Comparison·Top 10
TÜİK · ADNKS 2025Yıldız or Yıldırım?
For every Yıldırım there are about 1.05 Yıldızs (2025). Since 2018, Yıldız has grown 5.5% and Yıldırım 4.7%, so the gap is widening. Nationally Yıldız ranks 5th and Yıldırım 7th.1
SURNAME · No. 5
Yıldız
“star”
- People
- 697,080
- Per 1,000
- 8.1
- Since 2018
- +5.5%
- Provinces led
- 1
- Origin
- Turkic
- Category
- Sky, sun, moon and stars
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 Yıldız and Yıldırım changed since 2018?
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yıldız | 660,780 | 668,478 | 674,918 | 680,948 | 686,329 | 690,153 | 693,634 | 697,080 |
| Yıldırım | 636,738 | 643,571 | 648,965 | 654,066 | 658,631 | 661,503 | 664,229 | 666,723 |
| Year | Yıldız | Yıldırım | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 660,780 | 636,738 | 1.04 |
| 2019 | 668,478 | 643,571 | 1.04 |
| 2020 | 674,918 | 648,965 | 1.04 |
| 2021 | 680,948 | 654,066 | 1.04 |
| 2022 | 686,329 | 658,631 | 1.04 |
| 2023 | 690,153 | 661,503 | 1.04 |
| 2024 | 693,634 | 664,229 | 1.04 |
| 2025 | 697,080 | 666,723 | 1.05 |
Which one leads in which provinces?
In the 2025 province lists, Yıldız ranks above Yıldırım in 44 provinces and Yıldırım above Yıldız in 36 provinces.1
Yıldız ahead
The most populous entries are shown; the figure is the count in that province.
Do they share a root?
Both Yıldız and Yıldırım go back to words of Turkic origin, and both are of the plain noun type.
- Yıldız The name is simply the Turkish word for a star shining in the night sky; Old Turkic recorded it as yultuz. Figuratively it also means a person who shines and stands out among others. It is used as a given name for both girls and boys.
- 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