Y - DNA Results (to date) for the TURK Family of Surnames

By Toni Richard Turk

Join the TURK Y-DNA Surname Project: Research your Y-DNA Results: Y-DNA Research links Comparisons and Conclusions on the TURK Lines so far: Comparisons/Conclusions/Learnings. Listed below are results as of 4/6/2003 of various Y-DNA tests on males surnamed TURK. Names are listed with approval. Otherwise you see only a kit number. Results have been researched utilizing referenced websites and databases. Results are posted by haplogroup. Contact Toni Turk for more information at e-mail tturk@sanjuan.net or use this web contact form.

According to Y-Chromosome Haplogroups the following rules generally pertain to Hg1, Hg2 and Hg3: If you have a value of "12" at DYS426 and DON’T have a value of "11" at DYS392 then you belong to Hg1. If you have a value of "11" at DYS426 then you belong to Hg2. If you have a value of "12" at DYS426 and a value of "11" at DYS392then you belong to Hg3.

In the Human Races Calculator the Hg1 (Eu18) in descending frequency order by percentages follows: Cornish 82%, Irish 81%, Scottish 79%, Basque 73%, Western Scottish 72%, Spanish 68%, Belgian 63%, Northern Portuguese 62%, Pakistani Hazara 61%, East Anglian 56%, Southern Portuguese 56%, Danish 50%, French 50%, Bavarian 48%, Icelandic 46%, Italian 44%, Dutch 43%, Ossetian 43%, German 40%, Hungarian 30%, Sardinian 30%, Sephardic Jews 30%, Norwegian 29%, Pakistani Burusho 28%, Pakistani Parsi 27%, Armenian 25%, Pakistani Kashmiri 25%, Pakistani Makrani Baluch 24%, Northern Swedish 23%, Slovenian 21%, Kurdish 20%, Turkish 20%, Czech 19%, Georgian 19%, Pakistani Baluch 19%, Pakistani Makrani Negroid 18%, Polish 18%, Romanian 18%, Bulgarian 17%, Gotlander 17%, Muslim Kurds 17%, Slovakian 17%, Indian Uttar Pradesh Muslims 16%, Latvian 15%, Pakistani Balti 15%, Chuvash 12%, Indian Uttar Pradesh Brahmins 12%, Pakistani Sindhi 12%, Ashkenazi Jews 11%, Greek 11%, Indian Uttar Pradesh Chamars 11%, Indian Uttar Pradesh Rajputs 11%, Pakistani Pathan 11%, Yugoslavian 11%, Belorussian 10%, Mari 10%, Pakistani Kalash 10%, Cypriot 9%, Estonian 9%, Pakistani Brahui 8%, Palestinian Arabs 8%, Russian 7%, Saami 6%, Lithuanian 5%, Northern African 4%, Ukranian 4%, Finnish 2%

"The Genetic Legacy of Paleolithic Homo sapiens sapiens in Extant Europeans: A Y Chromosome Perspective" by Ornella Semino et al. Presents a frequency chart by populations for various haplotypes. The Eu18 in descending frequency order by percentages follows: Basque-French 88.9%, Basque 86.4%, Catalan 79.2%, Dutch 70.4%, Andalusian-Spanish 65.5%, Central-Northern Italian 62%, French 52.2%, German 50%, Czech and Slovakian 35.6%, Calabrian 32.4%, Greek 27.6%, Sardinian 22.1%, Albanian 17.6%, Polish 16.4%, Syrian 15%, Georgian 14.3%, Hungarian 13.3%, Udmurt 11.6%, Croatian 10.3%, Macedonian 10%, Saami 8.3%, Turkish 6.6%, Lebanese 6.4%, Ukrainian 2%

Semino’s study concludes that two lineages have been present in Europe since Paleolithic times. One of these is characterized as M173. Eu18 derives from this lineage. M173 is described as "an ancient Eurasiatic marker that was brought by or arose in the group of Homo sapiens sapiens who entered Europe from east to west about 40,000 to 35,000 years ago, spreading the Aurignac culture. This group appeared almost simultaneously in Siberia, from which groups eventually migrated to the Americas." The Aurignac settlement in Europe predates the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM).

The Eu18 Paleolithic population group retreated into the Iberian Ice Age Refuge during the glacial period (20,000 to 13,000 years ago). After the Ice Age they moved out of the refuge and expanded rapidly from the Iberian Peninsula. The haplogroup Hg1 is most common in Western Europe.

In the Human Races Calculator the Hg2 in descending frequency order by percentages follows: Gotlander 59%, Yugoslavian 49%, Georgian 48%, Northern Swedish 48%, Ukranian 48%, Indian Uttar Pradesh Chamars 44%, Bulgarian 42%, Sardinian 40%, Pakistani Kalash 39%, Belorussian 34%, Norwegian 33%, Danish 32%, Dutch 32%, Icelandic 32%, Armenian 31%, Saami 31%, East Anglian 30%, Hungarian 28%, Romanian 27%, Slovenian 27%, Indian Uttar Pradesh Rajputs 26%, French 25%, Turkish 25%, Chuvash 24%, Indian Uttar Pradesh Brahmins 24%, Bavarian 23%, Belgian 23%, Finnish 23%, Cypriot 22%, Greek 22%, German 20%, Czech 19%, Western Scottish 19%, Cornish 18%, Muslim Kurds 17%, Polish 17%, Russian 17%, Slovakian 17%, Northern Portugese 16%, Pakistani Pathan 16%, Irish 15%, Estonian 14%, Italians 14%, Southern Portugese 14%, Lithuanian 13%, Spanish 13%, Latvian 12%, Pakistani Makrani Negroid 12%, Scottish 12%, Sephardic Jews 12%, Ossetian 11%, Pakistani Brahui 10%, Pakistani Sindhi 9%, Basque 8%, Pakastani Balti 8%, Pakistani Burusho 7%, Ashkenazi Jews 6%, Bedouin 6%, Kurdish Jews 6%, Palestinian Arabs 6%, Mari 4%, Pakistani Hazara 4%, Northern Africa 3%, Pakistani Parsi 3%, Algerian 2%.

