Turkish Americans
Türk Amerikalılar

The 27th Annual Turkish Day Parade (2008) in New York
Total population
252,256[a][1] 2023 American Community Survey 350,000-500,000[2] Turkish Coalition of America
Regions with significant populations
New York Metropolitan Area Rochester, New York Massachusetts New Jersey North Carolina Michigan Wisconsin Ohio Illinois Pennsylvania Indiana Florida Maryland Albuquerque, New Mexico California Texas
Languages
Turkish American English
Religion
PredominantlySunni Islam MinorityAlevism,Christianity, other religions andIrreligion
^ a: Government immigration figures on the number of Turkish Americans may not fully account for Turks born in theBalkans,Cyprus, and other areas of the formerOttoman areas, as well asMeskhetian Turks from the formerUSSR.[3]

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v t e

Turkish Americans (Turkish:Türk Amerikalılar) orAmerican Turks (Turkish:Amerikalı Türkler) areAmericans of ethnicTurkish origin. The term "Turkish Americans" can therefore refer to ethnic Turkish immigrants to theUnited States, as well as their American-born descendants, who originate either from theOttoman Empire or from post-Ottoman modern nation-states. The majority trace their roots to theRepublic of Turkey, however, there are also significant ethnicTurkish communities in the US which descend from the island ofCyprus, theBalkans,North Africa, theLevant and other areas of the former Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, in recent years there has been a significant number of ethnic Turkish people coming to the US from themodern Turkish diaspora (i.e. outside the former Ottoman territories), especially from theTurkish Meskhetian diaspora inEastern Europe (e.g. fromKrasnodar Krai inRussia) and "Euro-Turks" from Central and Western Europe (e.g.Turkish Germans etc.).

The earliest knownTurkish arrivals in what would becomeUnited States arrived in 1586 whenSir Francis Drake brought at least 200Muslims, identified as Turks andMoors, to the newly establishedEnglish colony of Roanoke on the coast of present-dayNorth Carolina.^[4] Only a short time before reaching Roanoke, Drake's fleet of some thirty ships had liberated these Muslims fromSpanish colonial forces in theCaribbean where they had been condemned to hard labor asgalley slaves.^[5] Historical records indicate that Drake had promised to return the liberated galley slaves, and the English government did ultimatelyrepatriate about 100 of them to theOttoman realms.^[5] TheSumter Turks, who settled in the 18th century, are another community of people who were officially identified as Turkish descent.^[6]

Significant waves of Turkish immigration to the United States began during the period between 1820 and 1920.^[7] About 300,000 people immigrated from theOttoman Empire to the United States, although only 50,000 of these immigrants were Muslim Turks whilst the rest were mainlyArabs,Armenians,Greeks,Jews and other Muslim groups under the Ottoman rule.^[8] Most ethnic Turks feared that they would not be accepted in a Christian country because of their religion and often adopted and registered under a Christian name at the port of entry in order to gain easy access to the United States;^[9][10] moreover, many declared themselves as "Syrians" or "Greeks" or even "Armenians" in order to avoid discrimination.^[11] The majority of Turks entered the United States via the ports ofProvidence, Rhode Island;Portland, Maine; andEllis Island.French shipping agents, the missionary American college inHarput, French andGerman schools, and word of mouth from former migrants were major sources of information about the "New World" for those who wished to emigrate.^[12]

The largest number of ethnic Turks appear to have entered theUnited States prior toWorld War I, roughly between 1900 and 1914, when American immigration policies were quite liberal. Many of these Turks came fromHarput,Akçadağ,Antep andMacedonia and embarked for the United States fromBeirut,Mersin,İzmir,Trabzon andSalonica.^[11] However, the flow of immigration to the United States was interrupted by theImmigration Act of 1917, which limited entries into the United States based on literacy, and byWorld War I.^[13] Nonetheless, a large number of Turks from theBalkan provinces ofAlbania,Kosovo,Western Thrace, andBulgaria emigrated and settled in the United States;^[11] they were listed as "Albanians", "Bulgarians" and "Serbians" according to their country of origin, even though many of them were ethnically Turkish and identified themselves as such.^[11] Furthermore, many immigrant families who were ethnic Albanians, Bulgarians, Greeks, Macedonians or Serbians included children of Turkish origin who lost their parents during ethnic cleansings committed by Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece following theBalkan War of 1912–13.^[11] These Turkish children had been sheltered,baptized andadopted, and then used as field laborers; when the adopting families emigrated to the United States they listed these children as family members, although most of these Turkish children still remembered their origin.^[11]

