Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 611

Başkan

Başkan /baʃˈkan/ ASCII Baskan

“leader, president”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 2
Formation
Suffixed
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
B
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7Abroad
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Başkan?

Başkan

IPA /baʃˈkan/

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

What does the surname Başkan mean?

A başkan is the person who heads a board, an organisation or a state. The word is Old Turkic başġan ‘chief, leader’, formed from baş ‘head’ with the suffix -gan. During the language reform it was revived from Old Turkic to replace reis.1

Grammar baş + -gan > başkan; here -kan is not kan ‘blood’.

Başkan is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Başkan made of?

Başkan breaks into 2 parts: baş (head) + -kan (Old Turkic noun suffix (-gan)).

Başkan ++ root baş head TURKIC başkan “president, chairman,mayor” suffix -kan Old Turkic noun suffix(-gan) TURKIC başġan “Old Turkic ‘chief,leader’” Başkan baş root head başkan TURKIC “president, chairman, mayor” -kan suffix Old Turkic noun suffix (-gan) başġan TURKIC “Old Turkic ‘chief, leader’”
Başkan: parts and root words
  • başkan Turkic — president, chairman, mayor1
  • başġan Turkic — Old Turkic ‘chief, leader’1

How was the name Başkan formed?

Başkan belongs to the “suffixed” class of surnames (baş + -kan).

Which surnames are related to Başkan?

Başkan Akbaş Baş Subaşı Başer Kocabaş Erbaş Baştürk Demirbaş Başoğlu Yüzbaşıoğlu Odabaş Sarıbaş
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Akbaş same root – –
02 Baş same root – –
03 Subaşı same root – –
04 Başer same root – –
05 Kocabaş same root – –
06 Erbaş same root – –
07 Baştürk same root – –
08 Demirbaş same root – –
09 Başoğlu same root – –
10 Yüzbaşıoğlu same root – –
11 Odabaş same root – –
12 Sarıbaş same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Başkan?

  1. Abdurrahman Başkan politician 1964–
  2. Boran Başkan association football player 2006–
  3. Ali Nadir Başkan association football player 1976–
  4. Kenan Başkan association football player 1982–
  5. Özcan Başkan author 1929–1997
  6. Barış Başkan association football player
  7. Bayram Başkan association football referee
  8. Emel Bülbül Başkan researcher 2000–

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

How is Başkan written and pronounced abroad?

Records outside Türkiye that lack Turkish characters normally show it as Baskan.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Wiktionary: başkan accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: başkan 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

Common questions about Başkan

Q1

What does the surname Başkan mean?

A başkan is the person who heads a board, an organisation or a state. The word is Old Turkic başġan ‘chief, leader’, formed from baş ‘head’ with the suffix -gan. During the language reform it was revived from Old Turkic to replace reis.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Başkan?

The root word of Başkan is başkan (Turkic): “president, chairman, mayor”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Başkan?

Baş·kan, 2 syllables; IPA: /baʃˈkan/.