ВОПРОСЫ ОНОМАСТИКИ | PROBLEMS OF ONOMASTICS

Süleyman Kasap
Van Yuzuncu Yil University, Tuşba/Van, Türkiye

BETWEEN TWO NAMES: A STUDY OF KURDISH NAMING PRACTICES AND IDENTITY IN TÜRKIYE

For citation
Kasap, S. (2026). Between Two Names: A Study of Kurdish Naming Practices and Identity in Türkiye. Voprosy onomastiki, 23(1), 99–115. https://doi.org/10.15826/vopr_onom.2026.23.1.004

Received on 15 February 2025
Accepted on 23 April 2025

Abstract: This study explores the experiences of Kurdish individuals in Van, Türkiye, who were given both Kurdish and Turkish names by their parents. Twelve participants, aged 43 to 56 (6 men and 6 women), were interviewed to understand how this practice shaped their sense of self and culture. Utilizing a qualitative, phenomenological approach, the interviews focused on why their parents chose to give them two names, the emotional effects of having two names, and how it impacted their Kurdish identity. The findings showed that this dual naming practice was a direct parental strategy for navigating state-led assimilationist policies. Consequently, many participants used their Turkish names in public as a protective mechanism to avoid discrimination and secure access to education and employment. In contrast, their Kurdish names were cherished as important, intimate symbols of cultural pride and heritage, used within the private sphere of family and community. Some participants reported internalizing a sense of fear or shame about their Kurdish identity due to pervasive negative perceptions and securitization of Kurds in Turkish society. Despite these challenges, many expressed a deep, resilient sense of pride in their Kurdish roots and harbored hope for positive changes in the future, particularly energized by recent political shifts that might offer greater recognition of Kurdish culture and language. This study highlights the complex, dualistic relationship between naming and identity, revealing how anthroponomic practices serve as a site of both struggle and resilience for Kurdish individuals navigating an often-marginalizing societal landscape.

Keywords: socio-onomastics; anthropological linguistics; anthroponymy; dual naming; Kurdish identity; cultural resistance; Türkiye

Acknowledgements
This article was prepared as part of research commissioned by the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. I express my sincere gratitude to Tamara V. Matveyeva for granting access to, and the opportunity to work with, Alexander K. Matveyev’s card index.

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