The haplogroup Hg 2 entered Europe when Neolithic (New Stone Age) farmers migrated into Europe from the Middle East in two waves. The last of these waves arrived about 8,000 years ago. Hg2 is most common in Southern and Central Europe, but it is also seen in those of Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian descent.

Haplogroup 3 (Hg3) Generalized Overview:

In the Human Races Calculator the Hg3 (Eu19) in descending frequency order by percentages follows: Indian Uttar Pradesh 58%, Pakistani Kashmiri 58%, Polish 54%, Pakistani Sindhi 49%, Russian 47%, Slovakian 47%, Pakistani Balti 46%, Pakistani Pathan 45%, Indian Uttar Pradesh Chamars 44%, Latvian 41%, Belorussian 39%, Pakistani Brahui 39%, Czech 38%, Indian Uttar Pradesh Rajputs 37%, Slovenian 37%, Indian Uttar Pradesh Brahmins 36%, Lithuanian 34%, Norwegian 31%, German 30%, Pakistani Makrani Negroid 30%, Ukranian 30%, Mari 29%, Pakistani Baluch 29%, Pakistani Burusho 28%, Pakistani Makrani Baluch 28%, Estonian 27%, Hungarian 22%, Icelandic 21%, Saami 21%, Romanian 20%, Northern Swedish 19%, Pakistani Kalash 19%, Chuvash 18%, Gotlander 16%, Yugoslavian 16%, Bavarian 15%, Ashkenazi Jews 13%, Dutch 13%, Bulgarian 12%, Muslim Kurds 12%, Finnish 10%, Bedouin 9%, East Anglian 9%, Greek 8%, Pakistani Parsi 8%, Danish 7%, Scottish 7%, Western Scottish 7%, Armenian 6%, Georgian 6%, French 5%, Turkish 5%, Belgian 4%, Kurdish Jews 4%, Sephardic Jews 4%, Cypriot 2%, Italian 2%, Ossetian 2%, Southern Portugese 2%, Spanish 2%, Irish 1%, Palestinian Arabs 1%

"The Genetic Legacy of Paleolithic Homo sapiens sapiens in Extant Europeans: A Y Chromosome Perspective" by Ornella Semino et al. presents a frequency chart by populations for various haplotypes. The Eu19 in descending frequency order by percentages follows: Hungarian 60%, Polish 56.4%, Ukrainian 54%, Udmurt 37.2%, Macedonian 35%, Croatian 29.3%, Czech and Slovakian 26.4%, Mari 13%, Greek 11.8%, Syrian 10%, Albanian 9.8%, Lebanese 9.7%, Saami 8.3%, Georgian 7.9%, Turkish 6.6%, German 6.2%, Italian 4%, Dutch 3.7%.

Semino’s study concludes that two lineages have been present in Europe since Paleolithic times. One of these is characterized as M173. Eu19 derives from this lineage. M173 is described as "an ancient Eurasiatic marker that was brought by or arose in the group of Homo sapiens sapiens who entered Europe from east to west about 40,000 to 35,000 years ago, spreading the Aurignac culture. This group appeared almost simultaneously in Siberia, from which groups eventually migrated to the Americas." The Aurignac settlement in Europe predates the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM).

The Eu19 Paleolithic population group retreated into the Ukrainian Ice Age Refuge during the glacial period (20,000 to 13,000 years ago). After the Ice Age they moved out of the refuge and expanded rapidly from the Ukraine. Subsequent transmigrations may have resulted in elements of this group returning to that area from Central Asia. "Haplotype Eu19 has also been observed at substantial frequency in northern India and Pakistan as well as in Central Asia. Its spread may have been magnified by the expansion of the Yamnaia culture from the ‘Kurgan culture’ area (present-day southern Ukraine) into Europe and eastward, resulting in the spread of Indo-European language."

The Haplogroup Hg3 is seen more frequently on the eastern side of Europe. It is also common in Scandinavia, and is said by some to be indicative of "Viking blood" when seen in paternal lines originating in the British Isles.

In the Human Races Calculator the Hg9 (Eu9) in descending frequency order by percentages follows: Bedouin 66%, Palestinian Arabs 55%, Ashkenazi Jews 43%, Algerian 41%, Muslim Kurds 40%, Pakistani Parsi 39%, Kurdish Jews 37%, Ossetian 34%, Cypriot 33%, Turkish 33%, Armenian 29%, Greek 28%, Pakistani Brahui 28%, Sephardic Jews 28%, Indian Uttar Pradesh Brahmins 24%, Pakistani Makrani Baluch 24%, Romanian 24%, Georgian 23%, Italian 20%, Pakistani Sindhi 20%, Pakistani Makrani Negroid 18%, Indian Uttar Pradesh Rajputs 17%, Pakistani Kashmiri 17%, Pakistani Balti 15%, Bulgarian 12%, Northern African 12%, Pakistani Baluch 12%, Czech 11%, Indian Uttar Pradesh 11%, Pakistani Kalash 10%, Southern Portuguese 9%, Yugoslavian 8%, Danish 7%, Dutch 7%, Pakistani Burusho 7%, Chuvash 6%, Mari 6%, Northern Portuguese 6%, Pakistani Pathan 6%, Slovenian 6%, Bavarian 5%, Belgian 5%, French 5%, Pakistani Hazara 4%, Polish 4%, Russian 4%, German 3%, Hungarian 3%, Slovakian 3%, Spanish 3%, Belorussian 2%, Northern Swedish 2%, Norwegian 2%, East Anglian 1%, Estonian 1%, Irish 1%. Hg9 is defined as "Semitic".

"The Genetic Legacy of Paleolithic Homo sapiens sapiens in Extant Europeans: A Y Chromosome Perspective" by Ornella Semino et al.  Presents a frequency chart by populations for various haplotypes. The Eu9 in descending frequency order by percentages follows: Turkish 40%, Georgian 33.3%, Lebanese 29%, Albanian 23.5%, Calabrian 21.6%, Greek 21%, Macedonian 15%, Syrian 15%, Italian 14%, French 13%, Slovakian 8.9%, Andalusian 6.9%, Ukrainian 6%, Sardinian 5.2%, Croatian 5.2%, Basque 4.5%, Catalan 4.2%, Hungarian 2.2%.

