Each lucky owner of a given surname (or name), undoubtedly, can be proud of this beautiful, harmonious "nickname." After all, what does the word "khan" mean? The original meaning is interpreted as "winner". Moreover, if a Turkic man did not defeat anyone (even if he was from a noble clan), then, accordingly, he could not be called that way. Historians give an example from the annals of Taian Khan. Some of his sons did not have such a "prefix", although they were eminent in origin. However, according to some researchers, the very origin of the word "khan" has little relation to the Mongols and Türks: it is an Indo-Aryan term, and its ancient "prasmys" is lost in the darkness of millennia. Nevertheless, scientists still managed to slightly open this veil.
What does the word "khan" mean?
So, in the Turkic and Mongolian tradition, "cann / kaan" is a "monarch", "ruler". This was originally called the leader of the tribe. For quite a long time, the word served as a designation of the supreme title of various Turkic, Mongolian tribes and peoples. Later, the meaning of the word "khan" corresponded to the princely one, so they called, for example, the ruler of the ulus. Starting from Genghis Khan (literally - "Strong Khan"), the so-called head of the empire. In the states that were formed in the post-imperial space of Mongolia, this is the title of king. In the Ottoman Empire - the Sultan. What does the word "khan" mean? In Iran - the ruler of a certain area or - the military title of the nobility. There is an opinion that in some countries the khan's rank could be assigned only to direct descendants of the notorious Genghis Khan (moreover, on the male line).
Honorary "rank"
What does the word "khan" mean in the annals of the Middle Kingdom? For the first time there is a mention from the third century AD. Here, "khan" and "kaga" are the highest ranks, replacing the concept of "shanyu" in the Huns. There are hundreds of rulers who really existed in history, who bore this honorary title. The most famous: Genghis, Batu, Abylay, Timur (Tamerlan), Tauke, Abulkhair. And all of them - with the prefix "khan"!
Elections, elections ...
What does the word "khan" mean in a pro-government context? It should be noted that this public office in many cases was elective. For example, in the Kazakh Khanate, news of upcoming events was sent to all the births. And the men arrived at the congress in military armament - without him they had no right to vote! Women dressed up in the best clothes.
The meeting opened with prayer, then a respected elder held a speech. After that, the candidates addressed all the participants. They told about their victories and merits, about the right to the highest rank. Then their supporters spoke. By the way, each of the people could speak and voice their opinion. The rest expressed their will with exclamations - approving or not accepting. After the procedure for determining the ruler, laudatory words were uttered. But it was supposed, along with good sides and merits, to mention the shortcomings. Then began a special ritual called the “raising of the khan”. At the top of the hill lay a white cloth. Two elders planted the chosen ruler on a nightmare facing Mecca. Then four men lifted him over his head three times and put him on a sheet. Khan was declared elected. Congratulations followed and the re-raising of the king above his head by comrades-in-arms and elders.
Property and Responsibility
They removed clothes from the chosen one, chopped it into pieces in order to carry away with it like relics. Instead, they dressed the khan in a specially-made robe with a snow-white cap. The cattle of the ruler were divided by those present at the elections. This ritual symbolized: the khan should not have his property, but should take care of the wealth and prosperity of his subjects. If he did not live up to his hopes, oppressing the people, they could depose him by universal decision. And the khan did not have the right to resist popular opinion.
Proper name
The name is an integral part of the personality: it is important to understand what this or that nickname means, its history of origin. In ancient times, people thought that any word is charged with energy and power, and a person’s name is charged with magical power. Probably, this was due to the fact that everyone hears him a dozen times a day, therefore, the meaning invested in this word has a huge impact in the behavioral sense, mood and hobbies. Roughly speaking: “as the ship is called, it will sail!”
They believed in olden times: a name can affect the future, influencing fate. Therefore, parents gave the children "guardian" names. For example, Khan - had a ritual meaning and was given to boys with the wishes of wealth and power. It is characteristic that, as a rule, it was given to the child as a second. Thus, it was part of a fairly wide range of male names, consisting of several words of Muslim origin. It gave them a "prefix": "the best, first, main."
Linguistic scholars have noticed that over time, many nationalities have different words that mean titles or titles, becoming proper names that are already given to representatives of different classes. Thus, the meaning of the word "khan" ceased to be, so to speak, "state", but turned into a "personal". And today the name Khan is found among many peoples - Kazakhs and Tatars, Uzbeks and Tajiks, Azerbaijanis.