Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 986

Berkman

Berkman /beɾkˈman/

“very sturdy, strong man”1

Letters / syllables
7 / 2
Formation
1934 coinage
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
B
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7As a first name
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Berkman?

Berkman

IPA /beɾkˈman/

The stress usually falls on syllable 2 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Berkman mean?

Berkman adds the element -man, as in Akman or Gökmen, to berk ‘firm, strong, unshakeable’: ‘a very sturdy, strong man’. Berk is an old Turkic word related to pek.1

Grammar berk + -man.

That Berkman goes back to berk is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is Berkman made of?

Berkman is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: berk (firm, strong) + -man (augmentative).

Berkman + root berk firm, strong TURKIC berk “hard, firm, strong” suffix -man augmentative Berkman berk root firm, strong berk TURKIC “hard, firm, strong” -man suffix augmentative
Berkman: parts and root words
  • berk Turkic — hard, firm, strong1

How was the name Berkman formed?

Berkman was formed by adding the suffix -man (“augmentative”) to berk (“firm, strong”).

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

Which surnames are related to Berkman?

Berkman Berk Berker Berköz Berksoy Özberk Berkin Berktaş Berktay Erberk Berkay Canberk Gökberk
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Berk same root – –
02 Berker same root – –
03 Berköz same root – –
04 Berksoy same root – –
05 Özberk same root – –
06 Berkin same root – –
07 Berktaş same root – –
08 Berktay same root – –
09 Erberk same root – –
10 Berkay same root – –
11 Canberk same root – –
12 Gökberk same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Berkman?

  1. Candemir Berkman association football player 1934–2026
  2. Ahmet Tevfik Berkman physician 1900–1993
  3. Hamdi Berkman politician 1892–1958
  4. Naci Berkman politician 1910–1980

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

Is Berkman also a first name?

Yes. Berkman is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “very sturdy, strong man”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: berk accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Berkman accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: berk 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 Berkman

Q1

What does the surname Berkman mean?

Berkman adds the element -man, as in Akman or Gökmen, to berk ‘firm, strong, unshakeable’: ‘a very sturdy, strong man’. Berk is an old Turkic word related to pek.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Berkman?

The root word of Berkman is berk (Turkic): “hard, firm, strong”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Berkman?

Berk·man, 2 syllables; IPA: /beɾkˈman/.