Semino’s study estimates that Eu9 (M172) to be about 15,000 to 20,000 years old. The age estimate of this haplotype cannot distinguish whether it came to Europe before or after the LGM. Therefore, haplotype Eu9 represents the male contribution of a demic diffusion of farmers from the Middle East to Europe. The contribution of the Neolithic farmers to the European gene pool seems to be more pronounced along the Mediterranean coast than in Central Europe. The diffusion of Neolithic farmers affected Southern more than Central Europe.

Haplogroup 21 (Hg21) Generalized Overview:

In the Human Races Calculator found the Hg21 in descending frequency order by percentages follows: Northern African 77%, Algerian 52%, Greek 28%, Cypriot 27%, Ashkenazi Jews 23%, Palestian Arabs 20%, Sardinian 20%, Bedouin 19%, Sephardic Jews 19%, Bulgarian 17%, Hungarian 17%, Southern Portuguese 17%, Italian 13%, Yugoslavian 13%, Kurdish Jews 12%, Northern Portuguese 11%, Belarussian 10%, Slovakian 10%, Spanish 10%, Turkish 10%, Bavarian 8%, Czech 8%, Dutch 8%, French 8%, Pakistani Baluch 8%, Muslim Kurds 7%, Romanian 7%, Russian 7%, Slovenian 7%, Chuvash 6%, Ossetian 6%, Pakistani Parsi 6%, Pakistani Makrani Baluch 4%, Ukranian 4%, Armenian 3%, East Anglian 3%, Estonian 3%, Pakistani Makrani Negroid 3%, Belgian 2%, Danish 2%, Finnish 2%, Georgian 2%, Irish 2%, Northern Swedish 2%, Norwegian 2%, Pakistani Pathan 2%, Pakistani Sindhi 2%, Polish 2%, Western Scottish 2%

"The Genetic Legacy of Paleolithic Homo sapiens sapiens in Extant Europeans: A Y Chromosome Perspective" by Ornella Semino et al. presents a frequency chart by populations for various haplotypes. The Hg21 in descending frequency order by percentages follows: Georgian 6.3%, Sardian 1.3%. Hg21 is a North African Neolithic lineage.

Haplogroup 1 (Hg1) Individual Results:

Results of # 6878 Alexander Nicholas Eunall (TURKOGLU) – A TURK line from Turkey

A 12-marker Y-DNA test analyzed by Family Tree DNA for Alexander Nicholas Eunall (TURKOGLU) [# 6878] reveals the following – Locus/DYS/Alleles: 1/393/13; 2/390/23; 3/19(394)/15; 4/391/11; 5/385a/12; 6/385b/12; 7/426/12; 8/388/12; 9/439/12; 10/389-1/13; 11/392/13; 12/389-2/32. [haplotype 7].

Family Tree Y-DNA matches has identified 4 step mutations in France and Ireland. There are no Y-STR (Institut fűr Rechtsmedizin Genetisches Forschungslabor - Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin [Charité] http://www.ystr.org ) database matches.

Hebrew University Prof. Ariella Oppenheim’s study, 2001, is abstracted at with links to the "Y Chromosome Pool of Jews as Part of the Genetic Landscape of the Middle East", which appeared in The American Journal of Human Genetics 69:5 (November 2001): 1095-1112. The embedded database reveals an exact match at Hg 1 (Eu18) at 7. The haplogroup frequency is: Muslim Kurds 16.8%, Kurdish Jews 20.2%, Sephardic Jews 29.5%, Ashkenazi Jews 11.4%, Palestinian Arabs 8.4%, and Bedouin 0%. In this study there were three Kurdish Jews represented at haplotype 7.

TURK GENEALOGY: Alexander Nicholas Eunall (TURKOGLU)’s lineage is Turkish.

CONCLUSIONS: The TURK surname is somewhat atypical in that it carries within itself the potential for geo-political origins and interpretations. In this particular case an immediate tie to the Turkic world is a known fact.

Results of # 4844 Charles Joseph TURK – A TURK line from France

A 12-marker Y-DNA test analyzed by Family Tree DNA for Charles Joseph TURK [# 4844] reveals the following – Locus/DYS/Alleles: 1/393/13; 2/390/25; 3/19(394)/14; 4/391/11; 5/385a/11; 6/385b/14; 7/426/12; 8/388/12; 9/439/14; 10/389-1/14; 11/392/13; 12/389-2/30. These Y-DNA results fall within the Atlantic Modal Haplotype (AMH) 1.15+ [haplotype 11].

These Family Tree Y-DNA findings reveal the following "results to countries" – one step mutations: England (1), France (1), Germany (2); two step mutations: England (8); France (2); Germany (22); Great Britain (1), Hungary (1); Ireland (2); Italy (1); Italy – Sardinia (1); Polynesia – European (1), Scotland (3); Shetland (1); Spain – Sephardi (1). There are no closer matches reported in this particular database.

The Y-STR (Institut fűr Rechtsmedizin Genetisches Forschungslabor - Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin [Charité] database reveals thirteen exact matches in its European Database. These matches by geographic distribution are: Argentina Europeans (2), Berlin (1), Cantabria (1), Columbia Antioquia (1), Leipzig (1), Lombardy (1), London (2), Sicily (1), Southern Ireland (2), Tuscany (1). Two exact matches are found in the United States. These are described as European-Hispanic. Both are in New York City.

Hebrew University Prof. Ariella Oppenheim’s study, 2001, is abstracted at  with links to the "Y Chromosome Pool of Jews as Part of the Genetic Landscape of the Middle East", which appeared in The American Journal of Human Genetics 69:5 (November 2001): 1095-1112. The embedded database reveals an exact match at Hg 1 (Eu18) at 11. The haplogroup frequency is: Muslim Kurds 16.8%, Kurdish Jews 20.2%, Sephardic Jews 29.5%, Ashkenazi Jews 11.4%, Palestinian Arabs 8.4%, and Bedouin 0%. In this study there was one Sephardic Jew represented at haplotype 11.

TURK GENEALOGY: Charles Joseph TURK’s lineage is French. This line traces to a Nicolas LE TURC born about 1735 in the Moselle region of France.

