Rojbin - Wikiwand

Rojbin (pronunciation: /ˈɾoʒ.biːn/) is a Kurdish feminine given name meaning "one who sees the day". The name shows regional variation in Turkey: Rojbin is common around Diyarbakır, Rujbin and Rojvin are typical in Hakkari, and a male form of the name that is used among the Kurdish population in Turkey is Robin.^[1]^[2]

In cinema and literature

Scene from Büyük Adam Küçük Aşk

In his 2019 sociological analysis of the film Büyük Adam Küçük Aşk, researcher Harun Özalp notes that when the character Sakine discloses her real name as Rojbin—recognized as a Kurdish name—it reveals her Kurdish identity and this is a reference to the challenges of claiming that identity. Notably, Sakine speaks openly only after sensing an attitude of acceptance rather than judgment from Mr. Rıfat.^[3]^[4]

Human rights and discrimination context in Turkey

The name Rojbin has appeared in human rights reporting in connection with restrictions on Kurdish identity in Turkey. In Şirvan (Siirt), a case was reportedly filed against a family to change their child's Kurdish name, Rojbin, to a Turkish name under civil registration law. Historically, Kurdish names were often refused registration under regulations requiring conformity with Turkish linguistic norms.^[5]

Research using eye-tracking technology in Turkey has examined how cultural identifiers impact professional recruitment. In one study, a fictional candidate named "Rojbin" who also had other indicators of a Kurdish identity received lower proficiency ratings from recruiters compared to neutral candidates, despite having equivalent educational and professional qualifications, which the researchers associated with potential discrimination.^[6]

Notable people

Notable people with the name include:

Sevil Rojbin Çetin (born 1979), Turkish politician and former mayor of Edremit
Rojbin Erden (born 1996), Turkish actress and model
Rojbin Ören (born 1992), Turkish cross-country skier and coach

References

[1]
"Rojbin - Nişanyan Adlar". Nişanyan Adlar. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
[2]
"Robin". Nişanyan Adlar. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
[3]
Özalp, Harun (2019-07-29). "Devlet, Milliyetçi Türkler ve PKK Kıskacında Kürtler: "Büyük Adam Küçük Aşk" Filminin Sosyolojik Film Eleştirisi Bağlamında Analizi". Uluslararası Sosyal Bilimler Akademi Dergisi (in Turkish) (1): 37–54. Rıfat Bey önce kendisi Sakine'den Kürtçe öğrenerek, çocuğa Türkçe'yi, Kürtçe ve Türkçe kelimeler üzerinden karşılaştırmalı olarak öğretmeye başlamıştır. Rıfat Bey'in bu eşitlikçi ve anlayışlı tavrı sonuç verir ve Hejar Türkçeyi öğrenmeye başlar. Sakine de çocuğun cesaretiyle ve inadıyla Rıfat Bey'i değiştirdiğini görüp bundan cesaret alarak, Rıfat Bey'e Kürtçe bir isim olan gerçek ismini söyleme cesaretini göstermiştir: Rojbin… [Mr. Rıfat first learned Kurdish from Sakine himself and then began teaching the child Turkish, using a comparative method with both Kurdish and Turkish words. Mr. Rıfat’s egalitarian and understanding approach proved effective, and Hejar began learning Turkish. Seeing how the child’s courage and determination had influenced Mr. Rıfat, Sakine gained confidence and dared to tell him her real name, a Kurdish name: Rojbin…]
[4]
Yilmazok, Levent (2012-01-01). "Eurimages and Turkish Cinema: History, Identity, Culture". Doctoral Dissertation. Archived from the original on 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2026-02-19. His acquaintance with Hejar forces him to face the other realities of the country: he realises that his servant Sakine is also Kurdish (her real name is Kurdish—Rojbin—but she has concealed this) and can communicate with Hejar; he witnesses the tough living conditions in the suburbs of Istanbul; and he travels sitting close to a veiled woman in the same minibus.
[5]
"Human Rights Report of Turkey, January-February-March 2002" (PDF). In Sirvan district (Siirt) a case was filed against the family Anig with the aim to change the name of their child named "Rojbin" to a Turkish name. The case is based on Law 1587 on Registration and a decree by the Ministry of the Interior and started on 12 March at Sirvan Judicial Court.
[6]
Çelik, Samet; Türker, M. Volkan (2022-12-30). "Can Eye Movements Be a Predictor of Implicit Attitudes? Discrimination Against Disadvantaged Individuals During the Recruitment Process". Istanbul Business Research. 51 (2): 459–489. doi:10.26650/ibr.2022.51.837555. hdl:20.500.12628/27104. ISSN 2630-5488. It was the same for the tenth resume, which belonged to a candidate called Rojbin. We gave this Kurdish name deliberately after noticing that participants focused mostly on the candidate's names with the analyses of the heat maps of the second stage. (...) This result shows that membership of two disadvantageous groups means more discrimination from recruiters.

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