In September 2021, the head of the Osmanlı Mehter Takımı, the SCA’s Janissary band, asked me to “share a list of appropriate names for our Janissaries to possibly choose from in developing personas”. He was probably referring to my page of names of Muslim men from Sivas province, but that…
These names were extracted from the 1580-1583 court records for the city of Bursa, Turkey. They include the names of free Muslim women, free ethnic Greek women, and suspected or confirmed enslaved Muslim women. Muslim Women These names belonged to Muslim women who appear to have been free-born. Most were…
There’s plenty of data out there if you know what to put into Google… and if you speak Turkish. These are some of the words that unlock Google. ana – mother avrat – woman involved in immoral activities azadli – freed slave bikr-i bâliğa – unmarried woman cariye – female slave…
One of [the beauties] is Cotton ‘Ayni, a jasmine breastHer skin, like cotton, is delicate and moistHer body is a fresh sapling in the soul’s gardenHer mouth, of purest water, is a fountainI said, “Come to my breast,” said the heartbreaker,“What have fire and cotton to do together?” The Şehrengiz…
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Personal Characteristics Professions Replacements for Names These nicknames completely replaced a man’s personal name. Patronymics Although these nicknames refer to the bearer as the son (-oğlu or -zâde) of another person, they do not contain the father’s real name. For example, Mahmud Bey b. Kasım was nicknamed Hançerlizâde, “son of…
This is a dumping ground for my general observations. Freeborn Muslim Names Name frequencies: As in contemporary Europe, a small number of names were borne by a large number of people, with a significant long tail of less common names. Name origins: The Turkish Muslim name pool was drawn from…
Afedra“Lady.” Greek female form of the Turkish effendi, “lord”אפ’ידרה Afedra, 1619 Apodopoulaאפודופלא Apodopoula, 1621 ArkhondopoulaGreek, “nobleman’s daughter”ארכונדופולה Arkhondopoula, 1609 AryanaThe origin and meaning of this name is unknown, but another late 16th-century Aryana’s letter to her sister is preserved in the Cairo Geniza.אריינה Aryana, 1584 AsteroulaPossibly Greek aster “star” +…
In 1686, the Holy League retook Buda (Budapest) from the Ottomans. One document written in the aftermath lists some of the Ottoman prisoners of war, including several dozen janissaries. Although this is well after the SCA period, many of these names can be traced back to period, so I’ve listed…
Abraham Agazar Ağca Ağıl Agob Agopşeh Agyad Alagöz Altun Altunşeh Anabel Andon Andriye Anuk Araben Arakil Ardondi Armağan Arslan Asar Asarık Asfadır Asılbey Aston Avak Avanis Avdik Avram Avranil Aydın Aydınşeh Ayvati Ayvaz Bağdasar Bağlu Bahtiyar Balı Başgül Bayram Bayramşeh Bazar Bazarlu Bedros Bilgin Bodros Bogos, Boğos Bolos Budak Bulduk…