Early Turkish migrants were mostly male-dominated economic migrants who were farmers and shepherds from the lower socioeconomic classes; their main concern was to save enough money and return home.^[13] The majority of these migrants lived in urban areas and worked in theindustrial sector, taking difficult and lower-paying jobs in leather factories, tanneries, the iron and steel sector, and the wire, railroad, and automobile industries, especially inNew England,New York,Detroit, andChicago.^[13] The Turkish community generally relied on each other in finding jobs and a place to stay, many staying in boarding houses. There was also cooperation between ethnic Turks and other Ottomans such as the Greeks, Jews, and Armenians, although ethnic conflicts were also common and carried to some parts of the United States, such as inPeabody, Massachusetts, where there was tension between Greeks, Armenians, and Turks.^[13]

Unlike the other Ottoman ethnic groups living in the United States, many early Turkish migrants returned to their homeland. The rate of return migration was exceptionally high after the establishment of theRepublic of Turkey in 1923.^[13][8] The founder of the Republic,Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, sent ships from Turkey, such as "Gülcemal", to the United States to take these men back to Turkey without any charge. Educated Turks were offered jobs in the newly created Republic, while unskilled workers were encouraged to return, as the male population was depleted due toWorld War I and theTurkish War of Independence.^[14] Those who stayed in the United States lived in isolation as they knew little or noEnglish and preferred to live among themselves. However, some of their descendants became assimilated intoAmerican culture and today vaguely have a notion of their Turkish ancestry.^[8]

FromWorld War I to 1965 the number of Turkish immigrants arriving in the United States was quite low, as a result of restrictive immigration laws such as theImmigration Act of 1924. Approximately 100 Turkish immigrants per year entered the United States between 1930 and 1950.^[15] However, the number of Turkish immigrants to the United States increased to 2,000 to 3,000 per year after 1965 due to the liberalization of US immigration laws.^[14] As of the late 1940s, but especially in the 1960s and 1970s, Turkish immigration to the United States changed its nature from one of unskilled to skilled migration; a wave of professionals such as doctors, engineers, academicians, and graduate students came to the United States. In the 1960s, 10,000 people entered the United States from Turkey, followed by another 13,000 in the 1970s.^[14] As opposed to the male-dominated first flows of Ottoman Turkish migrants, these immigrants were highly educated, return migration was minimal, migrants included many young women and accompanying families, and Turkish nationalism and secularism was much more common.^[8] The general profile of Turkish men and women immigrating to the United States depicted someone young, college-educated with a good knowledge ofEnglish, and with a career in medicine, engineering, or another profession in science or the arts.^[16]

Since the 1980s, the flow of Turkish immigrants to the United States has included an increasing number of students and professionals as well as migrants who provide unskilled and semi-skilled labor.^[10] Thus, in recent years, the highly skilled and educated profile of the Turkish American community has changed with the arrival of unskilled or semi-skilled Turkish labor workers.^[17] The unskilled or semi-skilled immigrants usually work in restaurants, gas stations, hair salons, construction sites, and grocery stores, although some of them have obtained American citizenship or green cards and have opened their own ethnic businesses.^[17] Some recent immigrants have also arrived via cargo ships and then left them illegally, whilst others overstay theirvisas. Thus, it is difficult to estimate the number of undocumented Turkish immigrants in the United States who overstay their visas or arrive illegally.^[17] Moreover, with the introduction of theDiversity Immigrant Visa more Turkish immigrants, from all socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, have arrived in the United States, with the quota for Turkey being 2,000 per year.^[8]

TheTurkish Cypriots first arrived in theUnited States between 1820 and 1860 due to religious or political persecution.^[18] About 2,000 Turkish Cypriots had arrived in the United States between 1878 and 1923 when theOttoman Empire handed over the administration of the island ofCyprus toBritain.^[19] Turkish Cypriot immigration to the United States continued between the 1960s till 1974 as a result of theCyprus conflict.^[20] According to the1980 United States census 1,756 people stated Turkish Cypriot ancestry. However, a further 2,067 people of Cypriot ancestry did not specify whether they were of Turkish orGreek Cypriot origin.^[21] On 2 October 2012, the first "Turkish Cypriot Day" was celebrated at theUS Congress.^[22]

In 1960, theMacedonian Patriotic Organization reported that a handful ofTurkish Macedonians in American "have expressed solidarity with the M.P.O.'s aims, and have made contributions to its financial needs."^[23]

