SURNAMENo. 4
ADNKS 2025Çelik
“steel; tough, resilient”4
- CategoryMetals and gemstones
- OriginTurkic
- FormPlain noun
#4 The 4th most common surname in Türkiye 717,655 peopleTÜİK ADNKS 20251
- Letters / syllables
- 5 / 2
- Formation
- Plain noun
Contents§1–§17
How do you pronounce Çelik?
The stress usually falls on syllable 2 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.
What does the surname Çelik mean?
Çelik is steel, the iron-carbon alloy that is quenched to make it hard and springy. Figuratively it describes someone tough and resilient, çelik gibi, “like steel”. The word has the same form in Ottoman Turkish and is also a male given name.4
That Çelik goes back to çelik is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.
Çelik is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.
What is Çelik made of?
Çelik is a single root: çelik (steel).
- çelik Turkic — steel; figuratively tough, resilient4
How was the name Çelik formed?
Çelik belongs to the “plain noun” class of surnames.
Which surnames are related to Çelik?
| # | Surname | Relation | Rank | People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Özçelik | same root | – | – |
| 02 | Çeliker | same root | – | – |
| 03 | Çelikel | same root | – | – |
| 04 | Çelikkol | same root | – | – |
| 05 | Çelikbilek | same root | – | – |
| 06 | Sertçelik | same root | – | – |
| 07 | Akçelik | same root | – | – |
| 08 | Çelikkan | same root | – | – |
| 09 | Çelikyurt | same root | – | – |
| 10 | Alçelik | same root | – | – |
| 11 | Çelikay | same root | – | – |
| 12 | Çelikbaş | same root | – | – |
How many people in Türkiye are called Çelik?
Çelik is the fourth most common surname, 159,279 behind Demir and 20,575 ahead of Yıldız.1
Bearers by year
| 2018 | 680,558 |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 688,604 |
| 2020 | 695,044 |
| 2021 | 701,315 |
| 2022 | 706,814 |
| 2023 | 710,598 |
| 2024 | 714,184 |
| 2025 | 717,655 |
Çelik is growing faster than Türkiye’s population: up 37,097 people (5.5%) since 2018, against 5.0% for the population as a whole. Its absolute gain is the fourth largest in the top 10. It has held 4th place every year since 2018.1,2
How has Çelik ranked over the years?
| Year | Rank | People | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 717,655 | +3,471 | [1] |
| 2024 | 4 | 714,184 | +3,586 | [1] |
| 2023 | 4 | 710,598 | +3,784 | [1] |
| 2022 | 4 | 706,814 | +5,499 | [1] |
| 2021 | 4 | 701,315 | +6,271 | [1] |
| 2020 | 4 | 695,044 | +6,440 | [1] |
| 2019 | 4 | 688,604 | +8,046 | [1] |
| 2018 | 4 | 680,558 | – | [1] |
Where in Türkiye is Çelik most common?
Çelik tops the list only in Muş, but is in the top three in 16 provinces.1
- Most common surname (#1) 1
- In the top three (#2–3) 15
- In the province top 30 63
- Not listed
| # | Province | Rank | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Istanbul | 6 | 124,095 |
| 02 | Ankara | 8 | 45,115 |
| 03 | Izmir | 4 | 32,679 |
| 04 | Gaziantep | 6 | 28,814 |
| 05 | Bursa | 7 | 26,020 |
| 06 | Antalya | 4 | 25,177 |
Provinces where it is #1 1
- Muş
How often would you meet a Çelik?
In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect about 8 Çeliks.
In a class of 30, the chance that at least one pupil is a Çelik is about 22%.
717,655 ÷ 86,092,168 × 1,000 ≈ 8.3 1,2
The calculation divides bearers by the 2025 ADNKS population; a real school or class will differ by region.
How does Çelik compare with similar surnames?
Surnames in the “Metals and gemstones” category and the Çelik family:
Çelik is about 82% as common as Demir.
How many people are called Mehmet Çelik?
These are estimates that assume given names and surnames are independent. In reality, families and regions do not choose names independently, so read them as orders of magnitude.
| # | Full name | Estimated people |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Mehmet Çelik | ≈10,602estimate |
| 02 | Fatma Çelik | ≈9,604estimate |
| 03 | Mustafa Çelik | ≈8,816estimate |
| 04 | Ayşe Çelik | ≈7,560estimate |
| 05 | Ahmet Çelik | ≈7,145estimate |
Who are some well-known people named Çelik?
- Zeki Çelik association football player 1997–
- Ömer Çelik politician 1968–
- Mervan Çelik association football player 1990–
- Fırat Çelik actor 1981–
- Sanem Çelik film actor 1980–
- Pelin Çelik volleyball player 1982–
- Öykü Çelik actor 1987–
- Faruk Çelik politician 1956–
People surnamed Çelik as recorded in Wikidata, ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions.
Is Çelik also a first name?
Yes. Çelik is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “steel; tough, resilient”.
Çelik as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →
How is Çelik written and pronounced abroad?
In passports and records outside Turkey Çelik is usually written Celik.
Where do these facts come from?
- 1 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)
- 2 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK ADNKS: Cinsiyete göre nüfus, Türkiye ve 81 il
- 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: çelik
- 4 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: çelik
- 5 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
- 6 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı — En çok kullanılan isimler (ADNKS)
- 7 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)
- 8 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759)
- 9 Natural Earth Natural Earth: Admin-1 boundaries
- 10 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com)
Common questions about Çelik
- Q1
What does the surname Çelik mean?
- Çelik is steel, the iron-carbon alloy that is quenched to make it hard and springy. Figuratively it describes someone tough and resilient, çelik gibi, “like steel”. The word has the same form in Ottoman Turkish and is also a male given name.
- Q2
How many people in Türkiye have the surname Çelik?
- 717,655 people, according to TÜİK ADNKS 2025, which places it at number 4 in Türkiye.
- Q3
In which provinces is Çelik the most common surname?
- In the TÜİK ADNKS 2025 province lists it ranks first in Muş.
- Q4
What is the origin of the surname Çelik?
- The root word of Çelik is çelik (Turkic): “steel; figuratively tough, resilient”.
- Q5
How do you pronounce Çelik?
- Çe·lik, 2 syllables; IPA: /tʃeˈlic/.