CONCLUSIONS: The TURK surname is somewhat atypical in that it carries within itself the potential for geo-political origins and interpretations. The Y-DNA results for TURKOGLU [#6878] establishes that Haplogroup 1 is a viable possibility for someone of Turkish origin. Geography raises the question of whether or not this line might tie to the eleventh century figure known as Arnulph LE TURQUE.

Results of # 6902 Dominique Florimond TURCQ – A TURK line from France

A 12-marker Y-DNA test analyzed by Family Tree DNA  for Dominique Florimond TURCQ [# 6902] reveals the following – Locus/DYS/Alleles: 1/393/13; 2/390/24; 3/19(394)/14; 4/391/11; 5/385a/11; 6/385b/11; 7/426/12; 8/388/12; 9/439/11; 10/389-1/13; 11/392/13; 12/389-2/29. These Y-DNA results fall within the Atlantic Modal Haplotype (AMH) [haplotype 16].

These Family Tree Y-DNA findings reveal the following "results to countries" – exact matches: England (14); France (1); Iceland (1); Ireland (5); Norway (1); Portugal (1); Scotland (2); Shetland (1); Spain (2); Ukraine – Ashkenazi (1); Uknown (29); Wales (2); one step mutations: Austria (3); Belgium (1); British Isles (1); Denmark – German (1); England (63); England – Anglo-Celt (1); Finland (1); France (6); Germany (13); Great Britain (4); Holland (7); Hungary (2); Iceland (10); Ireland (17); Italy (1); Italy – Apulia (1); Netherlands (2); Norway (4); Philippines – European (1); Poland (1); Poland – Ashkenazi (1); Poland – Ashkenazi – Yanow (1), Polynesia – European (4); Portugal (1); Prussia (1); Scotland (26); Shetland (5); Spain (4); Spain – Basque (1); Spain – Sephardi (1); Ukraine – Ashkenazi (2); United Kingdom (1); Unknown (116); Unknown – Ashkenazi (1); Wales (1); two step mutations: Austria (3); Belgium (1); British Isles (1); China – Uygur – Central Asia (1); Denmark (4); England (119); England – Anglo-Celt (1); France (10); France – Alsace (1); Germany (39); Great Britain (6); Greece (1); Iceland (9); Ireland (57); Ireland – Longford (1); Ireland – Donegal (1); Isle of Man (1); Italy (4); Italy – Lombardy (1); Italy – Veneto (1); Latvia – Duinsk (1); Netherlands (8); Northern Ireland (2); Norway (5); Poland (1); Poland – Ashkenazi (1); Polynesia – European (8); Portugal (6); Russia (3); Russia – Ashkenazi (1); Russia – Native Siberian (2); Scotland (51); Shetland (2); Slovakia (2); Spain (3); Sweden (5); Switzerland (5); United States (3); Unknown (259); Unknown – Ashkenazi (2); Wales (3).

The Y-STR (Institut fűr Rechtsmedizin Genetisches Forschungslabor - Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin [Charité] database reveals 364 exact matches in its European Database. These matches by geographic distribution are: Albania (1); Andalucia (9); Argentina – European (1); Asturias (5); Baranya Romani (1); Barcelona (18); Belgium (6); Berlin (13); Bern (4); Budapest (1); Bulgaria (1); Bydgoszcz (1); Cantabria (6); Central-East Spain (7); Central Portugal (13); Cologne (2); Colombia Antioquia (19); Colombia Bogota (5); Denmark (2); Düsseldorf (6); Emilia Romagna (5); Estonia (1); Finland (1); Freiburg (20); Friesland (1); Galicia (6); Groningen (2); Hamburg (2); Holland (2); Krakow (1); Latium (4); Lausanne (5); Leipzig (13); Liguria (2); Limburg (3); Ljubljana (1); Lombardy (13); London (12); Madeira (7); Magdeburg (7); Mainz (1); Marche (4); Munich (8); Northern Poland (5); Northern Portugal (13); Norway East (4); Norway North (2); Norway Oslo (1); Paris (1); Pomerania (1); Rostock (3); Sao Paulo (7); Sicily (4); Southern Ireland (11); Southern Portugal (3); Strasbourg (3); Stuttgart (3); Sweden (12); Tuscany (6); Tyrol (6); Umbria (2); Valencia (5); Warsaw (3); Westphalia (11); Zaragoza (10); Zeeland (6). One exact match is found in the Asia database in Turkey.

Hebrew University Prof. Ariella Oppenheim’s study, 2001, is abstracted at http://www.emory.edu/COLLEGE/ECON/faculty/curran/Adobe%20Files/Nebel2001.pdf with links to the "Y Chromosome Pool of Jews as Part of the Genetic Landscape of the Middle East", which appeared in The American Journal of Human Genetics 69:5 (November 2001): 1095-1112. The embedded database reveals an exact match at Hg 1 (Eu18) at 16. The haplogroup frequency is: Muslim Kurds 16.8%, Kurdish Jews 20.2%, Sephardic Jews 29.5%, Ashkenazi Jews 11.4%, Palestinian Arabs 8.4%, and Bedouin 0%. In this study there was one Kurdish Jew represented at haplotype 16.

TURK GENEALOGY: Dominique Florimond TURCQ’s lineage is French.

CONCLUSIONS: The TURK surname is somewhat atypical in that it carries within itself the potential for geo-political origins and interpretations. The Y-DNA results for TURKOGLU [#6878] establishes that Haplogroup 1 is a viable possibility for someone of Turkish origin. Geography raises the question of whether or not this line might tie to the eleventh century figure known as Arnulph LE TURQUE.

Results of # 4723 William John TURK – A TURK line from Croatia

A 25-marker Y-DNA test analyzed by Family Tree DNA for William John TURK [# 4723] reveals the following - Locus/DYS/Alleles: 1/393/14; 2/390/23; 3/19(394)/15; 4/391/10; 5/385a/15; 6/385b/15; 7/426/11; 8/388/12; 9 /439/12; 10/389-1/14; 11/392/12; 12/389-2/32, 13/458/15, 14/459a/8, 15/459b/10, 16/455/11, 17/454/11, 18/447/25, 19/437/14, 20/448/20, 21/449/27, 22/464a/12, 23/464b/14, 24/464c/15, 25/464d/16. Hg2.47+ is typically referenced as Viking or Norse [haplotype 49].

