Turkish Surnames

Turkish surnames are a fairly recent phenomenon, as the use of surnames was not mandated in Turkish-speaking areas until after the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of the modern Turkish Republic in 1923. The countries that most influenced Turkish surnames include Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Albania, Turkmenistan, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Armenia. Today, Turkish surnames can be found in Türkiye as well as in the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, indigenous minorities in North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece and Georgia, and immigrant communities in Germany, France, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Austria, Canada, the United States and Australia.

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History of Turkish surnames

Vassal states of the Ottoman Empire in 1683

After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Türkiye was officially named a republic in 1923. Under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Republic of Turkey passed the “Surname Law” in 1934 which mandated all citizens adopt a surname.

When the law went into effect, “foreign” name suffixes were not allowed. All surnames had to be Turkish which reflected the desire for “Turkification” and forced some ethnic groups to assume modified versions of their existing names. The new surnames were chosen by the eldest male in the household, many of whom opted for names associated with their family heritage, ancestors, family occupation, or place of origin. The law aimed to modernize the country and make it easier to identify individuals for government and legal purposes. The adoption of surnames was initially met with resistance, as it was seen as a Western imposition. However, the law eventually gained acceptance, and surnames became a permanent part of Turkish culture.

Prior to this, Turks used patronymic hereditary names, where an individual's name was based on a descriptive professional title (such as Pasha or Bey) or a handle derived from their father's name (for example, Özden oğlu Mehmet, meaning Mehmet, the son of Özden). The more privileged Turks used an Iranian prefix “zade” (meaning “born, son”), such as Sami Pashazade Ahmet Bey.

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Turkish naming conventions

Turkish naming conventions are based on the given name, which is followed by the surname. The given name is chosen by the parents, and often based on the meanings and cultural significance of the name. Turkish surnames are passed down from generation to generation, with children typically taking their father’s name. Women will typically take their husband’s name after marriage or add their husband’s name to the end of their maiden surname.

In Cyprus and Northern Cyprus, much of the Turkish Cypriot population adheres to traditional practices and adopts their father’s personal name as their surname instead of using a family name.

Turkish surnames of toponymic origin

A small number of Turkish surnames are derived from cities, towns, provinces, or regions, often indicating origin. For example:

• İstanbullu – “from Istanbul”
• Ankaralı – “from Ankara”
• Trabzonlu – “from Trabzon”
• Erzurumluoğlu – “son of the one from Erzurum”
• Sakarya – the river of the same name
• Konyalı – “from Konya”
• Köylü – “villager”
• Çağlayan – “waterfalls”
• Karadeniz – “Black Sea” (used both regionally and symbolically)
• Doğulu – “from the East”

Turkish surnames of descriptive origin

The majority of Turkish surnames denote personal or physical characteristics, some of them idealized by the Republic, idealizing Ottoman pride, republican values of nationalist sentiment, mirroring Atatürk’s vision.

Turkish surnames associated with personality traits

• Yılmaz – “unyielding” or “brave”
• Korkmaz – “fearless”
• Aydın – “enlightened” or “intellectual”
• Işık – “light”
• Yiğit – “valiant”
• Barış – “peace”
• Güçlü – “strong”
• Özgür – “free”
• Bilgin – “scholar” or “wise”
• Sevgi – “love”

Turkish surnames of nationalist origin

• Türk – “Turk”
• Bayraktar – “flag-bearer” (military/heroic)
• Atasoy – “noble ancestor”
• Öztürk – “pure Turk”
• Kaan – “khan” or ruler (revivalist Turkic theme)
• Şahin – “falcon,” used symbolically
• Doğan – “hawk” or “born”
• Eroğlu – “son of a man/hero”
• Alp – “hero, brave one”
• Bozkurt – “grey wolf,” a Turkic mythological symbol

