Category·Animals·70 surnames
Lions, wolves and predators
- Surnames
- 70
- in this dictionary
- Most common
- Arslan
How did these surnames come about?
Arslan and Aslan name the same animal, yet in Türkiye's population registers they are two separate surnames. In TÜİK ADNKS 2025, Arslan ranks 11th with 521,149 bearers. Aslan ranks 14th on the same list, with 409,459. Arslan is the older form of the word; Aslan, with the r dropped, is the form used in everyday speech today. There is no general record of why a family ended up with one spelling or the other. Either way, one word became two family names.
The lion and historical names
Arslan is a frequent element of old Turkic personal names. Historical names such as Alparslan and Kılıçarslan are well-known examples. Where a source shows that a surname refers directly to a historical figure, it is linked to the historical-figures hub as well. This hub works from the word itself, the animal's name.
Kurt and börü
Kurt, “wolf”, ranks 17th in TÜİK ADNKS 2025 with 289,723 bearers. The word is Turkic and is used today for the wolf. Old Turkic had another word for the wolf, börü, which lives on as a surname and a given name. Kurt also means “worm, grub” in Turkish. Names such as Kurtuluş and Kurtaran have nothing to do with kurt; they come from the verb kurtarmak, “to save”, and are not in this hub.
Kaplan and pars
Kaplan, “tiger”, is a Turkic word. Pars in Old Turkic names the leopard or similar big cats; there are differing views on the word's origin, and the question is disputed. Ayı (bear), sırtlan (hyena) and çakal (jackal) can also belong here.
Compounds
Colour elements come first here too: Karaaslan “black lion”, Akkurt “white wolf”, Bozkurt “grey wolf”, Gökkurt “sky-blue wolf”. In Karaaslan as in Bozkurt, the animal at the end decides the sense. This page gives only the meaning of the words and does not go into symbolic or political meanings attached to some animal names. A surname says nothing about the views of the person who carries it.
The 1934 setting
Article 5 of the Surname Law states that an adult is free to choose a surname. Predator names were not among the law's bans, and within that freedom they became frequent choices.
Why it is interesting
This hub shows more clearly than any other that two spellings of one word can become separate surnames. That both Arslan and Aslan sit in the national top fifteen shows how lasting a spelling difference can be.
Which members of this group are most common?
Members of Lions, wolves and predators, ordered by TÜİK ADNKS 2025 count, then by the number of notable-person entries in this dictionary: Arslan, Aslan, Kurt.
| Surname | People | Notable people |
|---|---|---|
| Arslan | 521,149 | 8 |
| Aslan | 409,459 | 8 |
| Kurt | 289,723 | 8 |
| Akkurt | — | 8 |
| Alparslan | — | 8 |
| Alpaslan | — | 8 |
| Arslantaş | — | 8 |
| Bozkurt | — | 8 |
Which province lists include members of this group?