These Family Tree Y-DNA findings reveal the following "results to countries" - two step mutations: England (1), Greenland – Inuit/European (1), Ireland (1), Italy (1), Norway (1). Two matches at this level are listed as of unknown origin. There are no closer matches reported in this particular database.

The Y-STR (Institut fűr Rechtsmedizin Genetisches Forschungslabor - Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin [Charité] http://www.ystr.org

 ) database reveals nine exact matches in Europe. These matches by geographic distribution are: Belgium (1), Freiberg (1), Galicia (1), Leipzig (1), London (1), Magdeburg (1), Norway West (1), Sweden (2). Two exact matches are found in the United States. These are described as European-American. One is in Louisiana and one is in New York City.

Hebrew University Prof. Ariella Oppenheim’s study, 2001 with links to the "Y Chromosome Pool of Jews as Part of the Genetic Landscape of the Middle East", which appeared in The American Journal of Human Genetics 69:5 (November 2001): 1095-1112. The embedded database reveals an exact match in Hg 2 at 49. The haplogroup frequency is: Muslim Kurds 16.8%, Kurdish Jews 6.1%, Sephardic Jews 11.5%, Ashkenazi Jews 6.3%, Palestinian Arabs 6.3%, and Bedouin 6.3%. In this study there was one Ashkenazi Jew represented at haplotype 49.

TURK GENEALOGY: William John TURK’s father is Croatian. This line traces to a Mike TURK born about 1860 in Croatia.

CONCLUSIONS: The TURK surname is somewhat atypical in that it carries within itself the potential for geo-political origins and interpretations. This data validates the widespread dispersal of "Viking" Y-DNA. Plotting the populations with greater than 40% concentrations suggests a population flow to and from Scandinavia along the river corridors of Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. The southern portions of that range were encompassed within the Ottoman Empire. Bennett Greenspan of Family Tree DNA referenced this particular result [4723] as Eastern European. In this particular case the name TURK appears within a population group with ties to Scandinavia, and areas of Turkic hegemony. TURK in this family’s name appears to mean Turkic.

Results of # 4623 Toni Richard TURK – A TURK line from Poland

A 25-marker Y-DNA test analyzed by Family Tree DNA for Toni Richard TURK [# 4623] reveals the following - Locus/DYS/Alleles: 1/393/13; 2/390/25; 3/19(394)/17; 4/391/10; 5/385a/10; 6/385b/14; 7/426/12; 8/388/12; 9 /439/10; 10/389-1/13; 11/392/11; 12/389-2/30; 13/458/16; 14/459a/9; 15/459b/10; 16/455/11; 17/454/11; 18/447/23; 19/437/14; 20/448/20; 21/449/31; 22/464a/13; 23/464b/16; 24/464c/16; 25/464d/17.

An exact 12 marker Y-DNA match exists with Chris SNYDER of Euless, Texas.

These Family Tree Y-DNA findings reveal the following "results to countries" - exact matches: Poland (4) [including 1 from Silesia], and Slovakia (1); one step mutations: Germany (1), Hungary (3), India (1), Poland (8), and Ashkenazi (1); two step mutations (37) - essentially Ashkenazi (16) [including 6 Levite]. The countries stated to have Ashkenazi connections are: Belarus (2) [1 Levite], Germany (1), Hungary (2), Lithuania (2) [Levite], Poland (4) [including Lodje (1), Lukow (1), Skala-Levite (1), Romania (1), Russia (1) [Levite], Switzerland (1) and the Ukraine (1) [Levite]. Two Ashkenazim are not specific to a given country. The following are not specific to Ashkenazi: Austria (1), Croatia (1), France (1), Germany (2), Hungary (1), Lithuania (1), Mongolia (1), Poland (2), Russia (3) [including 1 Native Siberian], Slovakia (2), and Uzbekistan (1). In all cases origins are self-defined. Those not specific to Ashkenazi may well be Ashkenazi. Similarly, those not listed as Levite may still be so. A review of the literature indicates a distinction between the Cohen Modal Haplotype and Levite priesthood lineage. The latter is "a different, less-well defined patrilineal lineage". At the two step mutation level there is also one match described as Native American.

The Y-STR (Institut fűr Rechtsmedizin Genetisches Forschungslabor - Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin [Charité] databases reveal an exact match in Turkey. Eighty-seven exact matches are found in Europe. Ninety percent of these are from Eastern Europe -- predominately Poland (66%). These matches by geographic distribution are: Berlin (7), Budapest (1), Bydgoszcz (3), Cologne (1), Freiberg (2), Krakow (7), Latvia (1), Leipzig (2), Lithuania (2), Lombardy (1), Munich (3), Műnster (1), Northern Poland (23), Pomerania (2), Rostock (2), Stuttgart (2), Sweden (1), Ukraine (4), Warsaw (13), Wroclaw (9). Two exact matches are found in the United States. These are described as European-American. One is in Louisiana and one is in New York City.

Hebrew University Prof. Ariella Oppenheim’s study, 2001, is abstracted at http://www.emory.edu/COLLEGE/ECON/faculty/curran/Adobe%20Files/Nebel2001.pdf with links to the "Y Chromosome Pool of Jews as Part of the Genetic Landscape of the Middle East", which appeared in The American Journal of Human Genetics 69:5 (November 2001): 1095-1112. The embedded database reveals two very close near matches in Hg3 (Eu19) at haplotype 69 (where the variance is a plus 1 at DYS391) and at haplotype 72 (where the variance is a minus one at DYS19). At haplotypes 70, 71, & 75 there are variances of plus or minus 1 at just two markers. The haplogroup frequency is: Muslim Kurds 11.6%, Kurdish Jews 4%, Sephardic Jews 3.9%, Ashkenazi Jews 12.7%, Palestinian Arabs 1.4%, and Bedouin 9.4%.