Turkish surnames associated with nature

• Demir – “iron”
• Toprak – “soil” or “land”
• Deniz – “sea”
• Gök – “sky”
• Dağ – “mountain”
• Yıldız – “star”
• Bulut – “cloud”
• Güneş – “sun”
• Yağmur – “rain”
• Çiçek – “flower”

Turkish surnames of occupational origin

Most of the Turkish surnames associated with an occupation have either the suffix -ci or -cı, indicating "the one who does"

• Demirci – “blacksmith”
• Terzi – “tailor”
• Çoban – “shepherd”
• Berber – “barber”
• Fırıncı – “baker”
• Çiftçi – “farmer”
• Avcı – “hunter”
• Kalaycı – “tinsmith”
• Marangoz – “carpenter”
• Nalbant – “farrier, horseshoe maker”

Turkish surnames of patronymic origin

Although traditional -oğlu patronymics were discouraged by the 1934 law, many still took surnames based on a father or ancestor’s name.

• Mehmetoğlu – “son of Mehmet”
• Hüseyinoğlu – “son of Hüseyin”
• İbrahimoğlu – “son of İbrahim”
• Osmanoğlu – “son of Osman” (also the Ottoman dynasty)
• Yusufzade – “descendant of Yusuf” (Ottoman Persian-style suffix)
• Ömeroğlu – “son of Ömer”
• Hasanoğlu – “son of Hasan”
• Mustafaoğlu – “son of Mustafa”
• Süleymanoğlu – “son of Süleyman” (like the weightlifter Naim Süleymanoğlu, who set 51 world records)
• Pehlivanoğlu – “son of the wrestler"

Most popular Turkish surnames

The new ID of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk after the Surname Law of 1934.

According to the Turkish Statistical Institute the 10 most common Turkish surnames, along with their meanings, are:

1. Yılmaz ("resolute" or "determined")
2. Gunes (“sun”)
3. Kaya ("rock" or "cliff")
4. Demir ("iron")
5. Şahin ("falcon" or "hawk")
6. Öztürk ("pure Turkish")
7. Çelik (“steel”)
8. Yıldız ("star”)
9. Özdemir ("pure iron")
10. Arslan ("lion")

The distribution of surnames in Türkiye varies based on geographic location. For example, the surname Yılmaz is most common in central Türkiye, while the surname Kaya is most common in eastern Türkiye. The surname Şahin is most common in western Türkiye, and the surname Demir is most common in the Black Sea region. With the abolition of the Sultanate, all notions of nobility were scrapped and the former Royal Family received the surname of Osmanoğlu; thus, there is no noble form or type in Turkish surnames.

Celebrities with Turkish surnames

Enes Kanter Freedom.

There are many well-known celebrities with Turkish surnames:

• Murat Ülker, Turkish billionaire, owner of Godiva Chocolatier
• Mehmet Cengiz Öz - American television presenter, physician, author better known as Dr. Oz
• Tarkan Tevetoğlu, Turkish singer
• Mesut Özil - German footballer
• Tunçer Fikret Ali, better known as Toni Storaro - Bulgarian singer
• Ziynet Sali, Turkish Cypriot singer
• Enes Kanter - Turkish-American NBA player
• Erol Sander, Turkish-German actor
• Alina Boz - Russian actress of Bulgarian Turkish origin

See also

• Bulgarian surnames
• Tatar surnames
• Persian surnames
• Arabic surnames
• Mountain Jewish surnames
• Bashkir surnames
• Indian surnames
• Silesian surnames
• Viking surnames
• Scottish surnames
• Welsh surnames
• Hebrew surnames
• Canadian surnames
• Middle Eastern surnames
• North African surnames
• American surnames
• Irish surnames
• Chechen surnames
• Dutch surnames

Explore more about Turkish surnames

• View a map of ethnicities in Türkiye at MyHeritage
• Search the Türkiye record collection at MyHeritage
• Research population statistics, census information and more at theTurkish Statistical Institute
• Surname Narratives and the State-Society Boundary: Memories of Turkey’s Family Name Law of 1934 at JSTOR

References

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