Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 43

Adalı

Adalı /adaˈɫɯ/ ASCII Adali

“islander”1

Established origin Adalı: root entries for ada · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
5 / 3
Formation
Suffixed
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
A
Cite and share
Download card

How do you pronounce Adalı?

Adalı

IPA /adaˈɫɯ/

The stress usually falls on syllable 3 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Adalı mean?

Adalı means ‘islander, one who lives on an island’. Ada ‘island’ goes back to Proto-Turkic **ātag*, and -lı here marks belonging to a place. Several villages in Türkiye are also called Adalı.1

Grammar ada + -lı (belonging).

Adalı is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Adalı made of?

Adalı is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: ada (ada: island) + -lı (-lı: from (a place); having).

Adalı + root ada ada: island TURKIC ada “island” suffix -lı -lı: from (a place);having Adalı ada root ada: island ada TURKIC “island” -lı suffix -lı: from (a place); having
Adalı: parts and root words

How was the name Adalı formed?

Adalı was formed by adding the suffix -lı (“-lı: from (a place); having”) to ada (“ada: island”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.5

Which surnames are related to Adalı?

Adalı Ada Adanur Adatepe
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Ada same root – –
02 Adanur same root – –
03 Adatepe same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Adalı?

  1. Serdal Adalı businessperson 1964–
  2. Selin Adalı volleyball player 2003–
  3. Sancar Adalı researcher
  4. Sarp Adalı researcher
  5. Seçkin Adalı mathematician

People surnamed Adalı as recorded in Wikidata, ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions.

How is Adalı written and pronounced abroad?

Outside Türkiye the name is usually written Adali.

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Adalı?

Ada, Aral and Akgöl share gloss keywords with Adalı within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Adalı?

Read the root, formation and register information for Adalı alongside these guides: How Turkish Surnames Are Formed: Roots and Suffixes and How to Pronounce and Spell Turkish Surnames.

Where do these facts come from?

All sources accessed 8 November 2026

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: ada
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: adalı
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: adalı
  4. 4 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)

Common questions about Adalı

Q1

What does the surname Adalı mean?

Adalı means ‘islander, one who lives on an island’. Ada ‘island’ goes back to Proto-Turkic **ātag*, and -lı here marks belonging to a place. Several villages in Türkiye are also called Adalı.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Adalı?

The root word of Adalı is ada (Turkic): “island”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Adalı?

A·da·lı, 3 syllables; IPA: /adaˈɫɯ/.