Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,028

Bilecen

Bilecen /bileˈd͡ʒen/

“scholar, seer; or the Bilican mountain”2

Disputed origin Bilecen: root entries for bilmek · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
7 / 3
Formation
From a verb
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
B
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How do you pronounce Bilecen?

Bilecen

IPA /bileˈd͡ʒen/

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

What does the surname Bilecen mean?

Nişanyan Adlar records Bilecen as a form of Bilican/Bilecan, the name of the prominent mountain in the centre of Bulanık district, Muş, and calls the origin of the mountain’s name unclear. According to the same source, the name in Şıh Bilecen, whose shrine is in Oğuzeli, Antep, is probably a separate Turkish name meaning ‘scholar, seer’, from bilmek ‘to know’.2

Grammar bil- + -ecen.

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. Turkish name ‘scholar, seer’, from bilmek (Nişanyan Adlar, on Şıh Bilecen).
  2. A form of Bilican/Bilecan, a mountain name in Muş whose origin is unclear (Nişanyan Adlar).

What is Bilecen made of?

Bilecen is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: bil- (bilmek: to know) + -ecen (-ecen: suffix).

Bilecen + root bil- bilmek: to know TURKIC bilmek “to know” suffix -ecen -ecen: suffix Bilecen bil- root bilmek: to know bilmek TURKIC “to know” -ecen suffix -ecen: suffix
Bilecen: parts and root words

How was the name Bilecen formed?

Bilecen was formed by adding the suffix -ecen (“-ecen: suffix”) to the verb stem bil- (“bilmek: to know”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.4

Which surnames are related to Bilecen?

Bilecen Bilgin Bilgen Bilir Bilici Bilen Özbilen
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Bilgin same root – –
02 Bilgen same root – –
03 Bilir same root – –
04 Bilici same root – –
05 Bilen same root – –
06 Özbilen same root – –
07 Bilgi same root – –
08 Bildik same root – –
09 Güçbilmez same root – –
10 Biler same root – –
11 Bilmis same root – –
12 Dilbilgen same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Bilecen?

  1. Selda Terek Bilecen novelist 1968–
  2. Hakan Bilecen politician

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

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Bilecen?

Bilginer, Bilgen and Bilgili share gloss keywords with Bilecen within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Bilecen?

Read the root, formation and register information for Bilecen 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 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Bilecen
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: bilmek
  3. 3 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)

Common questions about Bilecen

Q1

What does the surname Bilecen mean?

Nişanyan Adlar records Bilecen as a form of Bilican/Bilecan, the name of the prominent mountain in the centre of Bulanık district, Muş, and calls the origin of the mountain’s name unclear. According to the same source, the name in Şıh Bilecen, whose shrine is in Oğuzeli, Antep, is probably a separate Turkish name meaning ‘scholar, seer’, from bilmek ‘to know’.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Bilecen?

The root word of Bilecen is bilmek (Turkic): “to know”. There are 3 competing views on where Bilecen comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Bilecen?

Bi·le·cen, 3 syllables; IPA: /bileˈd͡ʒen/.