Category·Animals·49 surnames
Birds of prey
- Surnames
- 49
- in this dictionary
- Most common
- Şahin
How did these surnames come about?
Is Doğan a bird, or “one who is born”? Both readings are possible. In TDK, doğan is a bird of prey resembling the falcon. The same form is also the -An participle of doğmak, “to be born”, meaning “born, rising”. There is no general record showing which a given surname intends, so this page gives Doğan two readings. In TÜİK ADNKS 2025, Doğan ranks 12th nationally with 485,906 bearers.
Şahin and kartal
The most common member is Şahin. In TÜİK ADNKS 2025, Şahin ranks 6th with 688,214 bearers. The word comes from Persian şāhīn and names a falcon. Kartal, “eagle”, is Turkic and the general word for the large raptor. Atmaca, the sparrowhawk, is smaller than the falcon and a fast hunter; the word is Turkic.
Old Turkic bird names
Some words in this hub are rare in everyday Turkish today but live on in old Turkic sources and personal names. Sungur is a large raptor described as a white falcon, the gyrfalcon. Tuğrul (also Toğrul) appears in old sources as the name of a bird of prey; the same name is known in history as a ruler's name. Laçin is also a kind of falcon; sources give differing views on its origin.
Çakır: two senses
Çakır has two readings as well. TDK gives it as “a colour between blue and grey, especially of eyes” and as the name of a hawk. Which sense the surname rests on is unknown. In TÜİK ADNKS 2025, Çakır ranks 24th with 235,286 bearers. It sits here for the bird sense, with the colour sense noted as secondary.
Compounds and form
Raptor names combine with colours: Akdoğan “white falcon”, Karadoğan “black falcon”, Akşahin “white hawk”. Karakuş, by contrast, is a single TDK word for the eagle and belongs here as it stands. Agent nouns in -CI, such as Doğancı and Şahinci, mean the falconer who keeps hunting birds and belong to the occupational surnames.
The 1934 setting
Article 5 of the Surname Regulation called for new surnames to come from the Turkish language. Şahin was Persian in origin but well established in Turkish; Sungur and Tuğrul came from the old Turkic stock of personal names.
Why it is interesting
Birds of prey were part of hunting and falconry culture. Their frequency among surnames suggests an old vocabulary coming back to life in 1934. Which family chose such a name, and why, cannot be known.
Which of them are most common?
All surnames in this category
| # | Surname | Meaning | Origin | Rank | Letters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Şahin | hawk, buzzard | Persian | 6 | 5 |
| 02 | Doğan | falcon; rising, born | Turkic | 12 | 5 |
| 03 | Çakır | grey-blue (of eyes) | Turkic | 24 | 5 |
| 04 | Erdoğan | warrior falcon; born a hero | Turkic | 26 | 7 |
| 05 | Akbaba | vulture | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 06 | Akbaytogan | white, wealthy falcon | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 07 | Akdoğan | white falcon; born pure | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 08 | Aksungur | white gyrfalcon | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 09 | Alıcı | buyer; bird of prey | Turkic | – | 5 |
| 10 | Alpdoğan | born brave | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 11 | Atmaca | sparrowhawk | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 12 | Aydoğan | born like the moon | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 13 | Bozdoğan | merlin (falcon); a mace | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 14 | Çağrı | saker falcon; call, invitation | Turkic | – | 5 |
| 15 | Çakıroğlu | son of Çakır (“grey-eyed”) | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 16 | Doğançay | falcon stream | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 17 | Doğandemir | falcon / born + iron | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 18 | Doğaner | male hawk | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 19 | Doğanlar | falcons; the Doğans | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 20 | Durul | become clear; form of Tuğrul | Turkic | – | 5 |
| 21 | Erşahin | valiant hawk | Persian | – | 7 |
| 22 | Ertuğrul | hero-falcon; name of Ertuğrul Gazi | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 23 | İyidoğan | good falcon; well-born | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 24 | Karadoğan | black falcon | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 25 | Karakuş | golden eagle (lit. black bird) | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 26 | Karaşahin | black hawk | Persian | – | 9 |
| 27 | Kartal | eagle | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 28 | Kartaltepe | eagle hill | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 29 | Kızıldoğan | red falcon; rising red sun | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 30 | Küçükşahin | little hawk | Persian | – | 10 |
| 31 | Lâçin | a kind of falcon | Turkic | – | 5 |
| 32 | Laçiner | falcon warrior | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 33 | Özdoğan | true falcon; born true | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 34 | Özşahin | true falcon | Persian | – | 7 |
| 35 | Sungur | gyrfalcon | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 36 | Şahan | hawk (dialect form) | Persian | – | 5 |
| 37 | Şahbaz | king of falcons; a gallant man | Persian | – | 6 |
| 38 | Şahinbaş | falcon-headed; chief of falcons | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 39 | Şahiner | brave as a falcon | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 40 | Şahinkaya | falcon rock | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 41 | Şahinler | hawks; the Şahins | Persian | – | 8 |
| 42 | Şahinoğlu | son of Şahin (“falcon”) | Persian | – | 9 |
| 43 | Şahintürk | falcon-like Turk | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 44 | Tandoğan | born at dawn | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 45 | Tarlan | a bird of prey | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 46 | Taşdoğan | stone falcon; born firm as stone | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 47 | Togan | falcon | Turkic | – | 5 |
| 48 | Tuğrul | a hunting falcon (goshawk) | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 49 | Türkdoğan | Turkish falcon, or born a Turk | Turkic | – | 9 |
Common questions
- Does Doğan mean the bird or “born”?
Both are possible: in TDK doğan is a falcon-like raptor, and the same form is the participle of doğmak, “born”. Which one a surname intends is not known.
- What does Çakır mean?
TDK gives two senses: a blue-grey eye colour and a hawk. In TÜİK ADNKS 2025 Çakır ranks 24th with 235,286 bearers.
- Is Şahin a Turkic word?
No, it comes from Persian şāhīn, though it is well established in Turkish. Kartal, atmaca and sungur are Turkic.
Sources
- 1Türk Dil Kurumu, TDK Güncel Türkçe Sözlük
- 2Sevan Nişanyan, Nişanyan Sözlük
- 3T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr), Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759)
- 4Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK) · ADNKS, TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)