Gürkan is a Turkish surname and given name for males. The general meaning is a full-blooded (sanguine), lively person. The name is also associated with leo,{{clarify, date=May 2025, reason=The given name Leo?{{cn, date=May 2025 hero and brave.

People named Gürkan or Gurkan

Given name

Gürkan Coşkun Gürkan Coşkun (1941 – 22 September 2022) or more widely known as Komet was a Turkish painter. Coşkun was born in Çorum in 1941. After attending İstanbul State Academy of Fine Arts between the years 1960 and 1967, he moved to Paris in 1 ...

(1941–2022), Turkish painter * Gürkan Ekren (born 1974), Turkish football player *

Gürkan Sermeter Gürkan Sermeter (born 14 February 1974) is a Swiss former footballer who last played for AC Bellinzona in the Swiss Challenge League The Challenge League (known as the Dieci Challenge League for sponsorship reasons) is the second-highest tier ...

(born 1974), Swiss football player of Turkish descent *

Gürkan Uygun Gürkan Uygun (born 27 May 1974) is a Turkish actor of Georgians in Turkey, Georgian descent. He joined theater in his high school years. He started his career as an amateur actor in 1990. Then he received training at the Dormen Theater. In 1996, ...

(born 1974), Turkish actor

Nickname

Gustav Björkman Gustav "Gurkan" Björkman (born 24 February 1976) is a retired Swedish bandy forward. He won the Swedish bandy champions, Swedish championship three times, with Sandvikens AIK in 1997 and 2003, and with Hammarby IF Bandy in 2010. References ...

(born 1986), Swedish retired bandy player

Surname

Aydın Güven Gürkan Aydın Güven Gürkan (May 10, 1941 – January 22, 2006) was a Turkish academic and politician. Early life Gürkan was born in Elazığ on 10 May 1941. In 1963, he graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences in Ankara University. In 1970, ...

(1941–2006), Turkish academic and politician * Cevat Gürkan (1907–1984), Turkish equestrian *

Emrah Safa Gürkan Emrah Safa Gürkan (born 16 January 1981) is a Turkish historian who works in Ottoman studies. Early life and education Emrah Safa Gürkan was born on January 16, 1981, in Değirmendere, Kocaeli, Turkey. He graduated with a B.A. in Internation ...

(born 1981), Turkish historian and academic * Fatoş Gürkan (born 1966), Turkish lawyer and politician *

Recep Gürkan Recep Demir Gürkan (born 1 August 1964) is a Turkish politician and member of the CHP. He was previously a member of the Grand National Assembly and served as the mayor of Edirne between 30 March 2014 and March 2024. Life and work He was ...

(born 1964), Turkish politician * Selma Gürkan (born 1961), Turkish unionist and politician * Umut A. Gurkan, Turkish–American engineer

As a title

Gurkan is a Persianized form of the Mongolian word "kuragan" (or guregen) meaning "son-in-law".''A History of the Muslim World Since 1260: The Making of a Global Community'', by Vernon Egger, p. 193 This was an honorific title used by the

Timurid dynasty The Timurid dynasty, self-designated as Gurkani (), was the ruling dynasty of the Timurid Empire (1370–1507). It was a Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim dynasty or Barlās clan of Turco-Mongol originB.F. Manz, ''"Tīmūr Lang"'', in Encyclopaedia of I ...

as the Timurids were in-laws of the line of

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

, founder of the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

, as Timur had married

Saray Mulk Khanum Saray Mulk Khanum ( Chagatai: سرای ملک خانم; 1341 – 1408) was the empress consort of the Timurid Empire as the chief consort of Timur, also known as Tamerlane the Great, the founder of the Timurid Empire as well as the Timurid dynast ...

, a direct descendant of Genghis Khan.

References

{{Reflist {{wiktionary, Gürkan {{DEFAULTSORT:Gurkan Turkish masculine given names Masculine given names Turkish-language surnames {{given name, type=both