Tarkan
A Turkish masculine name meaning "son of the Tartars" or "born on the steppe".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Tarkan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tarkan today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tarkan births was 2005 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tarkan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Tarkan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tarkan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2005
6 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2005 SSA rank
#11,307
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Tarkan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tarkan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Tarkan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tarkan
The name Tarkan has its origins in the Turkic languages, specifically in Central Asia and the Eurasian Steppe region. It is derived from the Old Turkic word "tarqan," which means "commander" or "leader." This name was initially associated with military and political leadership among the Turkic nomadic tribes that roamed the vast Eurasian Steppe during the medieval period.
Historically, the title "Tarkan" was bestowed upon high-ranking military commanders and members of the nobility in various Turkic empires and khanates, such as the Göktürk Khaganate and the Seljuk Empire. It was a prestigious title that carried significant authority and respect within these societies.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Tarkan can be found in the Orkhon inscriptions, a collection of ancient Turkic runic inscriptions dating back to the 8th century AD. These inscriptions were erected in honor of the Göktürk khans and their military victories, and they mention several individuals with the title "Tarkan."
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Tarkan. One of the most famous was Tarkan ibn al-Mu'tazz (861-891 AD), an Arab prince and poet who was a member of the Abbasid royal family. He was renowned for his exceptional literary talents and is considered one of the greatest poets of the Abbasid era.
Another prominent figure was Tarkan Khatun (c. 1008-1094 AD), a Seljuk princess and the wife of the renowned Sultan Alp Arslan. She played a significant role in the Seljuk Empire and was known for her political influence and patronage of arts and literature.
In the 13th century, Tarkan Khan (c. 1200-1280 AD) was a prominent ruler of the Golden Horde, a Mongol khanate that ruled over vast territories in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. He is credited with strengthening the Golden Horde's power and expanding its territories.
During the Ottoman Empire, Tarkan Bey (c. 1450-1515 AD) was a notable military commander and governor who served under Sultan Bayezid II. He played a vital role in the Ottoman conquest of various territories and was renowned for his military strategies and leadership.
In more recent times, Tarkan Tevetoğlu (born 1972) is a famous Turkish singer and songwriter who has achieved international success and is often referred to as the "Prince of Pop" in Turkey. He has popularized the name Tarkan among modern audiences and has contributed to its widespread recognition.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Tarkan, each leaving their mark in various fields, including poetry, politics, military leadership, and popular culture.
People
Tarkan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tarkan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tarkan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tarkan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tarkan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Tarkan a common name?
We classify Tarkan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tarkan most popular?
The single biggest year for Tarkan was 2005, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tarkan is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Tarkan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tarkan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tarkan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Tarkan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tarkan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Tarkan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Tarkan?
Find out how many Americans are named Tarkan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.