SURNAMEEntry 893
Cengiz
“from the title Chinggis Khan”2
- CategoryHistorical and legendary names
- OriginMongolic
- FormPlain noun
- Letters / syllables
- 6 / 2
- Formation
- Plain noun
- Vowel harmony
- front
Contents§1–§11
How do you pronounce Cengiz?
The stress usually falls on syllable 2 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.
What does the surname Cengiz mean?
Cengiz comes from Chinggis Khan, the title taken in 1206 by Temüjin, founder of the Mongol Empire; in Turkish it became a common male given name. The meaning of the title is debated: some link it to “strong, firm”, while others explain it through Turkic teŋiz, “ocean”, as “ruler of the oceans, of the world”.2
The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:
- One view holds that the title connotes strength, firmness or righteousness.
- Another links it to Turkic teŋiz “ocean”, giving “universal ruler”.
- Some scholars argue the title had no particular meaning.
What is Cengiz made of?
Cengiz is a single root: Cengiz (title of the Mongol ruler Temüjin).
- Činggis Mongolic — Mongolian: the title Chinggis2
How was the name Cengiz formed?
Cengiz belongs to the “plain noun” class of surnames.
Where in Türkiye is Cengiz most common?
Cengiz is outside the national top 30, but it appears in the top-30 lists of 2 provinces; its best rank is 23rd in Siirt.1
- In the province top 30 2
- Not listed
| # | Province | Rank | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Ağrı | 30 | 1,920 |
| 02 | Siirt | 23 | 1,421 |
Who are some well-known people named Cengiz?
- Berfu Cengiz tennis player 1999–
- Ali Cengiz amateur wrestler 1996–
- Fatih Cengiz amateur wrestler 1995–
- Orhan Kemal Cengiz journalist 1968–
- Sadi Celil Cengiz actor 1983–
- Hakan Cengiz association football player 1967–
- Hüseyin Cengiz association football player 1984–
- Mustafa Cengiz sports executive 1949–2021
People surnamed Cengiz as recorded in Wikidata, ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions.
Is Cengiz also a first name?
Yes. Cengiz is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “from the title Chinggis Khan”.
Cengiz as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →
How is Cengiz written and pronounced abroad?
In Turkish c is pronounced like English j in "jam", never as k or ts; z is a voiced s.
Where do these facts come from?
- 1 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)
- 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Činggis
- 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Cengiz
- 4 Wikimedia Wikipedia: Genghis Khan
- 5 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
- 6 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)
- 7 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759)
- 8 Natural Earth Natural Earth: Admin-1 boundaries
- 9 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com)
Common questions about Cengiz
- Q1
What does the surname Cengiz mean?
- Cengiz comes from Chinggis Khan, the title taken in 1206 by Temüjin, founder of the Mongol Empire; in Turkish it became a common male given name. The meaning of the title is debated: some link it to “strong, firm”, while others explain it through Turkic teŋiz, “ocean”, as “ruler of the oceans, of the world”.
- Q2
What is the origin of the surname Cengiz?
- The root word of Cengiz is Činggis (Mongolic): “the title Chinggis”. There are 4 competing views on where Cengiz comes from, all set out on this page.
- Q3
How do you pronounce Cengiz?
- Cen·giz, 2 syllables; IPA: /dʒenˈɟiz/.