Comparison·Top 10
TÜİK · ADNKS 2025Yıldırım or Özdemir?
For every Özdemir there are about 1.20 Yıldırıms (2025). Since 2018, Yıldırım has grown 4.7% and Özdemir 4.1%, so the gap is widening. Nationally Yıldırım ranks 7th and Özdemir 10th.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. 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 Yıldırım and Özdemir 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 |
| Özdemir | 534,623 | 539,745 | 543,564 | 547,285 | 550,628 | 552,684 | 554,724 | 556,378 |
| Year | Yıldırım | Özdemir | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 636,738 | 534,623 | 1.19 |
| 2019 | 643,571 | 539,745 | 1.19 |
| 2020 | 648,965 | 543,564 | 1.19 |
| 2021 | 654,066 | 547,285 | 1.20 |
| 2022 | 658,631 | 550,628 | 1.20 |
| 2023 | 661,503 | 552,684 | 1.20 |
| 2024 | 664,229 | 554,724 | 1.20 |
| 2025 | 666,723 | 556,378 | 1.20 |
Which one leads in which provinces?
In the 2025 province lists, Yıldırım ranks above Özdemir in 60 provinces and Özdemir above Yıldırım in 21 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 Özdemir go back to words of Turkic origin; Yıldırım is a plain noun and Özdemir a compound 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.
- 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