Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 881

Cansız

Cansız /dʒanˈsɯz/ ASCII Cansiz

“lifeless; listless, weak”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 2
Formation
Suffixed
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
C
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7Abroad
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Cansız?

Cansız

IPA /dʒanˈsɯz/

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

What does the surname Cansız mean?

Cansız means ‘lifeless’; in everyday speech it also describes someone listless, dull or weak. The surname most likely began as such a nickname. The root can is Persian cān ‘life’, and -sız is the privative suffix ‘without’.1,2

Grammar can + -sız: privative adjective.

That Cansız goes back to cansız and can is probable rather than proven: the dictionaries cited agree on it.

Cansız is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Cansız made of?

Cansız breaks into 2 parts: can (life, soul) + -sız (privative suffix -sIz ‘without’).

Cansız ++ root can life, soul TURKIC cansız “lifeless; inanimate;listless, weak” suffix -sız privative suffix -sIz‘without’ PERSIAN can “life, soul” Cansız can root life, soul cansız TURKIC “lifeless; inanimate; listless,weak” -sız suffix privative suffix -sIz ‘without’ can PERSIAN “life, soul”
Cansız: parts and root words
  • cansız Turkic — lifeless; inanimate; listless, weak1
  • can Persian — life, soul2

How was the name Cansız formed?

Cansız belongs to the “suffixed” class of surnames (can + -sız).

Which surnames are related to Cansız?

Cansız Özcan Can Ercan Demircan Candan Tezcan Karacan Babacan Gürcan Canpolat Arıcan Caner
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Özcan same root 25 233,820
02 Can same root 27 230,085
03 Ercan same root – –
04 Demircan same root – –
05 Candan same root – –
06 Tezcan same root – –
07 Karacan same root – –
08 Babacan same root – –
09 Gürcan same root – –
10 Canpolat same root – –
11 Arıcan same root – –
12 Caner same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Cansız?

  1. Sakine Cansız political activist 1958–2013
  2. Zafer Cansız association football player 1987–
  3. Alparslan Cansız researcher
  4. Erol Cansız researcher

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

How is Cansız written and pronounced abroad?

Outside Turkey the name is often written Cansiz.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: cansız accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: can accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Cansız

Q1

What does the surname Cansız mean?

Cansız means ‘lifeless’; in everyday speech it also describes someone listless, dull or weak. The surname most likely began as such a nickname. The root can is Persian cān ‘life’, and -sız is the privative suffix ‘without’.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Cansız?

The root word of Cansız is cansız (Persian): “lifeless; inanimate; listless, weak”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Cansız?

Can·sız, 2 syllables; IPA: /dʒanˈsɯz/.