| ||
|---|---|---|
  | ||
TheSurname Law (Turkish:Soyadı Kanunu) of theRepublic of Turkey is a law adopted on 21 June 1934,[1] requiring all citizens of Turkey to adopt the use of fixed, hereditarysurnames. Prior to 1934, Turkish families in the major urban centres had names by which they were known locally (often ending with the suffixes-zade,-oğlu or-gil), and were used in similar manner to a surname. The Surname Law of 1934 enforced the use of official surnames but also stipulated that citizens chooseTurkish names. Until it was repealed in 2013, the eldest male was the head of household and Turkish law appointed him to choose the surname. However, in his absence, death, or mental incapacitation the wife would do so.[2]
Instead of a European style surname, Muslims in the Ottoman Empire carriedtitles such as "Pasha", "Hoca", "Bey", "Hanım", "Agha", "Effendi". These titles either defined their formal profession (such as Pasha, Hoca, etc.) or their informal status within the society (such as Bey, Agha, Hanım, Effendi, etc.). Ottomanprime ministers (Sadrazam/Vezir-î Azam orGrand Vizier),ministers (Nazır/Vezir orVizier),governors (Vali), other high-rankingcivil servants andgenerals/admirals carried the title Pasha. Retired generals/admirals or high-ranking civil servants continued to carry this title in civilian life (a "Pasha" did not become a "Bey" after retiring from active military or political service.)
Turkish MP Refik Şefik İnce suggested that, instead of using the termSoyadı (Ancestry Name) Kanunu, the termSanadı (Reputation Name) Kanunu should have been used for the Surname Law, referring to the method that was used for naming Muslim families in the Ottoman period, based on their reputation or fame in society. However, theGrand National Assembly of Turkey decided to use the termSoyadı because it denoted the meaning of ancestry, family, or relative.[3]
The articles of the Soyadı Kanunu[4] stipulated that:
The surname law specifically forbade certain surnames that contained connotations of non-Turkish cultures, nations, tribes and religions.[5][6][7][8] New surnames had to be taken from the Turkish language. The surname could be used with the ‑oğlu ending but it was forbidden to use Armenian endings such as ‑ian or ‑yan, Slavic endings such as ‑of (or ‑ov), ‑vich, ‑ic, Greek endings such as ‑is, ‑dis, ‑pulos, ‑aki, Persian endings such as ‑zade, and Arab endings such as ‑mahdumu, ‑veled, and ‑bin, "referring to other ethnicities or taken from another language". For example, names such asArnavutoğlu (the Albanian's son) orKürtoğlu (the Kurd's son), could not be used. Names of clans or tribes could not be used, or re-used.[9] Additionally, names could not be duplicated in the same district, and, in case of any dispute, the family that registered first got the right to keep the claimed name.[10]
As a result, manyGreeks,Bulgarians,Albanians,Bosniaks,Jews,Arabs,Armenians,Assyrians,Georgians,Serbs andKurds were forced to adopt last names of a more Turkish rendition.[5]
the Surname Law was meant to foster a sense of Turkishness within society and prohibited surnames that were related to foreign ethnicities and nations
TurkishWikisource has original text related to this article:Soyadı Kanunu_(1881-1938)_in_westers%2c_SFA003017837.jpg)
