Comparison·Top 10
TÜİK · ADNKS 2025Yılmaz or Demir?
For every Demir there are about 1.34 Yılmazs (2025). Since 2018, Demir has grown 6.9% and Yılmaz 3.8%, so the gap is narrowing. Nationally Yılmaz ranks 1st and Demir 3rd.1
SURNAME · No. 1
Yılmaz
“undaunted, one who never gives up”
- People
- 1,177,896
- Per 1,000
- 13.7
- Since 2018
- +3.8%
- Provinces led
- 57
- Origin
- Turkic
- Category
- Courage and resilience
SURNAME · No. 3
Demir
“iron; strong, steadfast”
- People
- 876,934
- Per 1,000
- 10.2
- Since 2018
- +6.9%
- Provinces led
- 9
- Origin
- Turkic
- Category
- Metals and gemstones
How have Yılmaz and Demir changed since 2018?
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yılmaz | 1,134,443 | 1,144,894 | 1,152,872 | 1,160,248 | 1,167,108 | 1,171,014 | 1,174,516 | 1,177,896 |
| Demir | 820,156 | 831,095 | 840,270 | 849,475 | 858,092 | 864,643 | 871,107 | 876,934 |
| Year | Yılmaz | Demir | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1,134,443 | 820,156 | 1.38 |
| 2019 | 1,144,894 | 831,095 | 1.38 |
| 2020 | 1,152,872 | 840,270 | 1.37 |
| 2021 | 1,160,248 | 849,475 | 1.37 |
| 2022 | 1,167,108 | 858,092 | 1.36 |
| 2023 | 1,171,014 | 864,643 | 1.35 |
| 2024 | 1,174,516 | 871,107 | 1.35 |
| 2025 | 1,177,896 | 876,934 | 1.34 |
Which one leads in which provinces?
In the 2025 province lists, Yılmaz ranks above Demir in 65 provinces and Demir above Yılmaz in 16 provinces.1
Yılmaz ahead
Demir ahead
- Şanlıurfa1.61,607
- Diyarbakır2.24,930
- Van1.17,512
- Mardin1.16,225
- Kahramanmaraş1.14,767
- Batman1.12,597
- Ağrı2.11,682
- Adıyaman3.8,096
The most populous entries are shown; the figure is the count in that province.
Do they share a root?
Both Yılmaz and Demir go back to words of Turkic origin; Yılmaz is a from a verb and Demir a plain noun formation.
- Yılmaz The verb yılmak means to be daunted, to lose heart and back away; the suffix -maz negates it. Yılmaz therefore describes someone who does not lose heart and does not give up in the face of hardship. It was already a male given name before the Surname Law.
- Demir Demir is the Turkish word for iron, from Old Turkic temür. Figuratively it stands for what is strong, sound and unbreakable. It is a very old personal name across the Turkic world; the name Timur is another form of the same word.
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