Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 681

Bek

/bek/

“firm, solid; lord”4

Letters / syllables
3 / 1
Formation
Adjective
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
B
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 Bek?

Bek

IPA /bek/

What does the surname Bek mean?

In the dictionary bek is an adjective meaning “hard, firm”; the same spelling also names a defender in football and the burner of a gas lamp. For the surname two readings stand out: the adjective of firmness, or Old Turkic beg, the title that became bey. Bek is also recorded as a male given name.2,4

Grammar A one-syllable adjective; the football term bek is a separate loanword from English back.

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. Adjective reading: the dictionary gives bek as “hard, firm”, a doublet of pek.
  2. Title reading: the name dictionary explains the name Bek as Old Turkic “lord” (Nişanyan Adlar).

Bek is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Bek made of?

Bek is a single root: bek (hard, firm; or old form of the title bey).

Bek + root bek hard, firm; or old formof the title bey TURKIC bek “hard, firm, solid” TURKIC bey “lord, master; Old Turkicbeg” Bek bek root hard, firm; or old form of the titlebey bek TURKIC “hard, firm, solid” bey TURKIC “lord, master; Old Turkic beg”
Bek: parts and root words
  • bek Turkic — hard, firm, solid4
  • bey Turkic — lord, master; Old Turkic beg2

How was the name Bek formed?

Bek belongs to the “adjective” class of surnames.

Which surnames are related to Bek?

Bek Özbey Atabek Bey Bozbey Beyhan Beyoğlu Erbek Bekçi
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Özbey same root – –
02 Atabek same root – –
03 Bey same root – –
04 Bozbey same root – –
05 Beyhan same root – –
06 Beyoğlu same root – –
07 Erbek same root – –
08 Bekçi same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Bek?

  1. Alpan Bek researcher
  2. Burak Bek researcher
  3. Kenan Bek researcher
  4. Yüksel Bek author
  5. Davit Bek military personnel 1669–1728
  6. Andrzej Bek sport cyclist 1951–
  7. Mikuláš Bek politician 1964–
  8. Josef Bek actor 1918–1995

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

Is Bek also a first name?

Yes. Bek is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “firm, solid; lord”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

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

Common questions about Bek

Q1

What does the surname Bek mean?

In the dictionary bek is an adjective meaning “hard, firm”; the same spelling also names a defender in football and the burner of a gas lamp. For the surname two readings stand out: the adjective of firmness, or Old Turkic beg, the title that became bey. Bek is also recorded as a male given name.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Bek?

The root word of Bek is bek (Turkic): “hard, firm, solid”. There are 3 competing views on where Bek comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Bek?

Bek, 1 syllable; IPA: /bek/.