundreds of individuals with the surname Turkalak living in Poland in modern-day. Moreover, many descendants of the Turkalak surname have relocated to other parts of the world, establishing a global network of Turkalak families.
Overall, the Turkalak surname continues to remain popular in Poland and though it is not as widespread as it once was, it does still exist and continues to be a part of the Polish national identity.
Variations of the surname Turkalak
The variations, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Turkalak include:
Turcala, Turcalak, Turkalak, Turkelak, Turkalo, Turchala, Turchalak, Turchelak, Turchołak, Turkolak, Turkelek, Turketz, Turksalak, Turkulac, Turkulač, Turquala, Turquialak, Turshala, Turshalak, Tutculac, Tzurcalo, Tzurcalos, Tzurolak andUrculac.
Turkalak is an eastern European surname of Slavic origin. It is derived from the name “Turk” which is a surname given to a person from Turkey or a person of Turkish descent. The name is patronymic in origin, derived from the father’s occupation or trade. The variations of spelling are due to geographical and historical conditions that have varied over time.
The surname Turkalak is common in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and other East European countries, as well as with emigrants in North America. It is also common among Ukrainian and Russian immigrants in the US, sometimes spelled 'Turkelak'.
In some cases, the spelling 'Turcalak' might be a variation of the original Turkish form of the name, 'Türkalak'. The Russian version of the name is 'Turtsalak', while the Ukrainian version is 'Turchelak'. The Polish variant is 'Turkelak', while in Romania, the name is sometimes spelled 'Turquialak'.
The variations of the surname Turkalak are evidence of the fluidity of language and how alternate spellings and forms can develop across different countries and cultures.
Famous people with the name Turkalak
- Paulina Turkalak: Actress, model and TV personality
- Marjan Turkalak: Serbian Olympic swimmer
- Jelena Turkalak: Actress from Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Michael Turkalak: Professional hockey player
- Ekaterina Turkalak: Russian athlete and Olympic gymnast
- Stanislav Turkalak: Slovak film director and screenwriter
- Michal Turkalak: Professional basketball player and Olympian from Slovakia
- Frank Turkalak: American voice actor
- Tija Turkalak: Slovak actress, writer and director