Turchaninov was a surname of several noble families in the Russian Empire. It was also a noble family of Don Cossacks origin from stanitsaAksayskaya and Starocherkasskaya. The surname Turchaninov might have originated from the archaic word turchanin, meaning "Turk". That was the traditional name that was given to the Turkish prisoners captured during numerous Russo-Turkish wars.
Alexander Turchaninov was the son of the Turkish officer. As a boy he was taken prisoner, baptised and taken to the court. Alexander fulfilled the valet's duties at the court since 1754. On 22 January 1762 Alexander Turchaninov by the decree of the Emperor Peter III was granted the rank of Colonel. He was also granted nobility. On 19 December 1796 Paul I confirmed the title and extended it to Alexander Turchaninov's heirs. His children Peter and Pavel served in the Imperial Russian Army as Rittmeister of the 3rd Hussar Regiment, his daughter Anna was a poet. Her works were published in Saint Petersburg. The collection of her poetry Otryvki iz sochinenij was published in Saint Petersburg in 1803. Lettres philosophiques de Mr. Fontaine et de m-lle Tourtchaniniff was published in Paris in 1817.
Philip Turchaninov
Another Turchaninov line originated in the 17th century. The founder of the dynasty was Philip Turchaninov, whose origin is unknown. One theory states that he was a Turk prisoner brought to Russia during the Russo-Turkish War of 1676–1681. His son Mikhail married Anna Rostovshikova, the daughter of the Solikamsk manufacturer. The main industry at Solikamsk was salt production, which Mikhail tried at first, but then switched to copper mining. In 1731 he managed to build his own factory, the Troitsky Copper Smelting Plant. The family's rise to prominence is associated with successful Ural businessman Alexei Turchaninov. He was a simple salesman, who married Mikhail's daughter and inherited the factory. He was made a nobleman by Catherine the Great in 1783. From his second wifeFilatseta Stepanovna, he had 8 children, most notably:
Natalya, married Nikolay Koltovsky in 1789. Had two sons Pavel and Vladimir from liaison with Dmitry Tatishchev. Their successors ran the plants till 1912.
Nadezhda, married Mark Ivelich, Russian diplomat and the Lieutenant general of Serbian descent, in 1798. He later became a member of the Governing Senate. One of their sons Nicholai Ivelich became a count.
