Kabardian origin
Source-reportedFrom West Circassian West Circassian Бэркъокъу (Bɛrqʷoqʷu) or East Circassian East Circassian Бэркъуэкъу (Bɛrqʷɛqʷu). The name was altered to sound Turkish (resembling the Turkish words berk and ok) in order to avoid Kemalist bans on non-Turkish names and to make it easier to pronounce.
Sources for this account (1)
- Wiktionary: BerkokCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