In Oppenheim’s study at haplotype 69 there were 1 Sephardic Jew from Turkey, 2 Kurdish Jews and 3 Muslim Kurds represented. At haplotype 72 there were 5 Ashkenazi Jews, 1 Sephardic Jew from Iraq and 1 Muslim Kurd represented. The generalized conclusions of the overall study were that "Kurdish and Sephardic Jews were indistinguishable from one another, whereas both differed slightly, yet significantly, from Ashkenazi Jews". Genetically "Jews were found to be more closely related to groups in the north of the Fertile Crescent (Kurds, Turks, and Armenians) than to their Arab neighbors."

Quoted excerpts in Prof. Oppenheim’s study include the following: "… Eu19 chromosomes, which are found at elevated frequency (12.7%) in Ashkenazi Jews … are very frequent in Eastern Europeans (54%-60%) (Semino et al. 2000). Alternatively, it is attractive to hypothesize that Ashkenazim with Eu19 chromosomes represent descendants of the Khazars, originally a Turkic tribe from Central Asia, who settled in southern Russia and eastern Ukraine and converted en masse to Judaism in the ninth century of the present era, as described by Yehuda Ha-Levi in 1140 A.D. (Dunlop 1954)." The observation is made that "genetic drift rather than admixture with East Europeans may theoretically explain Eu19’s presence among Ashkenazi Jews."

Judy Siegel in an article in the Jerusalem Post, "Genetic evidence links Jews to their ancient tribe", (November 20, 2001), draws the conclusion from Prof. Oppenheim’s work that "Sephardic Jews are very close genetically to the Jews of Kurdistan and only slight differences exist between these two groups and Ashkenazi Jews from Europe." The report goes on to observe the close genetic ties to the Turks, Armenians and Moslem Kurds. Drawing upon the Oppenheim study, Tamara Traubman in an article in Ha’aretz, "Study finds close genetic connection between Jews, Kurds", (November 21, 2001), states "The people closest to the Jews from a genetic point of view may be the Kurds".

Michael F. Hammer and others in a study published in Nature, "Y Chromosomes of Jewish Priests", 385:32, (January 2, 1997), concludes that research findings are "consistent with an origin of the Jewish priesthood antedating the division of world Jewry into Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities".

In a review of the TURK-surname results, Bennett Greenspan of Family Tree DNA makes the following observation: "The DNA for 4623 appears to be European, but I can’t easily determine anything specific. I don’t think it’s Jewish in origin, at least not Semitic. The Levites that are 2 steps away are not Semitic in Origin, but may be YAP+ which is the SNP group that is second most common among Jews and very common in Africa." He further comments, "… the Khazars made a <10% contribution to the Eastern European Ashkenazi gene pool, probably less."

THE KHAZARIAN QUESTION: The Khazars were a Turkic people, that originated in Central Asia and wrote in a runic script common to Mongolia. Assistant Professor Dr. Muallâ Uydu Yűcel (Istanbul University) notes the Ashina was one of the clans of the Gőktűrks. (“The Khazar Empire”, volume 1, The Turks, Yení Türkiye, 2002). By the 5th century they had migrated to the steppes of what is today southern Russia and eastern Ukraine. The royalty of the Khazar kingdom claimed descent from the Ashina Turkic dynasty. Early Turk tribes were quite diverse, although it is believed that reddish hair was predominate among them prior to the Mongol conquests.

Ashkenazi is a medieval Hebrew word for Germany. Ashkenaz is placed as a grandson of Noah through Gomer. According to the Torah, a relative of Ashkenaz was Togarmah - the progenitor of the Turkic peoples. Khazarian accounts claim that their descent is through Kozar, the seventh son of Togarmah - the grandson of Noah. Jewish tradition placed the Khazarians in the lost tribe of Simeon, which was closely associated with Levi. The Khazars were basically a Turkic people. Turkic legend traces their origins to a mountain north of the Turfan Depression in eastern Turkestan, which is now in northwest China. This legend gives the maternal ancestor as a mythical she-wolf, who gave birth to ten sons. The father was a lone surviving human male of the original Turks. One of the ten sons was A-shih-na, who established a tribe that adopted the name Turk. This is the origin of the wolf as a Turk totem.

One of the earliest historical references to the Khazars is from 555. They were recorded as a nomadic tribe north of the Caucasus Mountains. This is the same region where the Oghur Turkic tribes settled after crossing the Volga and entering Europe around 463. The Oghurs had come from western Siberia and central Asia. The Oghurs intermixed with resident Akatzirs and Huns.

Khazaria was a Turkic kingdom located in Eastern Europe near the Caspian Sea. It flourished as an independent state from about 650 to 1016. Its last power base was the Crimean peninsula. In the ninth century, the Khazarian royalty and nobility, as well as a significant portion of the Khazarian Turkic population embraced the Jewish religion. The downfall of the Khazar kingdom caused many of the Jewish Khazars to flee westward. The possibility exists that some bearing the TURK surname have origins that trace to these refugee Jews from Khazaria.

David Keys in Catastrophe reminds us that "It is possible that the Jewish presence in Khazaria even predated the Khazar state and consisted of Crimean Jews and refugees from Constantinople’s anti-Semitic pogroms of the 630s." (pp. 94-95) He further notes that about 800 the Khazar king Obadiah brought together "a multitude of Israel’s sages" to improve Talmudic knowledge within the kingdom. These Talmudic experts were brought in "almost certainly to settle as their theological interpretation of the Scriptures and the Talmud would have been a long-term and on-going activity". (p. 96). Given the geometric progression of the ancestral record, the interval of 48 generations guarantees the far-reaching impact of these Jewish residents within the Khazarian kingdom.

Kevin Brook, author of The Jews of Khazaria, states that "about 30 percent of Ashkenazic Levites have paternal roots stemming from outside of the Middle East which seem not to be shared by general Ashkenazim; these are also found among Sorbs but could also come from other parts of Eastern Europe and western Asia ... David Keys in his book CATASTROPHE suggests they could be Khazar remnants - i.e. descendants of Khazar shamanist priests who adopted the Levite titles artificially upon converting to Judaism."

The answers to the Khazarian riddle are held within the known skeletons of Khazars and North Caucasian Turks. DNA as an archeological tool should be able to clarify their contribution to the Ashkenazi gene pool.

