Job Discussion Forums

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

honestly, I was in a company yesterday and I met someone with the name of Ufuk Kunt. I really had a hard time keeping a straight face. Do you have any favourite Turkish names?

Golightly · Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:12 am Post subject:

we once had a student called mustafa sit. that's 's' with a cedilla.

justme · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul

I like some of those not-at-all complimentary surnames, like Şişman or Cansız. Or the -oğlu names that sound funny when you translate them into English (Şişmanoğlu-- Fatson, Ekşioğlu-- Bitterson... there are othes I can't think of offhand now).

At the moment my favorite student name is �mit Elib�y�k. And he really does have disproportionately large hands...

I also like the ones that indicate the parents are fed up with having children. Okay, Song�l isn't so bad, but names like Yeter and Dursun seem like a hard thing to grow up with. And I've no idea why anyone would name their kid 'İmdat'....

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Have you ever met anyone called Yeter who has a younger sibling? Some research should be done into this.

justme · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul

Maybe it's Mom doing the naming with hope in her heart, but Dad doesn't share the same plan...

Golightly · Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 12:16 pm Post subject:

is AR-SE Koleji still around in Bakirkoy?

There was also a hairdressers in one of the backstreets as you head down to the Marina - its name was KUNT KUAFOR.
I came across it unawares one evening, and nearly died laughing.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

sandyhoney2 · Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Posts: 189

And you know, until Ataturk, they didn't even have last names. Their recent relatives chose these names. Apparently, when the decree was ordered that they were required to choose some last name, they thought up some creative ones, some to show a particular personality trait like Lightning, Thunder, Lion...

Guess "Fatty-son" just may have been having a creative lapse.

tekirdag · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 505

I haven't heard any interesting Turkish names but in Korea I had a student named Do You Suk. That was a great name!

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Do you get students asking you what your names mean?
I am lost at the bottom of a hill Confused

(greek origin)
what does your name mean?

hallelujah · Joined: 11 Jul 2005 Posts: 17

yeah, isn't it annoying?! Exclamation

all the people i get to know in istanbul are extremely curious of what my name means...i personally have no idea...does it has to mean something? and then if you ask some turks what their names mean they usually say 'not sure', or 'i forgot'...

but the thing that really drives me crazy is how you distinguish who's male and who's female just by the names (if we set aside the obvious ones like Ali or Mehmed and Fatma)? it looks like an impossible task for me....

tekirdag · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 505

My surname is a food so it is obvious what it means. Students usually don't believe it's really my name and crack up laughing when I tell them it's true. Sad

I'm going to get a complex.

corall · Joined: 23 Apr 2004 Posts: 270 Location: istanbul, turkey

i always thought yeter was a bit humorous. my boyfriend was so excited when i went to his apt for the first time. he wanted to show me the apt across the street from his - kunt apt. but in all honesty, i do wonder what some people were thinking though when they were picking their last names.

justme · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

justme, please change your avatar. I cant read this forum without thinking about bacon sandwiches.