Exiled first fromGeorgia in 1944, and thenUzbekistan in 1989, approximately 13,000Meskhetian Turks who arrived inKrasnodar,Russia, asSoviet citizens were refused recognition by Krasnodar authorities.^[24] The regional government denied Meskhetian Turks the right to register their residences in the territory, effectively making them stateless and resulting in the absence of basiccivil andhuman rights, including the right to employment, social and medical benefits, property ownership, higher education, and legal marriage.^[24] In mid-2006, over 10,000 Meskhetian Turks had resettled from the Krasnodar region to the United States. Out of approximately 21,000 applications, nearly 15,000 individuals in total were eligible for refugee status and likely to immigrate during the life of the resettlement program.^[25]

Official statistics on the total number of Turkish Americans (of full or partial ancestry) do not provide a true reflection of the total population. In part, this is because ethnic Turkish people often choose not to report their ethnic ancestry, which is only voluntary in censuses. Moreover, the Turkish American community is unique in that many trace their roots to early Ottoman Turkish migrants who came to the United States from all areas of theOttoman Empire, whilst those who migrated since the 20th century have come from various post-Ottoman modern nation-states. Thus, Turkish Americans mostly descend from theRepublic of Turkey; however, there are also significant ethnicTurkish communities in the US which descend from the island of Cyprus (i.e.Turkish Cypriots from both the Republic ofCyprus and theTRNC), theBalkans (e.g.Turkish Bulgarians,Turkish Macedonians,Turkish Romanians, etc.),North Africa (i.e.Turkish Algerians,Turkish Egyptians,Turkish Libyans, andTurkish Tunisians), theLevant (i.e.Turkish Iraqis,Turkish Lebanese, andTurkish Syrians) as well as from other areas of the former Ottoman Empire (e.g.Turkish Saudis). Furthermore, in recent years there has been a significant number of ethnic Turkish people coming to the US from themodern Turkish diaspora, especially from theTurkish Meskhetian diaspora inKrasnodar Krai inRussia and other former Soviet states inEastern Europe. There is also a growing number of "Euro-Turks" from Central and Western Europe (e.g.Turkish Austrian,Turkish British, andTurkish German communities) which have settled in the United States.

According to the2000 United States census 117,575 Americans voluntarily declared their ethnicity as Turkish.^[26] However, the actual number of Americans of Turkish descent is believed to be considerably larger because most Turkish Americans do not declare their ethnicity. In 1996 Professor John J. Grabowski had already estimated the number of Turks in the United States to be 500,000.^[27]

Other sources such as the Turkish American Community put the Turkish American population at between 350,000 and 500,000 with majority concentrations living in the New York/New Jersey region as well as California.The 2023American Community Survey conducted by theUnited States Census Bureau recorded 252,256 Americans of Turkish descent.^[1]

In addition, theTurks of South Carolina, an Anglicized isolated community identifying as Turkish inSumter County for over 200 years, numbered around 500 in the mid-20th century.^[28]

Turkish Americans live in all fifty states, although the largest concentrations are found inNew York City andRochester, New York;Washington, D.C.; andDetroit, Michigan. The largest concentrations of Turkish Americans are found scattered throughout New York City,Long Island,New Jersey,Connecticut, and other suburban areas. They generally reside in specific cities and neighborhoods includingBrighton Beach inBrooklyn,Sunnyside inQueens, and in the cities ofPaterson andClifton inNew Jersey.^[29]

According to theU.S. Census Bureau, in 2000, Americans of Turkish origin mostly live in theState of New York followed byCalifornia,New Jersey,Florida,Texas,Virginia,Illinois,Massachusetts,Pennsylvania, andMaryland.^[30]

According to the 2000 Census,^[32] the Turkish language is spoken in 59,407 households within the entire U.S. population, and in 12,409 households in NYC alone by highly bilingual families with Turkish ancestry. These data show that many speakers with Turkish origins continue speaking the language at home despite the fact that they are highly bilingual. The number of English-proficient households using Turkish as a home-language outweighs that of families who have switched completely to English. In this sense, the Turkish American community efforts and the schools that serve the Turkish community in the U.S. are responsible for the retaining of the Turkish language and slowing of assimilation. A detailed study has documented the efforts of language and culture-disseminating schools of the Turkish American community and is available as a doctoral dissertation,^[33] a book,^[34] book chapters,^[35] and journal articles.^[36]

AlthoughIslam had little public importance among thesecular Turkish Americans who arrived in theUnited States during the 1940s to the 1970s, more recent Turkish immigrants have tended to be more religious.^[38] Since the 1980s, the wave of Turkish immigrants has been quite diverse and have included a broad mixture of secular and religious people.^[39] Thus, due to the diversification of Turkish Americans since the 1980s, religion has become a more important identity marker within the community. Especially after the 1980s, religious organizations, Islamic cultural centers, and mosques were founded to serve the needs of Turkish people.^[38]

