Comparison·Top 10
TÜİK · ADNKS 2025Çelik or Aydın?
For every Aydın there are about 1.23 Çeliks (2025). Since 2018, Çelik has grown 5.5% and Aydın 4.2%, so the gap is widening. Nationally Çelik ranks 4th and Aydın 9th.1
SURNAME · No. 4
Çelik
“steel; tough, resilient”
- People
- 717,655
- Per 1,000
- 8.3
- Since 2018
- +5.5%
- Provinces led
- 1
- Origin
- Turkic
- Category
- Metals and gemstones
SURNAME · No. 9
Aydın
“bright; enlightened, educated”
- People
- 581,387
- Per 1,000
- 6.8
- Since 2018
- +4.2%
- Provinces led
- 0
- Origin
- Turkic
- Category
- Light and fire
How have Çelik and Aydın changed since 2018?
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Çelik | 680,558 | 688,604 | 695,044 | 701,315 | 706,814 | 710,598 | 714,184 | 717,655 |
| Aydın | 558,089 | 563,570 | 567,785 | 571,791 | 575,232 | 577,350 | 579,161 | 581,387 |
| Year | Çelik | Aydın | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 680,558 | 558,089 | 1.22 |
| 2019 | 688,604 | 563,570 | 1.22 |
| 2020 | 695,044 | 567,785 | 1.22 |
| 2021 | 701,315 | 571,791 | 1.23 |
| 2022 | 706,814 | 575,232 | 1.23 |
| 2023 | 710,598 | 577,350 | 1.23 |
| 2024 | 714,184 | 579,161 | 1.23 |
| 2025 | 717,655 | 581,387 | 1.23 |
Which one leads in which provinces?
In the 2025 province lists, Çelik ranks above Aydın in 60 provinces and Aydın above Çelik in 20 provinces.1
Çelik ahead
The most populous entries are shown; the figure is the count in that province.
Do they share a root?
Both Çelik and Aydın go back to words of Turkic origin; Çelik is a plain noun and Aydın an adjective formation.
- Çelik Çelik is steel, the iron-carbon alloy that is quenched to make it hard and springy. Figuratively it describes someone tough and resilient, çelik gibi, “like steel”. The word has the same form in Ottoman Turkish and is also a male given name.
- Aydın Aydın first means “bright, full of light”. Today it mostly refers to an educated, cultured, forward-thinking person, an intellectual. It is a given name for men and women; the Aegean province of Aydın takes its name from the Aydınoğulları principality.
How is this comparison made?
Sources
- 1Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK) · ADNKS, TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)
- 2Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK) · ADNKS, TÜİK ADNKS: Cinsiyete göre nüfus, Türkiye ve 81 il