Comparison·Top 10
TÜİK · ADNKS 2025Kaya or Yıldırım?
For every Yıldırım there are about 1.35 Kayas (2025). Since 2018, Kaya has grown 6.1% and Yıldırım 4.7%, so the gap is widening. Nationally Kaya ranks 2nd and Yıldırım 7th.1
SURNAME · No. 2
Kaya
“rock, crag”
- People
- 899,722
- Per 1,000
- 10.5
- Since 2018
- +6.1%
- Provinces led
- 5
- Origin
- Turkic
- Category
- Mountains, rocks and stones
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 Kaya and Yıldırım changed since 2018?
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaya | 847,737 | 858,398 | 866,547 | 875,113 | 883,067 | 888,828 | 894,360 | 899,722 |
| Yıldırım | 636,738 | 643,571 | 648,965 | 654,066 | 658,631 | 661,503 | 664,229 | 666,723 |
| Year | Kaya | Yıldırım | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 847,737 | 636,738 | 1.33 |
| 2019 | 858,398 | 643,571 | 1.33 |
| 2020 | 866,547 | 648,965 | 1.34 |
| 2021 | 875,113 | 654,066 | 1.34 |
| 2022 | 883,067 | 658,631 | 1.34 |
| 2023 | 888,828 | 661,503 | 1.34 |
| 2024 | 894,360 | 664,229 | 1.35 |
| 2025 | 899,722 | 666,723 | 1.35 |
Which one leads in which provinces?
In the 2025 province lists, Kaya ranks above Yıldırım in 66 provinces and Yıldırım above Kaya in 15 provinces.1
Kaya ahead
The most populous entries are shown; the figure is the count in that province.
Do they share a root?
Both Kaya and Yıldırım go back to words of Turkic origin, and both are of the plain noun type.
- Kaya A kaya is a large, hard mass of rock rising out of the ground, a word Turkish has used since its oldest records. As a surname it carries the image of firmness and endurance, something that cannot be shaken. Kaya is also a male given name.
- 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