Comparison·Top 10
TÜİK · ADNKS 2025Çelik or Özdemir?
For every Özdemir there are about 1.29 Çeliks (2025). Since 2018, Çelik has grown 5.5% and Özdemir 4.1%, so the gap is widening. Nationally Çelik ranks 4th and Özdemir 10th.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. 10
Özdemir
“pure iron; firm as iron”
- People
- 556,378
- Per 1,000
- 6.5
- Since 2018
- +4.1%
- Provinces led
- 0
- Origin
- Turkic
- Category
- Metals and gemstones
How have Çelik and Özdemir 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 |
| Özdemir | 534,623 | 539,745 | 543,564 | 547,285 | 550,628 | 552,684 | 554,724 | 556,378 |
| Year | Çelik | Özdemir | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 680,558 | 534,623 | 1.27 |
| 2019 | 688,604 | 539,745 | 1.28 |
| 2020 | 695,044 | 543,564 | 1.28 |
| 2021 | 701,315 | 547,285 | 1.28 |
| 2022 | 706,814 | 550,628 | 1.28 |
| 2023 | 710,598 | 552,684 | 1.29 |
| 2024 | 714,184 | 554,724 | 1.29 |
| 2025 | 717,655 | 556,378 | 1.29 |
Which one leads in which provinces?
In the 2025 province lists, Çelik ranks above Özdemir in 62 provinces and Özdemir above Çelik in 19 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 Özdemir go back to words of Turkic origin; Çelik is a plain noun and Özdemir a compound formation. Both sit in the “Metals and gemstones” category.
- 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.
- Özdemir Öz, “pure, genuine”, joins demir, “iron”: “pure iron”, a person as firm and unbending as iron. Özdemir was in use as a personal name in Ottoman times, long before the Surname Law.
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