Comparison·Top 10
TÜİK · ADNKS 2025Şahin or Yıldırım?
For every Yıldırım there are about 1.03 Şahins (2025). Since 2018, Yıldırım has grown 4.7% and Şahin 4.2%, so the gap is narrowing. Nationally Şahin ranks 6th and Yıldırım 7th.1
SURNAME · No. 6
Şahin
“hawk, buzzard”
- People
- 688,214
- Per 1,000
- 8.0
- Since 2018
- +4.2%
- Provinces led
- 4
- Origin
- Persian
- Category
- Birds of prey
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 Şahin and Yıldırım changed since 2018?
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Şahin | 660,634 | 667,161 | 672,026 | 676,707 | 680,655 | 683,206 | 685,727 | 688,214 |
| Yıldırım | 636,738 | 643,571 | 648,965 | 654,066 | 658,631 | 661,503 | 664,229 | 666,723 |
| Year | Şahin | Yıldırım | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 660,634 | 636,738 | 1.04 |
| 2019 | 667,161 | 643,571 | 1.04 |
| 2020 | 672,026 | 648,965 | 1.04 |
| 2021 | 676,707 | 654,066 | 1.03 |
| 2022 | 680,655 | 658,631 | 1.03 |
| 2023 | 683,206 | 661,503 | 1.03 |
| 2024 | 685,727 | 664,229 | 1.03 |
| 2025 | 688,214 | 666,723 | 1.03 |
Which one leads in which provinces?
In the 2025 province lists, Şahin ranks above Yıldırım in 41 provinces and Yıldırım above Şahin in 39 provinces.1
Şahin ahead
The most populous entries are shown; the figure is the count in that province.
Do they share a root?
Şahin goes back to a Persian word, Yıldırım to a Turkic one, and both are of the plain noun type.
- Şahin The şahin is a medium-sized bird of prey of the hawk family, living in mountains and woodland; English renders it as buzzard or hawk. The word comes from Persian and is connected with şāh, “king”. As a name it stands for the bird’s keen eye, courage and agility.
- 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