Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,025

Bilek

Bilek /biˈlek/

“wrist; strength”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
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 Bilek?

Bilek

IPA /biˈlek/

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

What does the surname Bilek mean?

Bilek is the joint where the hand meets the arm and the foot the leg; the word had the same form in Old Turkic. Figuratively it means “physical strength”, as in bileğinin hakkıyla kazanmak, “to earn something by the strength of one’s wrist”, or bileği güçlü, “strong-wristed”. The surname brings out this image of strength and hard work.1

Bilek is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Bilek made of?

Bilek is a single Turkic root: bilek (wrist or ankle; figuratively strength).

Bilek root bilek wrist or ankle;figuratively strength TURKIC bilek “wrist, ankle;figuratively physical…” Bilek bilek root wrist or ankle; figuratively strength bilek TURKIC “wrist, ankle; figurativelyphysical strength”
Bilek: parts and root words
  • bilek Turkic — wrist, ankle; figuratively physical strength1

How was the name Bilek formed?

Bilek is the word bilek (“wrist or ankle; figuratively strength”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Which surnames are related to Bilek?

Bilek Çelikbilek Demirbilek Altınbilek Gürbilek Tekbilek
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Çelikbilek same root – –
02 Demirbilek same root – –
03 Altınbilek same root – –
04 Gürbilek same root – –
05 Tekbilek same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Bilek?

  1. Ahmet Bilek amateur wrestler 1932–1970
  2. Yakovos Bilek basketball player 1917–2005
  3. Renan Bilek actor 1968–
  4. Ayhan Bilek association football player 1964–
  5. Hıdır Bilek association football player 1948–
  6. Emirhan Bilek rugby league player
  7. Furkan Bilek researcher
  8. Günal Bilek researcher

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

Is Bilek also a first name?

Yes. Bilek is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “wrist; strength”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: bilek accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: bilek accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: bilek accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Bilek

Q1

What does the surname Bilek mean?

Bilek is the joint where the hand meets the arm and the foot the leg; the word had the same form in Old Turkic. Figuratively it means “physical strength”, as in bileğinin hakkıyla kazanmak, “to earn something by the strength of one’s wrist”, or bileği güçlü, “strong-wristed”. The surname brings out this image of strength and hard work.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Bilek?

The root word of Bilek is bilek (Turkic): “wrist, ankle; figuratively physical strength”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Bilek?

Bi·lek, 2 syllables; IPA: /biˈlek/.