Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

Category·Character, virtue and appearance·195 surnames

Courage and resilience

Surnames
195
in this dictionary
In the national top 30
54
ADNKS 2025
Most common
Yılmaz
People
1,177,8964
Yılmaz

How did these surnames come about?

The suffix -mAz forms the negative aorist in Turkish: yılmaz “does not lose heart”, korkmaz “does not fear”. These verb forms can be the predicate of a sentence or work like adjectives. As surnames they mean “one who does not do X”. That is the most striking feature of this hub: Türkiye's most common surname is a conjugated verb.

Yılmaz and Korkmaz

In TDK, yılmak means “to shrink back from something in fear, to lose heart”. Yılmaz is its negative aorist: “one who is daunted by nothing”. In TÜİK ADNKS 2025, Yılmaz is Türkiye's most common surname, with 1,177,896 bearers. Korkmaz follows the same pattern, from korkmak, “to fear”: “one who does not fear”. Korkmaz ranks 21st on the same list, with 250,142.

The pattern recurs. Yenilmez means “unbeaten, invincible”, Durmaz “one who does not stop”, Yıkılmaz “one who cannot be toppled”. In Yenilmez the verb is passive: yen- + -il- + -mez. Vowel harmony sets the suffix: -maz after back-vowelled verbs (Yılmaz, Korkmaz, Durmaz), -mez after front-vowelled ones (Yenilmez).

Adjectives and compounds

Çetin is a TDK adjective meaning “hard, difficult” and “tough, resistant”. In TÜİK ADNKS 2025, Çetin ranks 15th with 345,329 bearers. Sarp means “steep, hard to cross”; it is said first of terrain and figuratively of people. Yürekli is yürek, “heart”, plus -li: “brave, having heart”. Gözüpek joins göz, “eye”, and pek, “firm”: “bold, fearless”, literally “firm-eyed”. TDK lists it as a single word.

Boundaries

Hero words such as Yiğit, Alp and Kahraman are filed in the war hub, not here. Physical strength, as in Güçlü and Pehlivan, goes to the appearance hub. Nor does every surname in -mAz belong here. Gülmez means “one who does not laugh” and Sönmez “one that does not go out”; neither expresses courage, and each is sorted by its meaning.

The 1934 setting

The Surname Law is Law No. 2525, adopted in June 1934; its first article obliged every Turk to carry a surname. The law had no special clause allowing a verb form to become a surname; any word outside its bans could be chosen. Why a form like Yılmaz became so widespread is not explained in the sources.

Why it is interesting

This hub shows that Turkish surnames come from verbs as well as nouns. The -mAz pattern is short, memorable and strong in meaning. A surname built on a negative verb may look odd at first, but the sense is positive: undaunted, fearless, unbeaten.

Sources1,2,3,4

Which of them are most common?

  1. 1 Yılmaz 1,177,896
  2. 15 Çetin 345,329
  3. 21 Korkmaz 250,142
  4. 23 Yavuz 236,317
  5. 28 Acar 228,386
Members in the national top 30, people (TÜİK ADNKS 2025).