Various groups are active in the United States.Followers of the Islamic preacherFethullah Gülen (known as "Hizmet" or "Gülenciler") formed a local cultural organization, the "American Turkish Friendship Association" (ATFA), in 2003, and an intercultural organization, called the "Rumi Forum", in 1999, which invites speakers to inform the public about Islam and Turkey. The Gülen community has also established mosques and interethnic private schools inNew York,Connecticut, andVirginia, several colleges like theVirginia International University inFairfax County, Virginia, and over a hundred charter schools throughout the United States.^[38] Followers ofSüleyman Hilmi Tunahan, otherwise known as "Süleymancılar", also formed many mosques and cultural centers along theEast Coast. Apart from these two groups, theDiyanet appoints official Turkish imams to the United States. The most prominent of these is theTurkish American Community Center of theWashington metropolitan area located inLanham, MD., on 15 acres of land, which was bought by the TurkishFoundation of Religious Affairs.^[38] Some internationalsufi orders are also active. An example is the Jerrahi Order of America following theJerrahi-Halveti order ofdervishes inSpring Valley, New York.

Until the 1950s Turkish Americans had only a few organizations, the agendas of which were mainly cultural rather than political. They organized celebrations that would bring immigrant Turks together in a place during religious and national holidays.^[40] Turkish early migrants founded the first Muslim housing cooperatives and associations between 1909 and 1914.^[41] AfterWorld War I, the "Turkish Aid Society" ("Türk Teavün Cemiyeti") inNew York City and the "Red Crescent" ("Hilali Ahmer"), were collecting money not only for funeral services and other community affairs but also to help theTurkish War of Independence.^[41] In 1933, Turkish Americans established the "Cultural Alliance of New York" and the "Turkish Orphans’ Association", gathering to collect money for orphans inTurkey who had lost their parents in the Turkish War of Independence.^[41][42] As Turkish immigration increased after the 1950s Turkish Americans gained more economic status and formed new organizations. Thus, Turkish American organizations and associations are growing throughout the United States as their number increases. Most of these organizations put emphasis on preserving the Turkish identity.^[43]

Two umbrella organizations, theFederation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA) and theAssembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), have been working to bring different Turkish American organizations together for which they receive financial and political support from theTurkish government.^[43] TheNew York–based FTAA, which started in 1956 with two associations, namely the "Turkish Cypriot Aid Society" and the "Turkish Hars Society", hosts over 40 member associations, with the majority of these groups located in the northeast region of the United States.^[42] The FTAA is located in the Turkish House in the vicinity of theUnited Nations. The Turkish House, which was bought by the Turkish government in 1977 as the main office for the consulategeneral, also serves as a center for cultural activities: there is a Saturday school for Turkish American children,^[33] and it also houses the "Turkish Women's League of America".^[44] TheWashington, D.C.–based ATAA, which was established in 1979, shares many of the goals of the FTAA but has clearer political aims. It has over 60 component associations in theUnited States,Canada, andTurkey and has some 8,000 members all over the United States.^[44] The Association also publishes a biweekly newspaper, "The Turkish Times", and regularly informs its members on developments requiring community action.^[42] These organizations aim to unite and improve support for the Turkish community in the United States and to defend Turkish interests against groups with conflicting interests.^[40] Today, both the FTAA and the ATAA organize cultural events such as concerts, art-gallery exhibits, and parades, as well aslobby forTurkey.^[40]

During the 1970s Turkish Americans began to mobilize politically in order to influence American policies in favor of their homeland as a result of theCyprus conflict, the American militaryembargo targeting Turkey, the efforts to achieve recognition of theArmenian genocide andGreek genocide from the members of theArmenian American andGreek American diaspora, and theArmenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia's targeting of Turkish diplomats in the United States and elsewhere.^[45] Thus, this became a turning point for the changing nature of Turkish American associations from those that organized cultural events to those with a more political agenda coincided with the hostile efforts of other ethnic groups, namely the Greek andArmenian lobby.^[45] As well as promoting theTurkish culture, Turkish American organizations promote Turkey's position ininternational affairs and generally support the positions taken by the Turkish government.^[46] They have been lobbying forTurkey's entry into the European Union and have also defended the Turkish involvement in Cyprus.^[46] Turkish Americans have also expressed concerns about the Greek lobby in the United States undermining the typically goodTurkish-American relations.^[46][47] In recent years, Turkish Americans have established more influence in theUS Congress. In 2005, second-generation Turkish AmericanOz Bengur was the first candidate (Democrat fromMaryland's 3rd district) of Turkish origin to run for Congress in US history.^[48]

