Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

Category·Lineage, place and name patterns·78 surnames

Compounds coined in 1934

Surnames
78
in this dictionary
In the national top 30
0
ADNKS 2025

How did these surnames come about?

The Soyadı Nizamnamesi says it in one line: new surnames are taken from the Turkish language (Md. 5). Millions of people needed a surname within a short time, and many reached for the same toolbox of short, positive Turkish elements. This hub collects surnames with that build. One caution first. The label describes a structure. It does not mean that a particular surname was invented in 1934, and this site never makes that claim for a single name without a source.

What belongs here

A surname lands in this hub when three things hold together: it is not a headword in the TDK dictionary, it is not a common given name, and it is built from the evaluative elements of the 1934 repertoire. The first element is usually öz 'own, pure, genuine', ak 'white, clean', gök 'sky', gür 'abundant, vigorous', ün 'fame' or yüce 'lofty'. The second is often -soy, -kan, -er, -el, -men or -ay, or a plain noun such as yol 'road' or ses 'voice'. When the head is a concrete noun with its own category, the name goes there instead: Özdemir sits with iron, Karakaya with rock. This hub takes what is left.

Examples

  • Akyol: ak 'clean, honest' + yol 'road, way'; read as 'the straight path'. According to TÜİK ADNKS 2025, Akyol is the 28th most common surname in Denizli, with 2,851 bearers.
  • Gürses: gür 'full, strong' + ses 'voice'.
  • Özbay: öz 'genuine' + bay 'rich, respected man'.
  • Ünver: ün 'fame' + ver, the imperative of vermek 'to give': 'give fame'.
  • Ünaldı: ün + aldı 'took', a past-tense verb: 'won fame'.
  • Yüceer: yüce 'lofty' + er 'man, brave man'.
  • Akbay: ak 'clean' + bay.

These meanings are probable, not settled. Each part is a dictionary word, but no dictionary treats the compound itself. The reading is ours to make, and some names allow more than one.

How the rules shaped the pattern

The Surname Law (Kanun No. 2525, adopted 21 June 1934) let an adult of sound mind choose a surname freely (Art. 5) and gave two years to report it (Art. 7). The Nizamname added a practical rule: if unrelated people in the same village, town or city chose the same surname, the first applicant kept it and the others had to change theirs (Md. 14 of the 1934 text). Pairing a handful of favourite elements gave enough variety to clear that rule. Anyone who had chosen nothing by 2 July 1936 had a surname picked by the governor or district governor (Md. 29).

Why it is interesting

These names read like slogans squeezed into two syllables: clean road, full voice, genuine notable. They show a society naming itself at speed, with a shared vocabulary of approval. They show its limits too. The same pieces return again and again, as in Akyol and Özyol, or Özbay and Gürbay, so a surname from this hub rarely says much about one family's past. It says a good deal about the words people liked in the years of the law.

