Turkmen names are not unambiguous in their content, origin and meaning, and legends and ethnographic traditions associated with their origin are extremely diverse. It is believed that the name determines the fate of a person, so the choice of a name has been and remains a particularly important event in the life of every family. The name of the newborn, as it were, projects the expectations of the parents, expressing their desire to accept a new person into their community - strong, honest, fair, kind. As the Turkmen proverb says: “Yagshy adamdan govy at galar” (“A good name will remain from a good person”).
Usually, dad and mom want their baby's name to be beautiful, sonorous, and therefore bring happiness, good luck, prosperity. Therefore, such names as Dovlet (wealth), Aman and Esen (healthy, prosperous), Eziz (dear), Begench and Guvanch (joy), Bagty (happy), Komek (help), Akjemal (beauty) and other.
For many eastern peoples, including the Turkmens, the genealogy went through the male line and from male names. If a girl was born first, then the parents gave the newborn a name similar to a man's: Ogulgerek (a boy is needed), Ogulshat (a boy will be welcome), Ogulbayram (a holiday when a boy is born), etc. In a family where no boys were born for a long time, and the number of girls grew, parents sometimes gave their daughters such names as Besdir - stop, that's enough, or Gyzsony (the girls ran out).
Parents can invest in a name and a wish so that the child grows up strong, courageous and beautiful. So you can often find among the Turkmen male names such: Batyr (hero), Arslan (lion), Guych (strength). Female names that carry the desire to be beautiful include Gozel, Ovadan, Jemal, Sona. Often the word "beauty" was amplified by some euphonious term, forming a complex name. If the birth of a girl was in the spring, she could get the name Yazdzhemal (spring beauty).
Finding out which of the children in a Turkmen family was born before the rest is not difficult. Examples of the names of the first-born are: Akmurad, Akmamed, Aknur, Aknabat, Akgul. Often in large families, the name was, as it were, the serial number of the owner: Chara (fourth), Byashim (fifth), Alty (sixth). Names associated with plants are also popular. So, among the girls there are Ejegul (mother's flower), and Byagul (rose), and Gulyalek (poppy), and Gulnar (pomegranate flower), and Guncha (bud).
Interesting stories are associated with the names of mythical creatures. So, Humai is the name of things of the mythical bird. According to legend, people who fell under the shadow of her wings opened up untold riches, they gained eternal happiness. The beautiful female name of May is also common. An ancient legend tells about the magic camel Ak Maya. She worked miracles, helped people, her milk was the very “living water” that helps heal wounds and is known in the folklore of many peoples.
Wishing a child a comfortable life, parents sometimes called their children by the names of beautifully colored precious stones, or precious metals: Altyn and Tylla (gold), Kumysh (silver), Govher (diamond). Some of the names of girls in Turkmenistan are associated with the moon: Aygozel (lunar beauty), Aydzhahan (moon-universe), Aysoltan (moon-sultan), Aidzhan (moon-soul). This is due to the worship of the Earth's satellite in ancient times.
There are also names associated with the emergence of the Islamic religion. Their examples are the name of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions, the caliphs Abubekir, Omar, Osman, Ali. There were also names with the mention of the name of God in Arabic - Alla and Persian - Khudai - languages. For example, Allaberdy and Khudayberdy (God gave), Allaguly and Hudayguly (God's servant). The names of those born on Friday (Juma or Anna) reflect this day of rest and prayers of the Muslim week. Often the month of birth of the child also played a role. There are many names that represent the names of the months of the Muslim lunar calendar: Ashir, Sapar, Rejep, Meret, Oraz, Bayram and Gurban.
If a boy was born on a holiday, then he was most often called Bayram (holiday), or Bayramgeldy (holiday has come), and a girl - Bayramgul (holiday flower). If these were the days of the people's favorite holiday of sacrifice Eid al-Adha, then Kurbanmurat or Kurbandurdy, and if the birth of a son fell on a month of religious fasting, then the boy could be called Orazmurad, Orazkuli or Orazdurdy.
Sometimes a child could get a name due to weather events or seasons. So, if a boy was born at sunrise, he could be given the name Gundogdy, at moonrise - Aydogdy. If at the time of the birth of a child it was snowing, the boy could get the name of Garyagdy, and if it was raining, then Nuryagdy. Of course, parents had a choice of what a beautiful name to give to a boy born, for example, during a spring rain. An alternative to the name Nuryagdy in this case could be a variant of the name Yazdurdy (spring has come).
One of the most popular male Turkmen names is the name Parahat (peace). This name reflects the desire of Turkmens for world peace, which is confirmed by the status of permanent Neutrality received by Turkmenistan in 1995.