Turkish American festivals are major public events in which the community present themselves to the wider public. The Federation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA) organizes the "Turkish Cultural Month Festival" starting on 23 April each year, the date when the firstTurkish parliament opened in 1920, and ending on 19 May, the date when theTurkish liberation movement led byMustafa Kemal Atatürk started in 1919.^[49] Furthermore, the annual "Turkish Day Parade", which began as a demonstration in 1981 in reaction toArmenian militant attacks on Turkish diplomats, has evolved into a weeklong celebration and has since continued to increase in scope and length.^[50]

• Ebru TV – broadcasts educational programs about sciences, art, and culture as well as news and sports events in the vein of theGülen Movement. It can be watched online,^[51] onRCN basic cable in the mid-Atlantic area andChicago.^[52]
• Voice of Turkey – ICAT Channel 15 (cable) in Rochester, New York Wednesdays and Saturdays 8 pm −10 pm by Ahmet Turgut.

• Turk of America – the first Turkish American bi-monthly business magazine; in English

• DFH Network

Numerous Turkish Americans have made notable contributions toAmerican society, particularly in the fields of education, medicine, music, the arts, science,business and Sports.

Within academia,Feza Gürsey was a professor of physics atYale University and won the prestigiousOppenheimer Prize andWigner Medal.^[53]

Another influential Turkish American wasMuzafer Sherif who was one of the founders ofsocial psychology which helped developsocial judgment theory andrealistic conflict theory.^[53]

Jacob L. Moreno was apsychiatrist,psychosociologist, andeducator, the founder ofpsychodrama, and the foremost pioneer ofgroup psychotherapy. During his lifetime, he was recognized as one of the leadingsocial scientists.

In 2015Aziz Sancar was awarded theNobel Prize in Chemistry for his mechanistic studies ofDNA repair.^[54]

Two prominent Turkish-American economists includeDaron Acemoğlu atMIT, who writes on democracy and national development, andDani Rodrik atHarvard Kennedy School, an expert on globalization.

Seyla Benhabib is a Turkish-born political theorist, and professor atYale, who writes on citizenship, identity, and ethics.

Fikri Alican was a scientist and physician with various contributions to medical science.

Hasan Özbekhan was a systems scientist and co founder and first director of TheClub of Rome.^[55][56]

Muzaffer Atac was a physicist who was one of the founding scientists ofFermilab and performed important work with visible light photon counters and other detectors for particle physics.

Oktay Sinanoğlu was a physical chemist and molecular biophysicist who made contributions to the theory of electron correlation in molecules, the statistical mechanics of clathrate hydrates, quantum chemistry, and the theory of solvation.

Ahmed Cemal Eringen was a Turkish engineering scientist. He was a professor atPrinceton University and the founder of the Society of Engineering. TheEringen Medal is named in his honor.

Behram Kurşunoğlu was a physicist.

Turhan Nejat Veziroğlu, founder ofInternational Association for Hydrogen Energy

Şevket Pamuk, economics and he was the president ofEuropean Historical Economics Society

Kemal Karpat, historian

Aysegul Timur, academic administrator who serves as the 5th president ofFlorida Gulf Coast University

Furkan Özturk, physicist

Marie Tepe, known as "French Mary," was a French-bornvivandière who fought for theUnion army during theAmerican Civil War.^[57] Tepe served with the 27th and 114th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiments.^[58][59] Her father was Turkish and her mother was French.^[60]

Ivan Turchin, fromTurchaninov family was a Union Army brigadier general in the American Civil War.

One of the earliest Turkish American artists wasBen Ali Haggin who was aportrait painter andstage designer. He began exhibiting his paintings formally in 1903.^[61][62][63] The National Academy of Design awarded him the 1909 ThirdHallgarten Prize for his paintingElfrida.^[62] A founding member of theNational Association of Portrait Painters [Wikidata], he was elected an Associate member of theNational Academy of Design from 1912. In the 1930s, Haggin turned his abilities tostage design and created sets for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and theZiegfeld Follies.^[62]