THE OTTOMAN-POLISH CONNECTION: The genesis of amicable relations between Poland and the Ottoman Empire dates from the Battle of Grunwald/Tannenberg in 1410 when Muslim Tatars assisted Polish-Lithuanian troops in breaking the power of the Teutonic Order. The Council of Constance, 1414-1418, extended to infidels the right to be secure in their persons and property within Christian communities. The emergent alliance served to check the Habsburgs on one side and the Muscovites on the other.

The 16^th century saw the flowering of Polish-Ottoman relations under Sultan Sűleyman the Magnificent and King Sigismund the Old and continued under their sons Sultan Selim II and King Sigismund August. In Poland this era is known as the Jagiellonian dynasty. During this period the Ottoman borders expanded to include Slovakia and commercial relations were established with Poland. It was a period of commerce and alliance.

For a Turkish perspective see: Prof. Dr. Ferіdun M. Emecen (Istanbul University), “The Period of Sultan Sűleyman and the Universal State", The Turks, Vol. 3, Yenі Tűrkіye Research & Publishing Center, 2002, pp. 253-271.

For a Polish perspective see: Prof. Dr. Dariusz Kolodziejczyk (Warsawa University), "Some Remarks on the Nature of Ottoman-Polish Relations", The Turks, Vol. 3, Yenі Tűrkіye Research & Publishing Center, 2002, pp. 344-350.

TURK is a very common surname among Ashkenazi Jews. This name first appeared in Germany in the 16^th century. "A Historical Atlas of the Jewish People", editor Eli Barnavi, Schocken Books, NY: 1992, is the source of the following excerpts:

1. Legends trace the origins of Polish Jewry to a Turkic people – the Khazars; however, there is no historical evidence to corroborate such theories.

2. Information about Jewish life in Eastern Europe before the second half of the 13^th century is scant and fragmentary.

3. Large waves of immigrants began arriving in Eastern Europe from Western Europe in the 13^th century.

4. The mass immigration of Ashkenazi Jews from Germany into Poland occurred in the 16^th century.

5. The social and cultural profile of the east European community was molded by Ashkenazi Jews who came to Poland in numbers that surpassed those who arrived earlier from other places.

6. In 1574 the Jewish world witnessed an upsurge of messianic fervor.

7. In 1759 Jacob Frank’s disciples converted from Judaism to Christianity. The nucleus of this following was in Poland.

According to http://www.polishroots.org/surnames/surnames_13.htm 13,066 Polish citizens were surnamed TUREK in 1990.

TURK GENEALOGY: Martin TŰRK [born about 1765], father of Friedrich Wilhelm TŰRCK [born 7 Apr 1791 in Zanzin, Beyersdorf, Brandenburg, Preussen], is the earliest known TURK ancestor in this line who is not speculative. The earliest known religious affiliation was Evangelical Lutheran. Zanzin was in the Preussen Neumark near Landsberg an der Warthe. Today this region is known as Gorzow Wielkopolski, Poland. The TURK ancestor in this line is thought to have immigrated to the USA through New York City on 19 Apr 1887.

Three of Martin TŰRK’s sons are known to have served in the military. The eldest (born in 1786) was a Royal Prussian Cavalryman in the Territorial Reserve. Our ancestor (born in 1791) was in the First Neumark Infantry Regiment of the Territorial Reserve. The youngest (born in 1795) was an invalid Royal Prussian Dragoon. Birth dates suggest that they probably saw service in the Napoleonic Wars. They were possibly called up in the mobilization of 1813 and may have seen combat in 1815.

CONCLUSIONS: There are several possible origins of this surname. Kevin Brook suggests that the name "might simply designate Judean Jews from Turkey who migrated to eastern Europe, or Ottoman Turks, or some other group." Brook points out that another Ashkenazic surname is TURETSKY, which is Russian for "Turkish" or "Turkic". The origin of this latter variation is equally enigmatic.

TURK could come from the Hebrew word, "Ter' Oork," meaning "blessed of the hand of the Lord," or from

the Khazar Turkic word, "from the Turkic lands." In the latter case, "Turk" derives from the Mongolian for "strong" or "robust."

In the 15^th and 16^th centuries and beyond, many Ashkenazim in Poland, including probably some named TURK, converted to Christianity. TURK (and variations) first appeared as a surname in Germany in the 16^th century.

Kevin Brook’s possibilities with analytic responses follow:

1. Judean Jews – No, not Semitic.

2. Ottoman Turk – This is a very broad category, but if the reference is to Anatolian Turks the answer is probably no.

3. Some other group – probably.

The TURK surname is somewhat atypical in that it carries within itself the potential for geo-political origins and interpretations. Those within this particular TURK line are not of Semitic origin. They may or may not be descendants of refugee Khazarian Jews. However, the emergence of TURK as a surname in the Ashkenazi realm correlates with the mass immigration of Ashkenazim into Poland in the 16^th century. It raises the possibility that the "indigenous" Polish Jews, who were encountered by the Ashkenazim, whose culture and ethnic profiles differed from the newcomers, may have merited a group appellation. Was TURK as a surname selected to reflect the legend of their origins?

While there is no historical evidence tying the Khazars into Polish Jewry, there is acceptance that something less than 10% of Eastern European Ashkenazim have a Khazarian ancestry. The Eu19 haplogroup, which is associated with 54-60% of Eastern Europeans is possibly the consequence of genetic influences from Central Asia. These could be the same influences that resulted in 12.7% of Ashkenazi Jews belonging to this same haplogroup. TURK possibly means Turkic.

Haplogroup 9 (Hg9) Individual Results

Results of # 6393 Jean-Pierre TURQUE - A TURK line from France

A 12-marker Y-DNA test analyzed by Family Tree DNA for Jean-Pierre TURQUE [#6393] reveals the following – Locus/DYS/Alleles: 1/393/11; 2/390/23; 3/19(394)/14; 4/391/10; 5/385a/16; 6/385b/19; 7/426/11; 8/388/16; 9/439/10; 10/389-1/13; 11/392/11; 12/389-2/30 [haplotype = 98+].