- 1 listed member
- 2–4 listed members
- 5+ listed members
- 0 listed members
The map covers published top-30 lists only; omission does not mean that a province has no bearers.4,5
All surnames in this category
| # | Surname | Meaning | Origin | Rank | Letters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Arslan | lion | Turkic | 11 | 6 |
| 02 | Aslan | lion; brave, strong | Turkic | 14 | 5 |
| 03 | Kurt | wolf | Turkic | 17 | 4 |
| 04 | Akarslan | white lion | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 05 | Akkurt | white wolf | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 06 | Alarslan | red lion | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 07 | Alkurt | red wolf | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 08 | Alparslan | heroic lion | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 09 | Alpaslan | lion-hearted hero | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 10 | Altınkurt | golden wolf | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 11 | Arslanboğa | lion-bull | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 12 | Arslancan | lion-hearted | Persian | – | 9 |
| 13 | Arslankan | of lion’s blood | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 14 | Arslanoğlu | son of Arslan (“lion”) | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 15 | Arslantaş | lion stone | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 16 | Arslantürk | lion-like Turk | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 17 | Asena | the Göktürk clan Ashina; the legendary she-wolf | Turkic | – | 5 |
| 18 | Aslanoğlu | son of Aslan (“lion”) | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 19 | Aslantaş | lion stone | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 20 | Aslantürk | lion-like Turk | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 21 | Aslanyürek | lion-hearted | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 22 | Aybars | moon-bright leopard | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 23 | Aykurt | moon wolf | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 24 | Baybars | noble leopard | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 25 | Baykurt | noble wolf | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 26 | Bozarslan | grey lion | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 27 | Bozkurt | grey wolf | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 28 | Cankurt | wolf-hearted | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 29 | Cavanşirler | “young lion” (family name) | Persian | – | 11 |
| 30 | Çakaloğlu | jackal + -oğlu | Persian | – | 9 |
| 31 | Çetinaslan | tough lion | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 32 | Demirarslan | iron lion | Turkic | – | 11 |
| 33 | Erarslan | heroic lion | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 34 | Eraslan | lion-hearted hero | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 35 | Erkurt | valiant wolf | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 36 | Gazanfer | lion | Arabic | – | 8 |
| 37 | Gençaslan | young lion | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 38 | Göktuna | sky leopard | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 39 | Günarslan | sun lion | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 40 | Gürtuna | strong, fierce leopard | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 41 | Haydar | lion | Arabic | – | 6 |
| 42 | İlarslan | lion of the realm | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 43 | Kaplan | tiger | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 44 | Karaarslan | black lion | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 45 | Karaaslan | black lion; mighty hero | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 46 | Karakulak | caracal; formerly messenger | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 47 | Karakurt | black wolf | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 48 | Kılıçarslan | sword lion; name of Seljuk sultans | Turkic | – | 11 |
| 49 | Kılıçaslan | sword-lion; name of Seljuk sultans | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 50 | Kizilaslan | red lion | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 51 | Kocaaslan | great lion | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 52 | Koçarslan | ram and lion; valiant | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 53 | Kortay | kurt ‘wolf’ (or ‘dwarf’) + ay | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 54 | Kurdoğlu | son of Kurt (“wolf”) | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 55 | Kurtaş | wolf and stone | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 56 | Kurtböke | hero bold as a wolf | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 57 | Kurtçebe | armoured wolf | Mongolic | – | 8 |
| 58 | Kurtoğlu | son of Kurt (wolf) | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 59 | Küçükaslan | little lion | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 60 | Özarslan | true lion | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 61 | Özaslan | a true lion | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 62 | Özkurt | a true wolf | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 63 | Pars | leopard | Turkic | – | 4 |
| 64 | Parscan | leopard-hearted | Persian | – | 7 |
| 65 | Savaşkurt | war wolf | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 66 | Seğmen | mounted irregular; segban | Persian | – | 6 |
| 67 | Tankurt | wolf of the dawn | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 68 | Türkaslan | Turkish lion | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 69 | Yavuzaslan | formidable lion | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 70 | Yürükaslan | swift lion | Turkic | – | 10 |
Common questions
- What is the difference between Arslan and Aslan?
They are two forms of one word, Arslan being older. In TÜİK ADNKS 2025 Arslan ranks 11th and Aslan 14th, and they are separate surnames in the registers.
- Is the surname Kurtuluş related to kurt, wolf?
No. Kurtuluş relates to the verbs kurtarmak and kurtulmak, “to save, to be saved”, not to kurt.
- What does Börü mean?
Börü is the Old Turkic word for the wolf and survives today as a surname and given name.
Sources
- 1Türk Dil Kurumu, TDK Güncel Türkçe Sözlük
- 2Sevan Nişanyan, Nişanyan Sözlük
- 3T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr), Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)
- 4Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK) · ADNKS, TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)
- 5Natural Earth, Natural Earth: Admin-1 boundaries