Other notable Turkish American artists includeBurhan Doğançay who is best known for tracking walls in various cities across the world for half a century, integrating them in his artistic work;Haluk Akakçe is a contemporary artist who explores the intersections between society and technology through video animations, wall paintings and sound installations;Sururi Gümen was an uncredited ghost artist behindAlfred Andriola'scomic stripKerry Drake, finally receiving co-credit in 1976;Bülent Atalay is an artist whose works have been exhibited in one-man shows in London and Washington, D.C.;Serkan Özkaya is a conceptual artist whose work deals with topics of appropriation and reproduction;Gizem Saka is a contemporary artist who is a senior lecturer at theWharton School of Business,University of Pennsylvania, and a visiting lecturer atHarvard University, teaching art markets;Özge Samancı is professor atNorthwestern University whose art installations merge computer code and bio-sensors with comics, animation, interactive narrations, performance, and projection art;Pınar Yoldaş is an architect and artist whose work emphasizes the role of neuroscience in understanding artistic experience;Hakan Topal is an associate professor of New Media and Art+Design atPurchase College,SUNY; andJihan Zencirli is a visual artist who was the first femaleNew York City Ballet art series collaborator,^[64][65] and whose work the New York Times called "the most recognizable public art installations in the country."^[66]

Refik Anadol is a new media artist and designer.

LeRoy Neiman artist known for his brilliantly colored, expressionist paintings and screenprints of athletes, musicians, and sporting events.

Mehemed Fehmy Agha was a Russian-born Turkish designer, art director, and pioneer of modern American publishing.

In the performing arts,Adam Darius was a dancer,mime artist, writer and choreographer.

Altina Schinasi inventor ofCat eye glasses.

Kalef Alaton was an interior designer

One of the earliest notable entrepreneurs of Turkish origin in the United States isJames Ben Ali Haggin, who was the grandson of the Ottoman Turkish migrantIbrahim Ben Ali. Haggin was an attorney, rancher,investor,art collector, and a major owner and breeder in the sport ofThoroughbredhorse racing.^[67] Haggin made a fortune in the aftermath of theCalifornia Gold Rush and was a multi-millionaire by 1880.^[68] Many of Haggin's descendants adopted the name "Ben Ali"^[69] (e.g. the painterBen Ali Haggin), and many continued with the family business, including his grandson,Richard Lounsbery, who established theRichard Lounsbery Foundation.^[69]

BillionaireOsman Kibar (worth $2.9B in 2020^[70]) is the founder and CEO of San Diego-based biotech firmSamumed. The company "raised $438 million in August 2018 to further its work developing drugs to reverse aging, claiming a valuation of $12.4 billion".^[70]Forbes also listed Kibar as one of the "Global Game Changers 2016".^[70]

BillionaireMelih Abdulhayoglu (worth $1.8B in 2019^[71]) is the founder and CEO ofComodo Group, anInternet security company he founded in the United Kingdom in 1998 and relocated to the US in 2004.^[71]

BillionaireEren Ozmen (worth $1.2B in 2020^[72]) was listed number 15 inForbes's "America's Self-Made Women 2020".^[72] Alongside her husband,Fatih Ozmen (also worth $1.2B in 2020^[73]), they are the co-owners ofSierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) which is a privately held aerospace and national security contractor specializing in aircraft modification and integration, space components and systems, and related technology products for cybersecurity and eHealth. SNC is best known for providing the US military with souped-up planes, loaded with cameras, sensors, navigation gear and comms systems.^[72] In particular, SNC'sDream Chaser spaceplane has been "tapped byNASA to ferry food, water, supplies and scientific experiments to theInternational Space Station."^[73]

Yalçın Ayaslı is founder of Hittite Microwave Corporation. His company was taken over by Analog Devices for 2.45 Billion Dollars.^[74]

Hamdi Ulukaya is a Turkish billionaire businessman and activist. Ulukaya is the owner, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer ofChobani, the #1-selling strained yogurt brand in the US. According to Forbes, his net worth as of June 2019 is $2 billion. On 26 April 2016, Ulukaya announced to his employees that he would be giving them 10% of the shares in Chobani.^[75]

Joe Ucuzoglu is a businessman and Global CEO ofDeloitte

Ahmet Mücahid Ören is anentrepreneur and the current chairman and CEO ofİhlas Holding,^[76]

Muhtar Kent is the formerchairman of the board andchief executive officer ofThe Coca-Cola Company.^[77]

Hikmet Ersek is the former CEO ofWestern Union.^[78]

John Olcay was a Turkish-American financier

Aydin Senkut venture capitalist

Americans with Middle Eastern origins (including Turks, Arabs, Persians etc.) are underrepresented in American TV and cinema and often stereotyped.^[79] Consequently, several actors and actresses haveAnglicized or changed their names from Turkish to English names. Nonetheless, there is an increasing number of Turkish American contributions in cinema and television.

