In 1923, Turkey gained its independence. Did anyone take note of the fact that the country shared its name with, well, turkeys? Was there a sense of humor or irony in the newspapers at the time?

by soggypoophair

This may sound like a silly question, but I'm genuinely curious. The turkey is not known for being a graceful creature.

Redlink604

Short answer no. Turkey was not a new name for the region and traces back to at least 1300 and simply refers to the land of the Turks. The area was still called Turkey even when it was part of the Ottoman Empire, it was not a new name and only natural that the nation would take that name out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire.

The English word turkey for the bird you are thinking of comes from a more complex web... The North America turkey bears a resemblance to the North African guinea fowl. The guinea fowl was imported to Britain through the Ottoman Empire (and specifically the Turkey region) and because of this trade link was usually called "turkey-cock" or hen. When the British started to import these birds from North America that looked similar they appropriated the name.

Fun fact: In Turkey, turkeys are called hindi (which literally means Indian) because of misconception about India and the New World being the same place.