Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,390

Türkan

Türkan /tyɾˈkan/ ASCII Turkan

“the royal title Terken”1

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

How do you pronounce Türkan?

Türkan

IPA /tyɾˈkan/

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

What does the surname Türkan mean?

Türkan is, according to Nişanyan Adlar, an adaptation of the Old Turkic name Terken, the name or title of the wife of the Seljuk sultan Malikshah. Türkân Hatun, mother of the Khwarazmshah Ala al-Din, appears as Terken Hatun in other sources. The name is also often read as Persian for “Turks”.1

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. An adaptation of Old Turkic Terken “prince, tarkan” (Nişanyan Adlar).
  2. Persian türkān “Turks”, a common reading also noted by Nişanyan Adlar.

What is Türkan made of?

Türkan is a single Turkic root: Türkan (Terken: princely title).

Türkan root Türkan Terken: princely title TURKIC terken “prince; title of royalwomen” Türkan Türkan root Terken: princely title terken TURKIC “prince; title of royal women”
Türkan: parts and root words
  • terken Turkic — prince; title of royal women1

How was the name Türkan formed?

Türkan is the word Türkan (“Terken: princely title”), taken unchanged as a surname.

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.3

Who are some well-known people named Türkan?

  1. Ali Türkan association football player 1987–
  2. Derya Türkan musician 1973–
  3. Dilek Türkan musician 1978–
  4. Fikret Türkan researcher
  5. İsmail Türkan researcher

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

Is Türkan also a first name?

Yes. Türkan is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “the royal title Terken”.

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

How is Türkan written and pronounced abroad?

Without Turkish letters the name appears as Turkan in passports and foreign registers.

Where do these facts come from?

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

Common questions about Türkan

Q1

What does the surname Türkan mean?

Türkan is, according to Nişanyan Adlar, an adaptation of the Old Turkic name Terken, the name or title of the wife of the Seljuk sultan Malikshah. Türkân Hatun, mother of the Khwarazmshah Ala al-Din, appears as Terken Hatun in other sources. The name is also often read as Persian for “Turks”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Türkan?

The root word of Türkan is terken (Turkic): “prince; title of royal women”. There are 3 competing views on where Türkan comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Türkan?

Tür·kan, 2 syllables; IPA: /tyɾˈkan/.