One of the earliest actors with Turkish roots in American cinema wasTurhan Bey (Turkish father) who was active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953. He was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans,^[80] whilstHedda Hopper called him a "Turkish Valentino."^[81]

In animated cinema,Kaan Kalyon was the co-writer ofDisney'sPocahontas (1995) andHercules (1997), and the story artist inTreasure Planet (2002). In addition, Kalyon has worked withSony andColumbia Pictures as the story artist forSurf's Up (2007) andCloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and was the head of story forHotel Transylvania (2012). He has also worked on several animated television series' includingWidget (1990),Tiny Toon Adventures (1991–92) andBebe's Kids.

Shevaun Mizrahi is a documentary filmmaker who received a Jury Special Mention Award at theLocarno Film Festival 2017 for her documentary filmDistant Constellation^[82] among many other awards including the Best Picture Prize at theJeonju International Film Festival 2018 and theFIPRESCI Critics Prize at the Viennale (Vienna International Film Festival) 2018.

Furthermore, the actor and filmmakerOnur Tukel is a notable figure in theNew York Cityindependent film community. His films often deal with issues of gender and relationships.

Larry Namer is best known as the founder of E! Entertainment TV

Several Americans with Turkish roots have also starred in American television; for example,D'Arcy Carden (Turkish father) is an actress and comedian best known for starring inThe Good Place (2016–2020) andBarry (2018–2023);David Chokachi (Turkish Iraqi father) is best known for his roles inWitchblade,Baywatch, andBeyond The Break;Tarik Ergin is known for playing the part ofLieutenant Junior Grade Ayala inStar Trek: Voyager;Eren Ozker was one of the original performers during the first season ofJim Henson's popular television seriesThe Muppet Show;Hal Ozsan (Turkish Cypriot origin) is known for his roles inDawson's Creek and recurring roles inJessica Jones,The Blacklist,Graceland,Impastor,90210, andKyle XY; andTiffani Thiessen (maternally of Greek, Turkish and Welsh origin) is best known for her role asKelly Kapowski onSaved by the Bell (1989–93) and asValerie Malone onBeverly Hills, 90210 (1994–98).

In television animation,Jason Davis (Turkish father) was best known for his role as the voice of Mikey Blumberg from the animated television seriesRecess.^[83]

Meanwhile, the nutrition author,Daphne Oz, was a co-host on theAmerican Broadcasting Company (ABC) daytimetalk showThe Chew (2011–17). Her father, Dr.Mehmet Oz, is regarded as one of the most accomplishedcardiothoracic surgeons. He has made frequent appearances onThe Oprah Winfrey Show. In the fall of 2009, Winfrey'sHarpo Productions and Sony Pictures launched a daily talk show featuring Oz, calledThe Dr. Oz Show.^[84] "The Dr. Oz Show" has been an enormous success with an average of about 3.5 million viewers.^[84]

Outside the United States,Ayda Field (Turkish father) has been a regular panellist on the television showLoose Women in the United Kingdom. During 2018, she featured on the judging panel of the British version ofThe X Factor, alongside her husband, singerRobbie Williams.

Furthermore, some Turkish Americans have gained notability inTurkey where they have starring roles on Turkish TV, includingDerya Arbaş,Didem Erol,Defne Joy Foster,Murat Han, andOzman Sirgood.

Many prominent Turkish Americans have made lasting contributions to theAmerican music industry.Ahmet Ertegun foundedAtlantic Records, one of the most successful American independentmusic labels, in 1947.^[85] He was also a prime mover in starting theRock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. In a music career marked by numerous lifetime achievement awards, he was inducted into the hall in 1987.

In 1956, Ahmet Ertegun's older brother,Nesuhi Ertegun, joined Atlantic Records as vice-president of the company, attracting many of the most inventivejazzmusicians of the era.^[85][86]

By 1963, arranger, composer and record producerArif Mardin joined the Ertegun brothers at Atlantic Records. Mardin was the winner of 12Grammys, including two for best producer, non-classical (in 1976 and 2003).^[87] He retired from Atlantic Records in May 2001 and began a new corporate relationship as senior vice president and co-general manager of the EMI labelManhattan Records. Mardin was considered one of the most successful and significant behind-the-scenes figures in popular music in the last half-century. His son,Joe Mardin is also a record producer and arranger.^[87]

Other notable musicians include the songwriterOak Felder who was nominated for a 2015Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for writingUsher's single "Good Kisser",^[88][89] he also produced two songs on theAlicia Keys albumGirl on Fire which won the 2014Grammy Award for Best R&B Album;^[90] the violinist and conductorSelim Giray is an associate professor of Violin, Viola and Chamber Music atPittsburg State University; the composerKamran Ince was awarded theRome Prize, aGuggenheim Fellowship and theLili Boulanger Memorial Prize; the composerMehmet Ali Sanlıkol was nominated for a Grammy in 2014; and the composerPinar Toprak has won twoInternational Film Music Critics Association Awards forThe Lightkeepers (2009) andThe Wind Gods (2013).

