Comparison·Top 10
TÜİK · ADNKS 2025Yıldırım or Aydın?
For every Aydın there are about 1.15 Yıldırıms (2025). Since 2018, Yıldırım has grown 4.7% and Aydın 4.2%, so the gap is widening. Nationally Yıldırım ranks 7th and Aydın 9th.1
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
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 Yıldırım and Aydın changed since 2018?
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yıldırım | 636,738 | 643,571 | 648,965 | 654,066 | 658,631 | 661,503 | 664,229 | 666,723 |
| Aydın | 558,089 | 563,570 | 567,785 | 571,791 | 575,232 | 577,350 | 579,161 | 581,387 |
| Year | Yıldırım | Aydın | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 636,738 | 558,089 | 1.14 |
| 2019 | 643,571 | 563,570 | 1.14 |
| 2020 | 648,965 | 567,785 | 1.14 |
| 2021 | 654,066 | 571,791 | 1.14 |
| 2022 | 658,631 | 575,232 | 1.14 |
| 2023 | 661,503 | 577,350 | 1.15 |
| 2024 | 664,229 | 579,161 | 1.15 |
| 2025 | 666,723 | 581,387 | 1.15 |
Which one leads in which provinces?
In the 2025 province lists, Yıldırım ranks above Aydın in 48 provinces and Aydın above Yıldırım in 32 provinces.1
Yıldırım ahead
The most populous entries are shown; the figure is the count in that province.
Do they share a root?
Both Yıldırım and Aydın go back to words of Turkic origin; Yıldırım is a plain noun and Aydın an adjective formation.
- 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.
- 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