Comparison·Top 10
TÜİK · ADNKS 2025Demir or Yıldırım?
For every Yıldırım there are about 1.32 Demirs (2025). Since 2018, Demir has grown 6.9% and Yıldırım 4.7%, so the gap is widening. Nationally Demir ranks 3rd and Yıldırım 7th.1
SURNAME · No. 3
Demir
“iron; strong, steadfast”
- People
- 876,934
- Per 1,000
- 10.2
- Since 2018
- +6.9%
- Provinces led
- 9
- Origin
- Turkic
- Category
- Metals and gemstones
SURNAME · No. 7
Yıldırım
“thunderbolt; lightning-fast”
- People
- 666,723
- Per 1,000
- 7.7
- Since 2018
- +4.7%
- Provinces led
- 1
- Origin
- Turkic
- Category
- Wind, rain and lightning
How have Demir and Yıldırım changed since 2018?
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demir | 820,156 | 831,095 | 840,270 | 849,475 | 858,092 | 864,643 | 871,107 | 876,934 |
| Yıldırım | 636,738 | 643,571 | 648,965 | 654,066 | 658,631 | 661,503 | 664,229 | 666,723 |
| Year | Demir | Yıldırım | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 820,156 | 636,738 | 1.29 |
| 2019 | 831,095 | 643,571 | 1.29 |
| 2020 | 840,270 | 648,965 | 1.29 |
| 2021 | 849,475 | 654,066 | 1.30 |
| 2022 | 858,092 | 658,631 | 1.30 |
| 2023 | 864,643 | 661,503 | 1.31 |
| 2024 | 871,107 | 664,229 | 1.31 |
| 2025 | 876,934 | 666,723 | 1.32 |
Which one leads in which provinces?
In the 2025 province lists, Demir ranks above Yıldırım in 62 provinces and Yıldırım above Demir in 19 provinces.1
Demir ahead
The most populous entries are shown; the figure is the count in that province.
Do they share a root?
Both Demir and Yıldırım go back to words of Turkic origin, and both are of the plain noun type.
- Demir Demir is the Turkish word for iron, from Old Turkic temür. Figuratively it stands for what is strong, sound and unbreakable. It is a very old personal name across the Turkic world; the name Timur is another form of the same word.
- Yıldırım The word for a thunderbolt, the lightning that strikes the ground. In phrases it comes to mean “lightning-fast”, as in yıldırım hızıyla, “at lightning speed”. The surname carries this image of sudden power and speed, and Yıldırım is also a male given name.
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