Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 83

Ak

/ak/

“white; pure”1

Letters / syllables
2 / 1
Formation
Adjective
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
A
Contents§1–§9
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6As a first name
  7. §7Sources
  8. §8Questions
  9. §9Related

How do you pronounce Ak?

Ak

IPA /ak/

What does the surname Ak mean?

Ak is white, the colour of snow and milk; beyond colour it conveys cleanness, honesty and goodness, as in “alnı ak” ‘with a clean brow’ or “ak günler” ‘bright days’. The word has kept this form since Old Turkic and is the first element of many surnames (Aksoy, Akkaya, Akdoğan).1

Ak is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Ak made of?

Ak is a single Turkic root: ak (white; pure, unblemished).

Ak root ak white; pure, unblemished TURKIC ak “white as snow or milk;clean, spotless” Ak ak root white; pure, unblemished ak TURKIC “white as snow or milk; clean,spotless”
Ak: parts and root words
  • ak Turkic — white as snow or milk; clean, spotless1

How was the name Ak formed?

Ak is the adjective ak (“white; pure, unblemished”), taken unchanged as a surname.

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.6

Who are some well-known people named Ak?

  1. Orhan Ak association football player 1979–
  2. Ahmet Ak amateur wrestler 1966–
  3. Çağan Efe Ak television actor 2007–
  4. Mehmet Yılmaz Ak actor 1986–
  5. Ayça Işıldar Ak filmmaker 1980–
  6. Behiç Ak writer 1956–
  7. Samet Ak amateur wrestler 1998–
  8. Ali Ak politician 1939–2017

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

Is Ak also a first name?

Yes. Ak is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “white; pure”.

Ak as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: ak accessed 9 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Ak accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: ak accessed 9 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Ak accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Ak

Q1

What does the surname Ak mean?

Ak is white, the colour of snow and milk; beyond colour it conveys cleanness, honesty and goodness, as in “alnı ak” ‘with a clean brow’ or “ak günler” ‘bright days’. The word has kept this form since Old Turkic and is the first element of many surnames (Aksoy, Akkaya, Akdoğan).
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Ak?

The root word of Ak is ak (Turkic): “white as snow or milk; clean, spotless”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Ak?

Ak, 1 syllable; IPA: /ak/.