Category·Metals and objects·170 surnames
Metals and gemstones
- Surnames
- 170
- in this dictionary
- Most common
- Demir
How did these surnames come about?
Özdemir joins two old Turkic words. Öz means “pure, unmixed, true”; demir is iron. Together they give “pure iron” or “true iron”. In TÜİK ADNKS 2025, Özdemir ranks 10th nationally with 556,378 bearers. The compound is both one of the most common and one of the most instructive members of this hub.
Iron and steel
Demir is attested in Old Turkic as temür. It is also a very old element of Turkic personal names; the name Timur is another form of the same word. As a surname, Demir ranks 3rd in TÜİK ADNKS 2025 with 876,934 bearers.
The origin of çelik, “steel”, is uncertain. Some dictionaries suggest a Turkic root, others a link to other languages; the etymology is disputed. The meaning is clear: iron hardened with carbon. Çelik ranks 4th in TÜİK ADNKS 2025.
Polat also means “steel”, but it comes from Persian pūlād. The same metal thus yields two surnames: Çelik, of disputed origin, and Persian Polat.
Precious metals and stones
Altın (gold) and gümüş (silver) are Turkic; gümüş appears in Old Turkic as kümüş. Bakır, copper, is Turkic as well. Tunç is bronze, the alloy of copper and tin; the origin of the word is uncertain, and sources explain it differently.
Elmas, “diamond”, came into Turkish through Arabic almās, which itself goes back to Greek adamas. Yakut (ruby) and zümrüt (emerald) are also stone names that arrived via Arabic. Mermer, marble, belongs here too.
Compounds and the hub
Metal words combine with colour and quality elements: Karademir “black iron”, Aydemir “moon iron”, Özçelik “pure steel”, Akaltın “white gold”. The final metal word carries the meaning, so these surnames sit here. When Demir- comes first, as in Demirtaş or Demirkan, the final word decides the hub.
Altan and Altay are a trap: they have nothing to do with altın and are not in this hub. Trade names such as Demirci, Bakırcı and Kuyumcu (goldsmith) are with the crafts.
1934 and oğlu
Article 6 of the Surname Regulation says a surname is used alone or together with “(oğlu)”. Both shapes occur among metal names: Demir on its own, Demiroğlu with oğlu. The regulation left both roads open.
Why it is interesting
This single hub holds a share of Türkiye's most common surnames. The sense of hardness and endurance made metal words very productive as surnames, and compounds with Öz- and Kara- spread that productivity across hundreds of forms.
Which of them are most common?
All surnames in this category
| # | Surname | Meaning | Origin | Rank | Letters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Demir | iron; strong, steadfast | Turkic | 3 | 5 |
| 02 | Çelik | steel; tough, resilient | Turkic | 4 | 5 |
| 03 | Özdemir | pure iron; firm as iron | Turkic | 10 | 7 |
| 04 | Polat | steel; strong as steel | Persian | 19 | 5 |
| 05 | Akça | whitish; silver coin | Turkic | – | 4 |
| 06 | Akçelik | bright steel | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 07 | Akdemir | bright iron | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 08 | Akpolat | bright steel | Persian | – | 7 |
| 09 | Aktunç | white bronze | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 10 | Alçelik | red steel | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 11 | Aldemir | red iron | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 12 | Almas | diamond | Persian | – | 5 |
| 13 | Altan | golden; red dawn | Mongolic | – | 5 |
| 14 | Altın | gold; precious | Turkic | – | 5 |
| 15 | Altınay | golden moon | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 16 | Altınbaş | a melon variety; golden head | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 17 | Altınbilek | golden wrist, strong arm | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 18 | Altınçekiç | golden hammer | Persian | – | 10 |
| 19 | Altındağ | golden mountain; a district of Ankara | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 20 | Altındal | golden branch | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 21 | Altındere | golden brook | Persian | – | 9 |
| 22 | Altınel | golden land; golden hand | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 23 | Altıner | golden hero | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 24 | Altınışık | golden light | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 25 | Altınkaya | golden rock | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 26 | Altınkaynak | golden spring | Turkic | – | 11 |