Results of # 5669 Thomas Liebig TURK - A TURK line from Northern Ireland

A 12-marker Y-DNA test analyzed by Family Tree DNA for Thomas Liebig TURK [# 5669] reveals the following – Locus/DYS/Alleles: 1/393/11; 2/390/23; 3/19(394)/14; 4/391/10; 5/385a/16; 6/385b/19; 7/426/11; 8/388/16; 9/439/10; 10/389-1/13; 11/392/11; 12/389-2/30 [haplotype =109].

Results of # 6650 Daryl TURK – A TURK line from Northern Ireland

A 25-marker Y-DNA test analyzed by Family Tree DNA for Daryl TURK [# 6650] reveals the following – Locus/DYS/Alleles: 1/393/11; 2/390/23; 3/19(394)/14; 4/391/10; 5/385a/16; 6/385b/19; 7/426/11; 8/388/16; 9/439/11; 10/389-1/13; 11/392/11; 12/389-2/30; 13/458/15; 14/459a/9; 15/459b/9; 16/455/11; 17/454/11; 18/447/27; 18/437/15; 20/448/20; 21/449/30; 22/464a/15; 23/464b/16; 24/464c/17; 25/464d/17 [haplotype = 109].

The Family Tree Y-DNA findings for 6393 reveal the following "results to countries" - exact matches: Unknown Origin (1); one-step mutations: England (2), Ireland (1), Norway (1), Sweden (1), Unknown Origin (10); and two-step mutations: Denmark (2), England (33), Finland (1), France (2), Germany (2), Hungary (2), Ireland (11), Norway (2), Scotland (3), Sweden (2), Sweden Ashkenazi (1), United States – Native American (2), Unknown Origin (23). The following are the Y-STR matches (Institut fűr Rechtsmedizin Genetisches Forschungslabor - Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin [Charité] http://www.ystr.org ) - Bulgaria/Romania (1), Denmark (1), Leipzig (1), Lombardy (1), Mainz (1), Norway-East (1), Pomerania (1), Sweden (1), Vienna (1).

The Family Tree Y-DNA findings for 5669 & 6650 reveal that they are one-step mutations to one another. Additionally, 6650 has a two-step mutation in India (1). This is three-step mutation for 5669. There are no Y-STR matches (Institut fűr Rechtsmedizin Genetisches Forschungslabor - Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin [Charité] http://www.ystr.org.

Hebrew University Prof. Ariella Oppenheim’s study, 2001, is abstracted at http://www.emory.edu/COLLEGE/ECON/faculty/curran/Adobe%20Files/Nebel2001.pdf with links to the "Y Chromosome Pool of Jews as Part of the Genetic Landscape of the Middle East", which appeared in The American Journal of Human Genetics 69:5 (November 2001): 1095-1112. The embedded database reveals a one-step mutation for 6393 at Hg9 (Eu9) at 98. The same database reveals an exact match at Hg9 (Eu9) at 109 for 5669 & 6650. The haplogroup frequency is: Muslim Kurds 28.4%, Kurdish Jews 15.2%, Sephardic Jews 15.4%, Ashkenazi Jews 24%, Palestinian Arabs 16.8%, and Bedouin 3.1%. In this study there was one Kurdish Muslim represented at haplotype 98. There were two Kurdish Muslims represented at haplotype 109. Data suggest that Eu9 originated in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent.

TURK GENEALOGY: Jean-Pierre TURQUE’s ancestry traces to a Martin TURQUE, who was born in 1778 in Boeschope (Nord), France, on the Belgian border.

Both Thomas Liebig TURK & Daryl TURK’s lineages trace to Northern Ireland. The earliest known progenitor of their line is a Robert TURK, born about 1690 in Dunager, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. He migrated through Boston about 1718 and had settled in Augusta Co., VA, by 1739, where he died 17 Nov 1772.

CONCLUSIONS: The TURK surname is somewhat atypical in that it carries within itself the potential for geo-political origins and interpretations. These particular lines have deep Semitic origins in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent, which may predate the formation of the Jewish religion. In all probability the initial origins of this surname reference a Turkic connection.

Haplogroup 21 (Hg21) Individual Results:

Results of # 7525 David Bernard TURKEL – A TURK line from the Ukraine

A 12-marker Y-DNA test analyzed by Family Tree DNA for David Bernard TURKEL [# 7525] reveals the following – Locus/DYS/Alleles: 1/393/13; 2/390/24; 3/19(394)/14; 4/391/10; 5/385a/16; 6/385b/17; 7/426/11; 8/388/12; 9/439/13; 10/389-1/13; 11/392/11; 12/389-2/31. [haplotype 201].

Family Tree Y-DNA has identified one-step mutations in Moldovia, Russia and the Ukraine [Ashkenazi]. The Y-STR (Institut fűr Rechtsmedizin Genetisches Forschungslabor - Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin [Charité] databases reveal an exact match in Egypt.

Hebrew University Prof. Ariella Oppenheim’s study, 2001, is abstracted at  with links to the "Y Chromosome Pool of Jews as Part of the Genetic Landscape of the Middle East", which appeared in The American Journal of Human Genetics 69:5 (November 2001): 1095-1112. The embedded database reveals an exact match at Hg21 at 201. The haplogroup frequency is: Muslim Kurds 7.4%, Kurdish Jews 12.1%, Sephardic Jews 19.2%, Ashkenazi Jews 22.8%, Palestinian Arabs 20.3%, and Bedouin 18.7%. In this study there were 1 Ashkenazi Jew, 1 Kurdish Jew, 1 Muslim Kurd and 2 Palestinian Arabs represented at haplotype 201.

TURK GENEALOGY: David Bernard TURKEL’s lineage is from the Ukraine.

CONCLUSIONS: The TURK surname is somewhat atypical in that it carries within itself the potential for geo-political origins and interpretations. While there may be other explanations for the origin of the TURKEL surname it is clear that its origins are in territories historically subject to Ottoman Turkish hegemony.

Hans Bahlow's book on German surnames for Türck has a "see reference" to Thürck. He says it is a "young name as the Turks became known only in the 16th century."

If you are interested in having your Turk family's DNA tested it is a simple scrape to the inside of cheek. For more information read the who, what and why page.

411 Variations of the surname TURK