Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 361

Arsal

Arsal /aɾˈsaɫ/

“yellowish horse colour”2

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

How do you pronounce Arsal?

Arsal

IPA /aɾˈsaɫ/

The stress usually falls on syllable 2 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Arsal mean?

Arsal is used as both a male and a female given name. According to Nişanyan Adlar, arsal in the Kutadgu Bilig describes a horse coat colour resembling yellow, and the word arslan, “lion”, may be related to it. The same source notes that during the language reform the element ar was used in coinages to mean “pure” or, inspired by French art, “art”.2

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. From arsal in the Kutadgu Bilig, “yellowish horse colour” (Nişanyan Adlar).
  2. A language-reform coinage: ar “pure” or “art” + -sal (Nişanyan Adlar).

What is Arsal made of?

Arsal is a single root: arsal (yellowish horse coat colour).

Arsal root arsal yellowish horse coatcolour TURKIC arsal “in the Kutadgu Bilig, ayellowish horse colour” Arsal arsal root yellowish horse coat colour arsal TURKIC “in the Kutadgu Bilig, ayellowish horse colour”
Arsal: parts and root words
  • arsal Turkic — in the Kutadgu Bilig, a yellowish horse colour2

How was the name Arsal formed?

Arsal belongs to the “plain noun” class of surnames.

Who are some well-known people named Arsal?

  1. Sadri Maksudi Arsal politician 1878–1957
  2. Erdoğan Arsal sailor 1933–
  3. Sadık Tahsin Arsal politician 1902–1949

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

Is Arsal also a first name?

Yes. Arsal is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “yellowish horse colour”.

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

How is Arsal written and pronounced abroad?

Arsal uses only letters shared with English, so the spelling stays the same abroad.

Where do these facts come from?

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

Common questions about Arsal

Q1

What does the surname Arsal mean?

Arsal is used as both a male and a female given name. According to Nişanyan Adlar, arsal in the Kutadgu Bilig describes a horse coat colour resembling yellow, and the word arslan, “lion”, may be related to it. The same source notes that during the language reform the element ar was used in coinages to mean “pure” or, inspired by French art, “art”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Arsal?

The root word of Arsal is arsal (Turkic): “in the Kutadgu Bilig, a yellowish horse colour”. There are 3 competing views on where Arsal comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Arsal?

Ar·sal, 2 syllables; IPA: /aɾˈsaɫ/.