| 27 | Altınok | golden arrow | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 28 | Altınoluk | town in Edremit | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 29 | Altınordu | the Golden Horde | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 30 | Altınörs | golden anvil | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 31 | Altınöz | golden at heart | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 32 | Altınsoy | golden lineage | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 33 | Altıntaş | golden stone | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 34 | Altıntop | golden ball | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 35 | Altıntoprak | golden soil | Turkic | – | 11 |
| 36 | Altun | gold | Turkic | – | 5 |
| 37 | Altuna | gold | Turkic | – | 6 |
| 38 | Altunay | golden moon | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 39 | Altunbaş | golden head | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 40 | Altunbaşak | golden ear of grain | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 41 | Altunbay | rich in gold | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 42 | Altundağ | golden mountain | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 43 | Altunel | golden land, golden realm | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 44 | Altunışık | golden light | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 45 | Altunkaya | golden rock | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 46 | Altunkaynak | golden spring | Turkic | – | 11 |
| 47 | Altunok | golden arrow | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 48 | Altunoluk | golden gutter | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 49 | Altuntaş | golden stone | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 50 | Ayar | fineness (of gold); measure | Arabic | – | 4 |
| 51 | Aydemir | moon-bright and iron-strong | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 52 | Aytemür | moon iron (old form of Aydemir) | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 53 | Bakır | copper | Turkic | – | 5 |
| 54 | Bakırcı | coppersmith | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 55 | Bakırcıoğlu | son of the coppersmith | Turkic | – | 11 |
| 56 | Baydemir | rich, strong iron | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 57 | Bıçakçı | cutler, knifesmith | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 58 | Bolat | steel | Persian | – | 5 |
| 59 | Bozdemir | grey iron | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 60 | Bulat | steel | Persian | – | 5 |
| 61 | Canbolat | steel-souled | Persian | – | 8 |
| 62 | Canbulat | steel soul | Persian | – | 8 |
| 63 | Candemir | iron-souled, enduring | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 64 | Canpolat | soul of steel | Persian | – | 8 |
| 65 | Cevahir | jewels, gems | Arabic | – | 7 |
| 66 | Cevher | jewel, gem; essence | Arabic | – | 6 |
| 67 | Cevheri | jeweller | Arabic | – | 7 |
| 68 | Civaoğlu | son of Civa (‘mercury’) | Persian | – | 8 |
| 69 | Çelikay | bright as steel | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 70 | Çelikbaş | steel-headed | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 71 | Çelikbilek | steel-wristed, strong | Turkic | – | 10 |
| 72 | Çelikel | steel hand; steel-firm realm | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 73 | Çeliker | man tough as steel | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 74 | Çelikkan | steel-blooded | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 75 | Çelikkol | arm of steel | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 76 | Çelikler | the Çelik family; steels | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 77 | Çelikten | of steel | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 78 | Çelikyurt | homeland of steel | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 79 | Çilingir | locksmith | Persian | – | 8 |
| 80 | Çilingiroğlu | son of the locksmith | Persian | – | 12 |
| 81 | Daşdemir | firm as stone and iron | Turkic | – | 8 |
| 82 | Demirağ | iron net, railway network | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 83 | Demiral | red-hot iron | Turkic | – | 7 |
| 84 | Demiralay | iron regiment | Turkic | – | 9 |
| 85 | Demiralp | iron hero | Turkic | – | 8 |
Common questions
- What does Özdemir mean?
It joins öz, “pure, true”, with demir, “iron”: “pure iron”. In TÜİK ADNKS 2025 Özdemir ranks 10th nationally with 556,378 bearers.
- Where does the word çelik come from?
It is uncertain. Some dictionaries propose a Turkic root, others a link to other languages; the etymology is disputed.
- Do Polat and Çelik mean the same?
Yes, both mean “steel”. Polat comes from Persian pūlād.
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)