Surname Kiziltoprak - Meaning and Origin
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Kiziltoprak: What does the surname Kiziltoprak mean?
Kiziltoprak is a common Turkish surname. Its roots can be traced back to Ottoman days when families associated themselves with an animal, profession, place, or characteristic to create a last name. Specifically, Kiziltoprak translates to ‘red soil’ and likely originated from the family working in the reddish colored soil that dominated the area they lived in.
In general, Turkish surnames are exceedingly diverse and can come from virtually any source. During the Ottoman Empire, some people were given the right to pick their surnames and those surnames were passed on through generations. Additionally, the surnames could be found in pre-Islamic period as well.
As time passed, certain occupational, geographical, and other traits lost their value and occupiers, trades, and physical appearance once used as last names also became part of the tradition of creating last names. Kiziltoprak, then, may represent the family living in an area of red soil or even a family involved in clay trade.
Ultimately, Kiziltoprak is a Turkish last name with ties to the tradition of stretching back to the Ottoman days. It likely comes from the red soil of the area the family originated from and may represent their profession associated with red soil or clay.
Order DNA origin analysisKiziltoprak: Where does the name Kiziltoprak come from?
The last name Kiziltoprak is a Turkish last name meaning “red hill” and is one of the top 10 most common last names in Turkey. It is also very common in Cyprus, Greece, and Bulgaria, indicating that it has Ottoman Turk roots and is most likely a Turkish name originating from these areas.
The Kiziltoprak family name is also found in many other countries around the world. Beyond Turkey, Cyprus, Greece and Bulgaria, the name is found is other Eastern European countries as well as Middle Eastern countries such as Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon. The name is also found in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt in North Africa, as well as in Sub-Saharan African countries like Nigeria and Ghana.
In addition to these countries, the Kiziltoprak name can also be found in parts of Europe. There are families of Kiziltoprak living in the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, and Spain. In North and South America, there are Kiziltopraks living in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.
Overall, the name is most prominent in areas with a lot of Turkish migration or presence, like Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, and Cyprus, but it is also widely found around the world.
Variations of the surname Kiziltoprak
The surname Kiziltoprak (alternatively spelled as Kızıltoprak) is of Turkish origin, and is thought to have initially been derived from the Turkish word ‘kizil toprak’, which translates to mean ‘red soil’.
Variants and other spellings of the surname Kiziltoprak include Kızıltöprak, Kızıtoprak, Kizlitoprak, and Kiziltöprak. Common surnames of the same origin include Bektas, Toprak, Kula, and Gok.
Other related surnames include Kiziltas, Kizilcik, and Kizilbas. In some instances, the surname Kiziltoprak has transformed over time, and been adopted as Koptur, though this is thought to be rarer in modern times.
The reason for the surname’s origin could be related to the historical nobility of Turkey’s Oghuz Turks, which was marked by burial sites covered in red soil, or from the Tigris-Euphrates valley’s use of red earth. Today, the surname Kiziltoprak is used as a clan identifier and as a sub-caste among the Turkish community.
Famous people with the name Kiziltoprak
- Berke Kiziltoprak, a professional Turkish basketball player.
- Suat Kiziltoprak, a former Turkish footballer who served as a manager for Fenerbahçe.
- Bülent Kiziltoprak, a retired professional volleyball player who won two World Championships with the Turkish national team.
- Selçuk Kiziltoprak, a professional Turkish rugby player and member of the 2014 Turkey national rugby union team.
- Özgür Kiziltoprak, a professional Turkish wrestler.
- Salih Kiziltoprak, a professor of education and former deputy minister of the Ministry of National Education in the Turkish government.
- Güzin Kiziltoprak, a Turkish actress and television presenter.
- İsmail Kiziltoprak, a former member of the Ayvalık Supreme Council.
- Burak Kiziltoprak, a professional Turkish footballer.
- Hakan Kiziltoprak, a former Turkish professional footballer and coach.