Why is Atatürk’s Name “Kemal” “Kamâl” in Official Records?

According to language adaptation The change that took place also affected Atatürk. It was reflected in many newspaper reports that he changed his name to Kamal. In some news, it was said that the reason for this change could be related to empty expressions such as “freemasonry” that emerged in the past.

Of course, this is not the point. In fact, when we look at the word meaning, we understand how important a hat is in a letter. Reading as Kamal instead of KamalMaybe it can help a little bit to understand what’s what.

“Kamal” was a name used during the Atatürk period.

As we know, Atatürk’s first officially recorded name is Mustafa.. The name Mustafa means “chosen, distinguished”. Atatürk’s sister, Makbule Hanım, in an interview with Enver Behnan Şapolyo; He stated that when their father chose the name, they chose this name to keep the memory of Atatürk’s deceased brother Mustafa alive. It seems that this emotional bond within the family was effective in choosing Atatürk’s name.

Everyone knows that his teacher gave him the name Kemal. this nameat Thessaloniki Military Junior High School It was given by the mathematics teacher. In fact, this event has an important place among Atatürk’s memories. For the first time, in the long interview he gave to Vakit newspaper dated January 10, 1922, under the name “Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha”, Atatürk touched upon details about his childhood and private life.

Atatürk shared the following memory in his interview with Ahmet Emin Bey:

“In junior high school, I was most interested in mathematical science (mathematics). In a short time, I learned as much as the teacher who gave us this course, or perhaps more. I was dealing with issues beyond the lessons. I was writing descriptive questions. The Riyaziye teacher was also responding in writing. My teacher’s name was Mustafa. One day he said to me:

‘Son, your name is Mustafa and so am I… It won’t be like this. There must be a difference. From now on your name (Mustafa Kemal) let it be…’

Since then my name is; indeed Mustafa Kemal remained.”

So why was Kemal recorded as Kamal in all official records?

Even written on the identity card Kamal, probably wasn’t a misspelled name. There had to be a reason, and indeed there was. Let’s get to the part of how this happens.

The 1935 elections were in two stages. Voters elected MPs in the first stage, and secondary voters in the second stage. To determine the candidates, the “Republican People’s Party General Presidency Council” convened at Dolmabahçe Palace under the chairmanship of Atatürk.

Later, as a result of consultations with the party and the government, at a meeting on February 2-3, “declaration to be presented to the nation” focused on.

In this process, in the newspapers “Leader AtaturkThe name reflected as ” changed the next day, surprising everyone. The third notification regarding the elections was published on February 3.

The notification was as follows:

“Kamal Ataturk Even on February 3, new election negotiations continued. The candidates for the Republican People’s Party have been identified. The names of the nominees and Kamal Atatürk’s declaration to the nation for the election will be notified to the agency and their locations on February 4, and will be announced to the whole country on February 5…”

In the declaration published on the same date for the Republican People’s Party and voters Atatürk’s signature was Kamâl.. On February 5, there was a big headline adorning the headlines of the newspapers: “Our Leader Kamal Ataturk’s Election Declaration to the Nation.”

This issue was also examined in detail by Anadolu Agency. The agency’s statement was as follows:

“In today’s communiqué, we observed that Leader Atatürk’s real name was written as Kamâl. From our research, we have understood the reason and basis of this spelling. According to the intelligence we received, the name Kamâl carried by Atatürk is neither an Arabic word nor an Arabic word. It corresponds to the meaning of the Arabic word “Kemal”.

Ataturk’s real name is “army and castlemeaning ” It is “Kamal”. The upper ending (â) is softened so its pronunciation almost approaches the Arabic “Kemal”. The similarity was essentially just that. The name Kemal is a name of Arabic origin. Kemal means “maturity, competence, completeness, completeness”.

The fact that Atatürk’s name was mentioned as Kamâl during the election process stood out as emphasizing a name and meaning of Turkish origin.

When we look at Atatürk’s identity card, the wallet numbers belong to two different series. First identity card with sequence number 51 and “No. 993.814.B” serial number, and the other one is also serial number 51, but its serial number is recorded as “No. 993.815.B”.

The first identity card was issued in 1934 and included the name “Ripeness” While it is written, the second one was given in 1935 and is in the name section. “Kamal” It says.

Official magazine published in French La Turquie Kemaliste, changed its name to “La Turquie Kamâliste” starting from the 7th issue. But on 21/22 December 1937. It was renamed “La Turquie Kemaliste” starting from the issue.

One of the Edirne MPs of Atatürk’s period Şeref Aykut’s The title of his book published in 1936 is “Kamalism”. In addition to all these, “Principles of Kemalism” in the introduction part of the party program at the Fourth Grand Congress of the CHP on 9-16 May 1935, ‘Principles of Kamalism’ has been changed to .

Atatürk also used the word “Kamâl” in his writings.

The text of the speech he made at the 4th Grand Congress of CHP in 1935, in the original book “Speech of Chairman Kamal Atatürk” It is mentioned as . Starting from 1937, Atatürk used the expression “Principles of Kamalism” while reviewing the 1935 program of the CHP within the scope of language purification efforts.

There are so many examples like these where the name Kamal is officially mentioned. This name already lived with Atatürk for a short time. The word “Kamâl” is not found in dictionaries. Starting from 1937, Atatürk started to use the name “Kemal” as well as “Kamâl” in his private correspondence.

1938 edition of Nutuk The confusion ended after it was released with the signature “Kemal Atatürk”. However, Atatürk used two identity cards with the words “Kemal Atatürk” and “Kamâl Atatürk” until his death.

His transition to the name Kamâl was not questioned much during that period and afterwards.

Explanations on this subject are so diverse. There are even many conspiracy theories on the subject. Kamal From those who describe it as “public property” to “red shaman” It is possible to see many discourses. So much so that it is even claimed that the name was a mistake by the census officer.

Throughout 1936, Atatürk’s name was often mentioned in the press. Atatürk or “Kamâl Atatürk”“. Atatürk used his signature as “Kamâl Atatürk” in official correspondence and letters until the end of 1937; from 1937 onwards, he signed his correspondence as “Kemal Atatürk” or simply “Atatürk”.

It is seen that in the press of the period, starting from May 1937, Atatürk started to be written as “Kemal” instead of “Kamâl”. We also understand that during this period, sensitivity decreased and Atatürk’s first name was not used in newspapers except for unnecessary situations. The 1938 edition of Speech was also published under the name “Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk”.

In addition to all these, Atatürk was identified with his name on his second identity card, i.e. “Kamal AtatürkHe passed away as “. Contrary to popular belief, the name Kamal refers to a Turkish name and it is understood that he bears this name with pride.