Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,009

Tercan

Tercan /ˈteɾdʒan/

“Tercan, a district of Erzincan; fresh soul”3

Letters / syllables
6 / 2
Formation
Place name
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
T
Contents§1–§8
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6Sources
  7. §7Questions
  8. §8Related

How do you pronounce Tercan?

Tercan

IPA /ˈteɾdʒan/

The stress usually falls on syllable 1 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Tercan mean?

Tercan is the name of a district of Erzincan Province; in the Byzantine era the area was called Derzene, and the district town was for a time known as Mama Hatun. The origin of the place name is not documented. The name dictionary, however, keeps the personal name Tercan apart from the district name and tentatively explains it as Persian ter-cân, “fresh soul”.1,3

Grammar A bare place name or personal name.

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. Place reading: the district of Tercan in Erzincan.
  2. Personal-name reading: unrelated to the district, perhaps Persian ter-cân, “fresh soul” (Nişanyan Adlar).

What is Tercan made of?

Tercan is a single root: Tercan (district of Erzincan).

Tercan + root Tercan district of Erzincan UNKNOWN Tercan “a district of ErzincanProvince” PERSIAN ter-cân “fresh soul (marked asuncertain)” Tercan Tercan root district of Erzincan Tercan UNKNOWN “a district of Erzincan Province” ter-cân PERSIAN “fresh soul (marked as uncertain)”
Tercan: parts and root words
  • Tercan unknown — a district of Erzincan Province3
  • ter-cân Persian — fresh soul (marked as uncertain)1

How was the name Tercan formed?

Tercan belongs to the “place name” class of surnames.

Who are some well-known people named Tercan?

  1. Cemal Tercan politician 1933–2025
  2. Erdal Tercan politician 1961–
  3. Oğuzhan Tercan screenwriter 1963–2022
  4. Abdullah Erhan Tercan researcher
  5. Emre Tercan researcher
  6. Erdal Tercan judge
  7. Zeynep Tercan production designer

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Wikipedia: Tercan accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Tercan accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 nisanyanadlar.com nisanyanadlar.com: Tercan 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 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Tercan

Q1

What does the surname Tercan mean?

Tercan is the name of a district of Erzincan Province; in the Byzantine era the area was called Derzene, and the district town was for a time known as Mama Hatun. The origin of the place name is not documented. The name dictionary, however, keeps the personal name Tercan apart from the district name and tentatively explains it as Persian ter-cân, “fresh soul”.
Q2

How do you pronounce Tercan?

Ter·can, 2 syllables; IPA: /ˈteɾdʒan/.