Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 74

Akarsu

Akarsu /akaɾˈsu/

“running water, stream”2

Letters / syllables
6 / 3
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
A
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7As a first name
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Akarsu?

Akarsu

IPA /akaɾˈsu/

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

What does the surname Akarsu mean?

Akarsu is running water, a stream, brook or river flowing in its bed. The word fossilised from the phrase akar su ‘flowing water’; the ak- here is the verb akmak ‘to flow’, not ak ‘white’. In Turkish folk poetry running water is an image of passing time and abundance.1,2

Grammar akar, aorist participle of akmak, + su; one dictionary word.

Akarsu is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Akarsu made of?

Akarsu breaks into 2 parts: akar (aorist participle of akmak ‘to flow’) + su (water).

Akarsu + root akar aorist participle ofakmak ‘to flow’ TURKIC akarsu “running water; stream,river” root su water TURKIC akmak “to flow” Akarsu akar root aorist participle of akmak ‘to flow’ akarsu TURKIC “running water; stream, river” su root water akmak TURKIC “to flow”
Akarsu: parts and root words
  • akarsu Turkic — running water; stream, river2
  • akmak Turkic — to flow1

How was the name Akarsu formed?

Akarsu belongs to the “plain noun” class of surnames (akar + su).

Which surnames are related to Akarsu?

Akarsu Akın Akar Akan Akmaz
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Akın same root – –
02 Akar same root – –
03 Akan same root – –
04 Akmaz same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Akarsu?

  1. Barış Akarsu actor 1979–2007
  2. Hikmet Temel Akarsu writer 1960–
  3. Muhlis Akarsu singer 1948–1993
  4. Bedia Akarsu writer 1921–2016
  5. Melisa Akarsu swimmer 1993–
  6. Ali Akarsu lawyer 1923–2009
  7. Alper Akarsu association football referee 1995–
  8. Kaya Akarsu actor 1942–2021

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

Is Akarsu also a first name?

Yes. Akarsu is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “running water, stream”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: akarsu accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Akarsu accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikipedi: Akarsu (anlam ayrımı) accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Akarsu

Q1

What does the surname Akarsu mean?

Akarsu is running water, a stream, brook or river flowing in its bed. The word fossilised from the phrase akar su ‘flowing water’; the ak- here is the verb akmak ‘to flow’, not ak ‘white’. In Turkish folk poetry running water is an image of passing time and abundance.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Akarsu?

The root word of Akarsu is akarsu (Turkic): “running water; stream, river”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Akarsu?

A·kar·su, 3 syllables; IPA: /akaɾˈsu/.