SURNAMEEntry 619

Atmaca

Atmaca /atmaˈdʒa/

“sparrowhawk”1

Established origin Atmaca: root entries for atmaca + atmak · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
6 / 3
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
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Initial
A
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How do you pronounce Atmaca?

Atmaca

IPA /atmaˈdʒa/

The stress usually falls on syllable 3 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Atmaca mean?

The atmaca is the sparrowhawk, a nimble bird of prey of wooded country that hunts small birds; in old falconry it was trained alongside the falcon. Nişanyan suggests the word may be derived from atmak ‘to throw’ with the suffix -mAcA, though not with certainty. There are also villages called Atmaca in Mardin and Van.1

Grammar Bare noun.

Atmaca is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Atmaca made of?

Atmaca is a single Turkic root: atmaca (sparrowhawk).

Atmaca + root atmaca sparrowhawk TURKIC atmaca “sparrowhawk, hawk of thegenus Accipiter” TURKIC atmak “to throw” Atmaca atmaca root sparrowhawk atmaca TURKIC “sparrowhawk, hawk of the genusAccipiter” atmak TURKIC “to throw”
Atmaca: parts and root words
  • atmaca Turkic — sparrowhawk, hawk of the genus Accipiter1
  • atmak Turkic — to throw1

How was the name Atmaca formed?

Atmaca is the word atmaca (“sparrowhawk”), taken unchanged as a surname.

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.5

Which surnames are related to Atmaca?

Atmaca Atıcı Atar Canatan
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Atıcı same root – –
02 Atar same root – –
03 Canatan same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Atmaca?

  1. Mehmet Atmaca statesperson 1966–
  2. Cemre Atmaca association football player 1985–
  3. Adem Atmaca businessperson 1981–
  4. Devrim Atmaca actor 1970–
  5. Hayrettin Atmaca businessperson 1956–2013
  6. Hüseyin Atmaca statesperson 1919–2011
  7. Onur Atmaca singer 1989–
  8. Ali Fuat Atmaca researcher

People surnamed Atmaca as recorded in Wikidata, ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions.

Is Atmaca also a first name?

Yes. Atmaca is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “sparrowhawk”.

Atmaca as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Atmaca?

Şahin, Akbaba and Doğaner share gloss keywords with Atmaca within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Atmaca?

Read the root, formation and register information for Atmaca alongside this guide: How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: atmaca accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: atmaca accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Atmaca accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Atmaca

Q1

What does the surname Atmaca mean?

The atmaca is the sparrowhawk, a nimble bird of prey of wooded country that hunts small birds; in old falconry it was trained alongside the falcon. Nişanyan suggests the word may be derived from atmak ‘to throw’ with the suffix -mAcA, though not with certainty. There are also villages called Atmaca in Mardin and Van.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Atmaca?

The root word of Atmaca is atmak (Turkic): “to throw”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Atmaca?

At·ma·ca, 3 syllables; IPA: /atmaˈdʒa/.