Category Archives: Turkish Names

Duha

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  • Origin: Arabic ضحى
  • Meaning: “forenoon.”
  • Gender: unisex
  • DOO-hah

The name comes directly from the Arabic word for forenoon or late morning. In Islam, it is used in reference to Salat ad-Duha صَلَاة الضحى‎‎, a voluntary prayer that is said between Fajr and Dhuhr and is used mainly for the atonement of sins.

It is also the name of the 93rd chapter in the Qu’ran, al-Ḍuḥā الضحى‎, (the Morning).

As a given-name, it is traditionally unisex, but has been more often bestowed on females.

Other forms include:

  • Duha Духа (Albanian, Arabic (standard), Bashkir, Bosnian, Chechen, Kazakh, Kurdish, Turkish)
  • Zuha ज़ुहा (Azeri, Hindi)
  • Doha, Dohaa للال چاشت (Bengali, Urdu)
  • Dhuha (Javanese, Malaysian)
  • Zoha ضحی (Persian)
  • Zuho Зуҳо (Tajik, Uzbek)

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Akin

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Akin is from the Yoruba word meaning “brave,” and is primarily used on males. It is a common element in many Yoruba male names.

When spelled Akın, it is a Turkish male name, which comes directly from the Turkish word for “raid.”

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Anil, Anila

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Anila is from the Sanskrit आनिल (wind), in Hinduism it is an epithet for the wind God, Vayu. In contemporary India, both names are unisex.

Anıl is a Turkish unisex name meaning “the memory; to be remembered,” in Turkish. Anil is also a popular Albanian & Bosnian male name, while Anila is the feminine form that is exclusively used in Albania & Bosnia.

Anıl appeared in the Top 100 Most Popular Male Names in Turkey between 1990 and 2012, peaking at #51 in 1991.

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Hayal

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  • Origin: Turkish
  • Meaning: “dream; illusion; daydream; fantasy; reverie.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Pronunciation: HAH-yahl

The name comes directly from the Turkish word meaning “dream; illusion.”

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Bayram, Bajram

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  • Origin: Turkic
  • Meaning: “festival; holiday.”
  • Gender: masculine
  • BY-rahm

The name comes directly from the Turkic word referring to any festival or public holiday, whether religious or secular.

Between 1980-2004, the name appeared in the Top 100 Most Popular Turkish Male Names, and peaked at #42 in 1981.

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Latif, Latifa

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  • Origin: Arabic لَطِيْف
  • Meaning: “gentle; kind; benevolent.”

Latif is a masculine given-name which comes directly from the Arabic word لَطِيف (gentle; kind; benevolent). In Islam, Al-Latif لطيف, (the Kind; the Benevolent) is one of the 99 names of Allah (God). It’s feminine form is Latifa.

Latif & Latifa are commonly used throughout the Islamic world.

A notable American bearer is actress & singer, Queen Latifah.

Other forms include:

  • Latıif (m), Latıifa (f) (Avar)
  • Lətif (m), Lətife (f) (Azeri)
  • Latheef, Latheefa (Dhivehi)
  • Latifah (f) (Indonesian, Malaysian)
  • Letîf (m), Letîfe (f) (Kurdish)
  • Lәtyjif (m), Lәtyjifә (f) (Tatar)
  • Letife (f) (Turkish)
  • Lateef لطیف, Lateefa(h) (Urdu)

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Devrim

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  • Origin: Turkish
  • Meaning: “revolution.”
  • Gender: masculine
  • Pronunciation: (DEV-reem)

The name comes directly from the Turkish word for revolution.

It is also the name of the first and only automobile produced in Turkey.

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Mahvash, Mehwish

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  • Origin: Persian مهوش
  • Urdu: مہوش, Hindi: महवश
  • Meaning: “beautiful like the moon; moonlike; moonfaced.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Pronunciation: Per (MAH-vash); Urdu (MAY-wish)

Mahvash is a Persian name meaning “beautiful like the moon” or “moon-like.” It’s Urdu offshoot is Mehwish and its Turkish form is Mehveş.

Though it is a pre-Islamic Persian name, it is a popular name used among Muslims in India and is also used in Pakistan.

Mahvash was the stage name of a renowned Persian entertainer from the 1950s.

Mahvash Disease is the name of a type of an autosomal recessive, hereditary pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor syndrome. However, I could not find the reason why it is specifically called Mahvash disease.

Mehwish is borne by Pakistani actress, Mehwish Hayat (b. 1983).

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Erkan

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  • Origin: Turkish
  • Gender: masculine
  • (AIR-kahn)

The name is composed of the Turkish elements er (brave; valiant; man) & kan (blood; lineage).

The name appeared in the Turkish Top 100 between 1980-2003 & peaked at #17 in 1980.

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Fuad

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  • Origin: Arabic فُؤاد
  • Meaning: “heart.”
  • Gender: masculine
  • Pronunciation: foo-AD

The name comes directly from the Arabic word for heart. It is used equally among Arab- Muslims & Christians. Among Christians, particularly Palestinians, Chaldeans and Lebanese Christians who profess Roman Catholicism, it is used in reference to the Sacred Heart of Jesus or the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in the same way the Spanish name Corazón is used in the Spanish-speaking world, though in the Arabic case, the name is strictly masculine.

Among Muslims, the term fu’ad is used at least 5 times in the Quran. The name is used throughout the Islamic world.

It is even used among Non-Arab groups in the Middle East, such as Mizrachi Jews.

The name was borne by two Egyptian kings.

Other forms include:

  • Fuad (Amharic, Azeri, Bosnian, Indonesian)
  • Fouad (Maghrebi)
  • Fuat (Turkish)
  • Fawad (Urdu)

A feminine form is Fuada(h).

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