structural:summarization
Name

Some scholars have argued that Osman's original name was Turkish, probably Atman or Ataman, and was only later changed to ʿO s mān, of Arabic origin. The earliest Byzantine sources, including Osman's contemporary and Greek historian George Pachymeres, spell his name as Ἀτουμάν (Atouman) or Ἀτμάν (Atman), whereas Greek sources regularly render both the Arabic form ʿU th mān and the Turkish version ʿO s mān with θ, τθ, or τσ. An early Arabic source mentioning him also writes ط rather than ث in one instance. Osman may thus have adopted the more prestigious Muslim name later in his life. Turkish historian Halil İnalcık argued that the hypotheses that Osman was in fact named Ataman (per George Pachymeres), and that he came from the Desth-i Qipchaq north of the Black Sea, are both remote possibilities.

Arab scholars like Shihab al-Umari and Ibn Khaldun used the name Othman, while Ibn Battuta, who visited the region during Orhan 's reign, called him Osmancık (also spelled Othmānjiq or Osmanjiq). The suffix -cık (or -cuk), indicates the diminutive in Turkish, thus he was known by the name of Osmancik, which means "Osman the Little", to differentiate between him and the third Rashidun Caliph " Uthman the Great".