Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 216

Aksakal

Aksakal /aksaˈkaɫ/

“village elder; white-bearded”1

Established origin Aksakal: root entries for aksakal · How do we know?

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Letters / syllables
7 / 3
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
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Initial
A
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How do you pronounce Aksakal?

Aksakal

IPA /aksaˈkaɫ/

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

What does the surname Aksakal mean?

Literally aksakal means “white-bearded”, but its sense is respect: a village or neighbourhood elder, or a person senior in age and skill in a trade, is called aksakal. It is shortened from Ottoman Turkish ak sakallı. Dictionaries also record the senses “saintly man” and, plainly, “old man”.1

Grammar ak + sakal, from Ottoman ak sakallı

Aksakal is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Aksakal made of?

Aksakal is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: ak (white) + sakal (beard).

Aksakal + root ak white TURKIC aksakal “village elder; seniormaster of a trade; old…” root sakal beard Aksakal ak root white aksakal TURKIC “village elder; senior master ofa trade; old man” sakal root beard
Aksakal: parts and root words
  • aksakal Turkic — village elder; senior master of a trade; old man1

How was the name Aksakal formed?

Aksakal was formed by joining ak (“white”) and sakal (“beard”).

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

Which surnames are related to Aksakal?

Aksakal Kabasakal Sakallı Sakallıoğlu Karasakal Sakal Aksakallı
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Kabasakal same root – –
02 Sakallı same root – –
03 Sakallıoğlu same root – –
04 Karasakal same root – –
05 Sakal same root – –
06 Aksakallı same root – –
07 Topsakal same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Aksakal?

  1. Mehmet Önder Aksakal politician 1960–
  2. Mustafa Aksakal university teacher 1973–
  3. Ensar Aksakal association football player 2001–
  4. Özkan Aksakal botanist
  5. İbrahim Vecdi Aksakal statesperson 1936–2024
  6. Ahmet Burhan Aksakal researcher
  7. Ahmet Eren Aksakal association football player
  8. Emrah Aksakal researcher

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

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Aksakal?

Babaoğlu, Karababa and Ağbaba share gloss keywords with Aksakal within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Aksakal?

Read the root, formation and register information for Aksakal alongside these guides: How Turkish Surnames Are Formed: Roots and Suffixes and How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.

Where do these facts come from?

All sources accessed 8 November 2026

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikipedi: Aksakal
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: aksakal
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: aksakal
  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 Aksakal

Q1

What does the surname Aksakal mean?

Literally aksakal means “white-bearded”, but its sense is respect: a village or neighbourhood elder, or a person senior in age and skill in a trade, is called aksakal. It is shortened from Ottoman Turkish ak sakallı. Dictionaries also record the senses “saintly man” and, plainly, “old man”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Aksakal?

Aksakal is made up of two elements: ak “white” (Turkic) and sakal “beard” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Aksakal?

Ak·sa·kal, 3 syllables; IPA: /aksaˈkaɫ/.