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HelpTarkan
On the Facts board someone recently asked about Tarkan, the name of a Turkish singer who is fantastically popular in many parts of the world, though still largely unknown in the USA. (I have read that he comes to New York City to visit regularly because it's one of the few big cities in the world where fans don't mob him!)
http://www.tarkan-music.de/
If Tarkan ever becomes well-known in English speaking countries, do you think his name could become accepted as another one of the many popular "two syllables ending in -n" names for boys? Or would the association with "tar can" just be too strong? :)
http://www.tarkan-music.de/
If Tarkan ever becomes well-known in English speaking countries, do you think his name could become accepted as another one of the many popular "two syllables ending in -n" names for boys? Or would the association with "tar can" just be too strong? :)
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it might work; especially if spelled Taarkan (or maybe it's Tarkaan) like in The Horse and His Boy. people here in the states are becoming mighty fond of double a's, it seems.
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The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis was my first thought, too! They plan to eventually make it into a movie like The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (they're planning to do the whole series). After that comes out, the general public will probably be more familiar with the name. In the book, a Tarkaan is a Calormen nobleman.
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I thought of that too!
I agree that because of that it might work. It might follow Caspian which I think is pretty widely accepted as a name (and a lovely one at that). The sound of Tarkan/Tarkaan is a bit harsh for me personally though.
I agree that because of that it might work. It might follow Caspian which I think is pretty widely accepted as a name (and a lovely one at that). The sound of Tarkan/Tarkaan is a bit harsh for me personally though.
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I agree with those who said it'd be thought of as a variation of Tarquin / Tarkin and I think it has a slightly fantasyish or vampish association about it - like Larkin. Sure, I think under the right circumstances it could become popular. Not sure that the Turkish singer is the ideal vector to bring it to us, though.
- mirfak
- mirfak
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Actually, I think that (at least among people who have seen Star Wars) this name would be associated with Grand Moff Tarkin, who was a bad guy in episodes 3, 4, and 5? I think.
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I think that it's too harsh sounding for most American ears plus the fact that it sounds like "tar can" makes it not so appealing. People in the U.S. would most likely go with Tarquin rather than Tarkan. I could imagine Tarquin being used in Australia or New Zealand (and maybe even in the U.K.), but I don't think that it would ever become popular in the U.S.
This message was edited 11/30/2006, 4:25 PM
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"Tar can" was not in my mind at all until you mentioned. My instincts were to prn it as TARK-in (well, syllabic consonant N, if that gives you a better picture), so that wouldn't be an issue to me. I can't really speculate about it becoming popular, though, because I tend to dislike the trendy Aidan/Jaden/Mason/Ethan/etc crew anyway, so I can't tell if it has the same appeal or not. :)
Magnanimous Despair alone could show me so divine a thing, where feeble hope could ne'er have flown, but vainly flapped its tinsel wing.
Magnanimous Despair alone could show me so divine a thing, where feeble hope could ne'er have flown, but vainly flapped its tinsel wing.
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"tar can" didn't come to mind at all. What did come to mind is a Minnesota or Wisconsin quarterback (from the 70's / 80's?). It's not the exact name, but it's close.
I got an immunization shot against the "two syllables ending in 'n'" epidemic, so I might not be the best person to ask. My hunch is that it is still too middle eastern sounding for most, at least here in the U.S. I hope I'm wrong on that, but that's what my gut says.
Part of that "two syllables ending in 'n'" phenomenon is that the name must have a vaguely Celtic / Gaelic sound to it. Lorcan is Celtic / Gaelic and it isn't even going anywhere, so I doubt Tarkan would.
I got an immunization shot against the "two syllables ending in 'n'" epidemic, so I might not be the best person to ask. My hunch is that it is still too middle eastern sounding for most, at least here in the U.S. I hope I'm wrong on that, but that's what my gut says.
Part of that "two syllables ending in 'n'" phenomenon is that the name must have a vaguely Celtic / Gaelic sound to it. Lorcan is Celtic / Gaelic and it isn't even going anywhere, so I doubt Tarkan would.
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