After the Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and both World Wars, new nation-states promoted homogenous national identities. Turkish names were purged from censuses, school registers, and military rolls. Keeping a Turkish name could lead to loss of property, denial of employment, or even forced migration.
For Macedonian speakers, Turkish pronunciation is relatively intuitive but has specific rules: Turski Maski Iminja
Why would someone voluntarily “mask” their Turkish name? The reasons were often existential: After the Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and both World