All surnames in this category

#SurnameMeaningOriginRankLetters
01 Yılmaz undaunted, one who never gives up Turkic 1 6
02 Çetin tough, hardy, unyielding Turkic 15 5
03 Korkmaz fearless Turkic 21 7
04 Yavuz formidable, stern, resolute Turkic 23 5
05 Acar bold, vigorous, capable Arabic 28 4
06 Acarbay bold lord Turkic – 7
07 Acaroğlu son of Acar (‘bold’) Arabic – 8
08 Acartürk bold Turk Turkic – 8
09 Akgüç pure strength Turkic – 5
10 Akyigit pure-hearted hero Turkic – 7
11 Aldırmaz unperturbed, heedless Turkic – 8
12 Alpsakarya hero of the Sakarya Greek – 10
13 Aslanyürek lion-hearted Turkic – 10
14 Atak daring, bold Turkic – 4
15 Atakoğlu son of the bold one Turkic – 8
16 Atalay bold, quick to charge Turkic – 6
17 Atılgan daring, enterprising Turkic – 7
18 Avkıran game-slayer, skilled hunter Turkic – 7
19 Azmioğlu son of Azmi (“resolute”) Arabic – 8
20 Babayiğit stout-hearted, fearless man Turkic – 9
21 Barkın determined traveller Turkic – 6
22 Baskın raid; superior, dominant Turkic – 6
23 Başeğmez one who bows to no one Turkic – 8
24 Batmaz unsinkable Turkic – 6
25 Batu firm, strong; Batu Khan Mongolic – 4
26 Bek firm, solid; lord Turkic – 3
27 Berk firm, strong Turkic – 4
28 Berker strong, sturdy man Turkic – 6
29 Berkin firm, strong Turkic – 6
30 Berkman very sturdy, strong man Turkic – 7
31 Berkok firm arrow Turkic – 6
32 Berköz firm at the core Turkic – 6
33 Berktaş firm stone Turkic – 7
34 Bükülmez unbending Turkic – 8
35 Büyükciğer big-hearted, gutsy Persian – 10
36 Canatan one who strives passionately Turkic – 7
37 Cankoçak dear hero Turkic – 8
38 Caymaz one who keeps his word Turkic – 6
39 Cesur brave, bold Arabic – 5
40 Çabalar strives, perseveres Turkic – 7
41 Çalıkıran bush-breaker Turkic – 9
42 Çeliköz steel at the core Turkic – 7
43 Çelikyılmaz steel-hard and undaunted Turkic – 11
44 Çelim strength, vigour Turkic – 5
45 Çetinaslan tough lion Turkic – 10
46 Çetinbaş tough-headed, unbending Turkic – 8
47 Çetindağ rugged mountain Turkic – 8
48 Çetinel unyielding land Turkic – 7
49 Çetiner tough, unyielding man Turkic – 7
50 Çetinkaya hard rock, unyielding crag Turkic – 9
51 Çetintaş tough stone Turkic – 8
52 Çıdamlı patient, enduring Turkic – 7
53 Çölgeçen one who crosses the desert Turkic – 8
54 Dağaşan mountain-crosser Turkic – 7
55 Dağdelen mountain-piercer, mighty Turkic – 8
56 Dağüstün greater than a mountain Turkic – 8
57 Davran the turning heavens; or ‘get moving’ Arabic – 6
58 Dayan “endure!”, hold firm Turkic – 5
59 Dayat hold out, insist Turkic – 5
60 Demirdelen one who pierces iron Turkic – 10
61 Demirezen iron-crusher Turkic – 9
62 Demirezer iron-crusher Turkic – 9
63 Devrilmez unshakeable, never toppled Arabic – 9
64 Dik upright; steep Turkic – 3
65 Dinçay vigorous moon Turkic – 6
66 Diren resist, stand firm Turkic – 5
67 Dirim life, vitality Turkic – 5
68 Diriöz lively of spirit Turkic – 6
69 Dönmez steadfast, true to his word Turkic – 6
70 Durak “he will live”; a stop Turkic – 5
71 Dural steady, unchanging Turkic – 5
72 Duran one who stays and endures Turkic – 5
73 Durmaz tireless, never stopping Turkic – 6
74 Durmazel the never-resting hand Turkic – 8
75 Düşenkalkar one who falls rises again Turkic – 11
76 Efeoğlu son of the efe (hero) Turkic – 7
77 Eğilmez unbending, unbowed Turkic – 7
78 Eğilmezbaş the unbowed head Turkic – 10
79 Eğrilmez unbending Turkic – 8
80 Eracar bold hero Turkic – 6
81 Erberk a firm, strong hero Turkic – 6
82 Erçetin tough, unyielding man Turkic – 7
83 Erdoğmuş a hero is born Turkic – 8
84 Erdönmez the man who never turns back Turkic – 8
85 Erduran the warrior who stands firm Turkic – 7
86 Erez brave, determined Mongolic – 4
87 Erkal stay brave; gain strength Turkic – 5
88 Erkman capable, powerful person Turkic – 6
89 Erol be brave, be a man Turkic – 4
90 Ersönmez undying man Turkic – 8
91 Ertüngealp after Alp Er Tunga, “hero leopard” Turkic – 10
92 Eryılmaz undaunted hero Turkic – 8
93 Evgin swift, urgent Turkic – 5
94 Girişken enterprising Turkic – 8
95 Girişmen enterprising Turkic – 8
96 Gökyiğit hero of the sky Turkic – 8
97 Gücüyener whose strength prevails Turkic – 9
98 Güçbilmez knows no hardship Turkic – 9
Rank: TÜİK ADNKS 2025 national top 30. The list grows as surnames are added to the dictionary.4

Common questions

How is the surname Korkmaz formed?

It is korkmak, “to fear”, plus the negative aorist -maz: “one who does not fear”. In TÜİK ADNKS 2025 Korkmaz ranks 21st with 250,142 bearers.

Why -maz in some names and -mez in others?

Vowel harmony: -maz follows back-vowelled verbs (Yılmaz), -mez front-vowelled ones (Yenilmez).

Does every surname in -mAz express courage?

No. Gülmez means “one who does not laugh” and Sönmez “one that does not go out”; they are sorted by meaning into other hubs.

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. 4Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK) · ADNKS, TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)