Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,104

Boyar

Boyar /boˈjaɾ/

“who dyes”1

Probable origin Boyar: root entries for boyamak + boyar · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
From a verb
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
B
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How do you pronounce Boyar?

Boyar

IPA /boˈjaɾ/

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

What does the surname Boyar mean?

Boyar is the aorist of boyamak, “to dye, to paint”: “he dyes, gives colour”; the dictionary also lists it as an adjective meaning “that dyes, colouring”. The surname most likely goes back to a name for a craftsman who dyed cloth or wool. It follows the same aorist pattern as Güler and Sever.1

Grammar boya- + aorist -r.

That Boyar goes back to boyamak and boyar is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

Boyar is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Boyar made of?

Boyar is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: boya- (boyamak “to dye, to paint”) + -r (aorist).

Boyar ++ root boya- boyamak “to dye, topaint” TURKIC boyamak “to dye, to paint” suffix -r aorist TURKIC boyar “that dyes; aorist ofboyamak” Boyar boya- root boyamak “to dye, to paint” boyamak TURKIC “to dye, to paint” -r suffix aorist boyar TURKIC “that dyes; aorist of boyamak”
Boyar: parts and root words
  • boyamak Turkic — to dye, to paint1
  • boyar Turkic — that dyes; aorist of boyamak1

How was the name Boyar formed?

Boyar was formed by adding the suffix -r (“aorist”) to the verb stem boya- (“boyamak “to dye, to paint””).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.3

Which surnames are related to Boyar?

Boyar Boyacı Boyacıoğlu Boyacıyan Boya
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Boyacı same root – –
02 Boyacıoğlu same root – –
03 Boyacıyan same root – –
04 Boya same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Boyar?

  1. Ali Sami Boyar painter 1880–1967
  2. Recep Sermet Boyar association football player 1972–
  3. Selim Pertev Boyar author 1897–1981
  4. Şenol Boyar handball player 1984–
  5. Barış Boyar badminton player 1979–
  6. Yavuz Buğra Boyar association football player 1998–

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

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Boyar?

Boyacı, Boyacıoğlu and Boyacıyan share gloss keywords with Boyar within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Boyar?

Read the root, formation and register information for Boyar 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 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: boyar
  2. 2 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
  3. 3 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)

Common questions about Boyar

Q1

What does the surname Boyar mean?

Boyar is the aorist of boyamak, “to dye, to paint”: “he dyes, gives colour”; the dictionary also lists it as an adjective meaning “that dyes, colouring”. The surname most likely goes back to a name for a craftsman who dyed cloth or wool. It follows the same aorist pattern as Güler and Sever.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Boyar?

The root word of Boyar is boyamak (Turkic): “to dye, to paint”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Boyar?

Bo·yar, 2 syllables; IPA: /boˈjaɾ/.