Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 102

Akbaba

Akbaba /akbaˈba/

“vulture”1

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

How do you pronounce Akbaba?

Akbaba

IPA /akbaˈba/

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

What does the surname Akbaba mean?

An akbaba is a vulture, the large bird of prey with a bare head and neck that soars very high and spots carrion with its keen eyes. The word fossilised from ak ‘white’ and baba ‘father’, and in popular speech it can also mean a white-haired old man.1

Grammar ak + baba: a compound listed as one dictionary word.

Akbaba is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Akbaba made of?

Akbaba is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: ak (white) + baba (father; old man).

Akbaba + root ak white TURKIC akbaba “vulture; old man” root baba father; old man Akbaba ak root white akbaba TURKIC “vulture; old man” baba root father; old man
Akbaba: parts and root words
  • akbaba Turkic — vulture; old man1

How was the name Akbaba formed?

Akbaba was formed by joining ak (“white”) and baba (“father; old man”).

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

Which surnames are related to Akbaba?

Akbaba Babacan Baba Babaoğlu Karababa Babadağ Babalık Ağbaba Aybaba Babaç Babaoğlan Babayiğit Fakıbaba
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Babacan same root – –
02 Baba same root – –
03 Babaoğlu same root – –
04 Karababa same root – –
05 Babadağ same root – –
06 Babalık same root – –
07 Ağbaba same root – –
08 Aybaba same root – –
09 Babaç same root – –
10 Babaoğlan same root – –
11 Babayiğit same root – –
12 Fakıbaba same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Akbaba?

  1. Emre Akbaba association football player 1992–
  2. Ozan Akbaba actor 1982–
  3. Çağlar Şahin Akbaba association football player 1995–
  4. Kemal Akbaba association football player 1988–
  5. Seval Akbaba television presenter 1976–2016
  6. Yalız Akbaba research fellow 1978–
  7. Ülkü Akbaba film actor 1958–
  8. Bedirhan Akbaba association football player 2004–

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Akbaba accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikipedi: Akbaba (anlam ayrımı) accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: akbaba 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

Common questions about Akbaba

Q1

What does the surname Akbaba mean?

An akbaba is a vulture, the large bird of prey with a bare head and neck that soars very high and spots carrion with its keen eyes. The word fossilised from ak ‘white’ and baba ‘father’, and in popular speech it can also mean a white-haired old man.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Akbaba?

The root word of Akbaba is akbaba (Turkic): “vulture; old man”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Akbaba?

Ak·ba·ba, 3 syllables; IPA: /akbaˈba/.