Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,062

Birol

Birol /biˈɾoɫ/

“be one, be unique”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
From a verb
Vowel harmony
mixed
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 Birol?

Birol

IPA /biˈɾoɫ/

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

What does the surname Birol mean?

Birol is a boy’s name made of bir “one” and ol, the imperative of olmak “to be”: “be one”. It is interpreted as “be unique” or “be united”, a good wish for the child. Wish names of this kind, such as Erol, were very popular in the Republican era.1,3

Grammar bir + ol (imperative, second person singular).

That Birol goes back to bir and olmak is probable rather than proven: the dictionaries cited agree on it.

What is Birol made of?

Birol is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: bir (bir: one; unity) + ol- (imperative of olmak “to be”).

Birol + root bir bir: one; unity TURKIC bir “one; single, unique” root ol- imperative of olmak “tobe” TURKIC olmak “to be, to become” Birol bir root bir: one; unity bir TURKIC “one; single, unique” ol- root imperative of olmak “to be” olmak TURKIC “to be, to become”
Birol: parts and root words
  • bir Turkic — one; single, unique1
  • olmak Turkic — to be, to become3

How was the name Birol formed?

Birol was formed by joining bir (“bir: one; unity”) and ol- (“imperative of olmak “to be””).

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

Which surnames are related to Birol?

Birol Erol Şenol Olgun Bircan Birdal Birand Gürol Özbir Başol Birgül Elbir Birant
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Erol same root – –
02 Şenol same root – –
03 Olgun same root – –
04 Bircan same root – –
05 Birdal same root – –
06 Birand same root – –
07 Gürol same root – –
08 Özbir same root – –
09 Başol same root – –
10 Birgül same root – –
11 Elbir same root – –
12 Birant same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Birol?

  1. Fatih Birol economist 1958–
  2. Ümit Birol association football player 1963–2023
  3. Şenol Birol association football player 1937–2022
  4. İnci Birol actor 1933–2022
  5. Radi Birol architect 1927–2011
  6. Leman Birol nurse 1931–
  7. Onur Birol researcher
  8. Pınar Birol researcher

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

Is Birol also a first name?

Yes. Birol is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “be one, be unique”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: bir accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: bir accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: olmak 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 Birol

Q1

What does the surname Birol mean?

Birol is a boy’s name made of bir “one” and ol, the imperative of olmak “to be”: “be one”. It is interpreted as “be unique” or “be united”, a good wish for the child. Wish names of this kind, such as Erol, were very popular in the Republican era.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Birol?

Birol is made up of two elements: bir “one; single, unique” (Turkic) and olmak “to be, to become” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Birol?

Bi·rol, 2 syllables; IPA: /biˈɾoɫ/.