Several notable Turkish American musicians have established their careers outside the United States; for example, the fusion jazz drummerAtilla Engin was active inDenmark; the singer, guitarist and songwriterDeniz Tek was a founding member of theAustralian rock groupRadio Birdman; and the singerÖzlem Tekin has released most of her songs inTurkey.

Rosalyn Tureck was a Turkish American pianist and harpsichordist and was among the founders of theMusic Academy of the West.

In the United States, Turkish Americans remain relatively underrepresented politically. Typically, Turkish Americans have votedRepublican due to the party's support forTurkey regarding various foreign policy issues, such as theCyprus conflict.^[91] Turkish American lobbying groups have donated money to politicians of both parties over the years who they felt best represented Turkish American interests, such as helpingTexas Republican and former Turkey Caucus co-chairPete Sessions return to theU.S. House in 2021 after suffering a defeat in 2018, or helpingCaliforniaDemocratFarrah Khan win an election to mayor ofIrvine, California, in 2020.^[92]

In 2019, Tayfun Selen became the first Turkish American mayor, having been elected mayor ofChatham Township,New Jersey.^[93] In 2021, three Turkish American women were selected for positions within theBiden administration, including Didem Nişancı (chief of staff at theDepartment of the Treasury); Özge Güzelsu (deputy general counsel at theDepartment of Defense); andNaz Durakoğlu (assistant secretary for theBureau of Legislative Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs).^[94] That same year,Mehmet Oz announced his bid for the2022 United States Senate election inPennsylvania as a Republican, making references to his Turkish ancestry in his campaign announcement.^[95]

There are also notable Turkish Americans in politics outside the United States. For example, American-bornSelin Sayek Böke is a member of theRepublican People's Party (CHP) and has served as aMember of Parliament forİzmir's second electoral district since 2015.Merve Kavakçı, who holds dual citizenship, was elected as aVirtue Party deputy forIstanbul in 1999. She is now serving as the Turkish ambassador toMalaysia.

On September 6, 2024, Turkish-American human rights activistAyşenur Ezgi Eygi was shot in the head by anIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) sniper during a protest against illegalIsraeli settlements inBeita,Nablus, in theWest Bank.^[96]

Constantine Menges was an American scholar, author, professor, and Latin American specialist for theWhite House'sUS National Security Council and theCentral Intelligence Agency.

Steve Cohen (politician) American attorney and politician.

Kasım Gülek was a prominent Turkish statesman.

In December 1970Ahmet Ertegun andNesuhi Ertegun founded theNew York Cosmos American professional soccer club which was based inNew York City and its suburbs. The team competed in theNorth American Soccer League (NASL) until 1984 and was the strongest franchise in that league, both competitively and financially. The team were champions of the North American Soccer League in1972,1977,1978,1980, and1982. In particular, the signing ofPelé by the Cosmos transformed soccer across the United States, lending credibility not only to the Cosmos, but also to the NASL and soccer in general.

On January 16, 2013, Ersal Ozdemir foundedIndy Eleven which is an American professional soccer team based inIndianapolis,Indiana. The team came second place in the2016 North American Soccer League season and third place in the2019 USL Championship season.

Tunch Ilkin (born Tunç Ali İlkin; September 23, 1957 – September 4, 2021) was a Turkish-born player of American football and sports broadcaster. A two-time Pro Bowl selection as an offensive tackle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was the first Turk to play in the National Football League (NFL).[2][3] He was voted to the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team. After his playing career, he was a television and radio analyst for the Steelers from 1998 to 2020.

Lou Novikoff professional baseball player.

Jim Loscutoff professional basketball player.

Shirley Babashoff Olympic swimming champion.

Lisa Marie Varon professional wrestler, fitness competitor and bodybuilder.

Yusuf İsmail professional wrestler.

Alperen Şengün professional basketball player.

Madame Bey and Sidki Bey was an American boxing trainers. they ran a boxing camp for world champion boxers.

Sadettin Saran 34th president ofFenerbahçe Sports Club.

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