Sources1,2,3,4,5

All surnames in this category

#SurnameMeaningOriginLetters
01 Acarbay bold lord Turkic 7
02 Akad clean name; white horse; Akkad Turkic 4
03 Akbal white honey Turkic 5
04 Akışık white light, clear radiance Turkic 6
05 Alpaykut heroic and blessed as the moon Turkic 8
06 Altunel golden land, golden realm Turkic 7
07 Arabul seek and find Turkic 6
08 Başman one at the head, leader Turkic 6
09 Başol be a leader Turkic 5
10 Başsan foremost in renown Turkic 6
11 Baydemir rich, strong iron Turkic 8
12 Bayer prosperous, respected man Turkic 5
13 Baysak rich + alert Turkic 6
14 Baysoy a rich, noble lineage Turkic 6
15 Baytok prosperous and content Turkic 6
16 Berköz firm at the core Turkic 6
17 Biryol one way Turkic 6
18 Bozbay grey lord; grey and rich Turkic 6
19 Bozbey the grey lord Turkic 6
20 Bükey from bükmek ‘to bend’; or bike ‘lady’ Turkic 5
21 Büyüküstün great and superior Turkic 10
22 Çeliker man tough as steel Turkic 7
23 Çevikel nimble hand; agile Turkic 7
24 Demirbay iron lord Turkic 8
25 Demirsoy of iron-strong lineage Turkic 8
26 Dinçel vigorous, hale Turkic 6
27 Erbakan the watchful brave man Turkic 7
28 Erdoğmuş a hero is born Turkic 8
29 Ergezen roaming hero Turkic 7
30 Ergüder the man who keeps to his goal Turkic 7
31 Erkmen powerful, mighty Turkic 6
32 Erkul brave, faithful servant Turkic 5
33 Eryüksel rise, brave one! Turkic 8
34 Esensoy sound, healthy lineage Turkic 7
35 Gençerler young heroes Turkic 9
36 Gürayman Güray + -man Turkic 8
37 Gürkaynak abundant, gushing spring Turkic 9
38 Gürses strong, full voice Turkic 6
39 Gürsoy thriving, vigorous lineage Turkic 6
40 Güvener trustworthy man Turkic 7
41 Haner warrior like a khan Turkic 5
42 İşcan hard-working soul Persian 5
43 Karabay mighty, wealthy lord Turkic 7
44 Kentmen town + -men Other 7
45 Konar one who alights, settles Turkic 5
46 Kutman blessed, fortunate one Turkic 6
47 Önalan one who takes the lead Turkic 6
48 Öney one who goes ahead Turkic 4
49 Özal 1934 name from öz and al Turkic 4
50 Özatay öz + Atay (ancestor + moon) Turkic 6
51 Özbal pure honey Turkic 5
52 Özbaş true leader Turkic 5
53 Özbay true gentleman Turkic 5
54 Özdil pure language, own tongue Turkic 5
55 Özışık pure light Turkic 6
56 Özince truly refined Turkic 6
57 Öziş one’s own work, true deed Turkic 4
58 Özkal stay true to yourself Turkic 5
59 Özkazanç one’s own earnings Turkic 8
60 Özsever one who loves his own; sincere lover Turkic 7
61 Özyol one’s own way, the true path Turkic 5
62 Özyüksel rising by one’s own strength Turkic 8
63 Pekel firm hand; strong land Turkic 5
64 Saygıner respected man Turkic 8
65 Sertel strong realm, or strong hand Persian 6
66 Soyak of clean lineage Turkic 5
67 Şengör may you see joy Turkic 6
68 Toköz content at heart Turkic 5
69 Toksoy a well-provided lineage Turkic 6
70 Tunçel land firm as bronze Turkic 6
71 Türesan renowned for custom Turkic 7
72 Türün producer, one who brings forth Turkic 5
73 Uzunhan the tall khan Turkic 7
74 Ünder gatherer of renown Turkic 5
75 Üstel exalted land, superior people Turkic 5
76 Üstünel superior hand; superior land Turkic 7
77 Yalçıner man firm as sheer rock Turkic 8
78 Yücesoy exalted lineage Turkic 7
The list grows as surnames are added to the dictionary.

Common questions

Were these surnames coined in 1934?

The label describes the structure only. That a given surname was created that year can be said only with a source, and this site does not claim it without one.

What does Ünver mean?

It joins ün 'fame' and ver, the imperative of vermek 'to give': 'give fame'. The parts are dictionary words; the reading of the whole is probable.

What happened if two families in one village chose the same surname?

Under the 1934 text of the Nizamname (Md. 14), if the families were unrelated, the first applicant kept the name and the others changed theirs.

Sources

  1. 1Türk Dil Kurumu, TDK Güncel Türkçe Sözlük
  2. 2Sevan Nişanyan, Nişanyan Sözlük
  3. 3T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr), Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)
  4. 4T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr), Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759)
  5. 5Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK) · ADNKS, TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)