The tribes were listed in a number of medieval books with Islamic sources calling Muslim Oghuzes as Turkmen by the 10th century.

[5] In the 11th-century compendium of Turkic languages Dīwānu l-Luġat al-Turk, produced by Mahmud of Kashgar, the Qiniq tribe is listed first.

Golden, the name comes from Turkic qın- "to long for, covet," in Oghuz qınıq- "to feel appetite, to desire ardently", or qınıq "greedy".

Golden considers this one of the tribal names derived from terms expressing military power, force, and aggression (e.g. Salğur, Yagma).

[6] Although they have been largely absorbed by other Oghuz tribes throughout the history, there are still many settlements which bear the name Kınık.

[12][13] The Turkmen clan called the Gabyrdy are believed to descend from Qavurt, who belonged to the Qiniq and was a military commander and a son of Chaghri Beg, the co-ruler of the early Seljuk Empire.