My OperaThe 'Most Popular' Baby-names, Personal-names, and Family-names in Turkey
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 7:10:01 PM
in starring roles opposite some of Turkey's most famous award-winning male actors (eg. Kadır Inanır, Tarik Akan, and Cüneyt Arkin) under the direction of some of Turkey's most famous and important (and award-winning) directors (eg. Zeki Ökten, Osman F. Seden, and Ertem Göreç) in films written by some of Turkey's finest award-winning screenplay writers (eg. Sadik Sendil, Natuk Baytan, and Safa Önal).
Is the Internet-neglect of Elif Hanim a sort of 'punishment' because she made 10 erotic films during 1975-1976 -- in which she unabashedly disrobed (eg. in Babama Selam 1976) and wasn't squeamish about the occasional lesbian scene (eg. in Parayla Degil Sırayla 1975)?
Or is it that no one wants to be reminded of her long struggle with cancer, diagnosed when she was just 37? In relation to that possibility, Erotic Film Historian Cihan Demirci wrote, "Elif Pektas's story is a sad one in which she struggled 20 years with bone-marrow cancer -- before passing away in 2003 at 57. One can't help wondering, however irrational it may be, if her demise had anything to do with her participation in the Seks Furyasi (erotic movie boom) of the 1970's."
Demirci's remark isn't completely without foundation...because the Seks Furyasi claimed other erotic female actors too, who were somehow cursed -- and who also met untimely ends: Alev Altin (cancer, age 29), Mine Mutlu (cancer, age 42), Feri Cansel (murder, age 39), Seher Seniz (suicide, age 44), Funda Gürkan (accidental drug overdose, age 36).
[Click following to access a picture-laden HTML-version of Elif Pektas -- Erotic and Conventional Turkish Movie Star during 1970-1980.]
Of 70 million Turks living in Turkey, more than 4% (3 million) were named either Mehmet (male) or Fatma (female) at birth!
According to the latest statistics gathered and published by the Turkish Citizenship Bureau's Directorate, there are now 1,537,458 males named Mehmet among living males in Turkey. The personal-name Mustafa follows Mehmet with 1,195,232 recorded occurrences -- then come the personal-names Ahmet, Ali, and Hüseyin.
As for the ladies... at the top of the popular personal-names list is Fatma -- which collected 1,529,179 'votes'. Ayse followed Fatma at 1,161,016 uses -- with Emine, Hatice, and Zeynep rounding out the top five most popular names.
Baby names have begun changing in the past 15 years -- with new baby-names beating out old names for popularity. For example, when you just consider male and female children born between 1990 and 2000... for the first time, the name Emre (for boys) and Büsra and Merve for girls -- have appeared among the top 5 baby-names. And if you only consider the period 2000-2005, Furkan (for boys) and Irem (for girls) are baby-names that have appeared in the top 5, also for the first time.
Turkish Family Names
According to the same statistics, the family-name Yılmaz is 'Top of the Pops' -- being the surname used by 1,025,196 families. The 'Yilmaz' surname is followed in 'popularity' by Kaya, Demir, Sahin, and Çelik.
So...We guess that makes 'Fatma and Mehmet Yilmaz' the Turkish equivalent of 'Mary and John Doe'...eh?
teaching english in Ankara
Is the Internet-neglect of Elif Hanim a sort of 'punishment' because she made 10 erotic films during 1975-1976 -- in which she unabashedly disrobed (eg. in Babama Selam 1976) and wasn't squeamish about the occasional lesbian scene (eg. in Parayla Degil Sırayla 1975)?
Or is it that no one wants to be reminded of her long struggle with cancer, diagnosed when she was just 37? In relation to that possibility, Erotic Film Historian Cihan Demirci wrote, "Elif Pektas's story is a sad one in which she struggled 20 years with bone-marrow cancer -- before passing away in 2003 at 57. One can't help wondering, however irrational it may be, if her demise had anything to do with her participation in the Seks Furyasi (erotic movie boom) of the 1970's."
Demirci's remark isn't completely without foundation...because the Seks Furyasi claimed other erotic female actors too, who were somehow cursed -- and who also met untimely ends: Alev Altin (cancer, age 29), Mine Mutlu (cancer, age 42), Feri Cansel (murder, age 39), Seher Seniz (suicide, age 44), Funda Gürkan (accidental drug overdose, age 36).
[Click following to access a picture-laden HTML-version of Elif Pektas -- Erotic and Conventional Turkish Movie Star during 1970-1980.]
Of 70 million Turks living in Turkey, more than 4% (3 million) were named either Mehmet (male) or Fatma (female) at birth!
According to the latest statistics gathered and published by the Turkish Citizenship Bureau's Directorate, there are now 1,537,458 males named Mehmet among living males in Turkey. The personal-name Mustafa follows Mehmet with 1,195,232 recorded occurrences -- then come the personal-names Ahmet, Ali, and Hüseyin.
As for the ladies... at the top of the popular personal-names list is Fatma -- which collected 1,529,179 'votes'. Ayse followed Fatma at 1,161,016 uses -- with Emine, Hatice, and Zeynep rounding out the top five most popular names.
Baby names have begun changing in the past 15 years -- with new baby-names beating out old names for popularity. For example, when you just consider male and female children born between 1990 and 2000... for the first time, the name Emre (for boys) and Büsra and Merve for girls -- have appeared among the top 5 baby-names. And if you only consider the period 2000-2005, Furkan (for boys) and Irem (for girls) are baby-names that have appeared in the top 5, also for the first time.
Turkish Family Names
According to the same statistics, the family-name Yılmaz is 'Top of the Pops' -- being the surname used by 1,025,196 families. The 'Yilmaz' surname is followed in 'popularity' by Kaya, Demir, Sahin, and Çelik.
So...We guess that makes 'Fatma and Mehmet Yilmaz' the Turkish equivalent of 'Mary and John Doe'...eh?
teaching english in Ankara
