Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,272

Civelek

Civelek /dʒiveˈlek/

“lively, merry, sociable”2

Letters / syllables
7 / 3
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
C
Contents§1–§8
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6Sources
  7. §7Questions
  8. §8Related

How do you pronounce Civelek?

Civelek

IPA /dʒiveˈlek/

The stress usually falls on syllable 3 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Civelek mean?

Civelek describes a lively, playful and sociable person; “a civelek child” conveys an endearing liveliness. In the Ottoman period the word also named young lads newly enrolled in the Janissary corps. A Persian source, javānak ‘young lad’, has been proposed, though the link is not settled.1,2

That Civelek goes back to civelek and cuvānak is probable rather than proven: the dictionaries cited agree on it.

Civelek is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Civelek made of?

Civelek is a single Persian root: civelek (lively, merry, sociable; novice Janissary youth).

Civelek + root civelek lively, merry, sociable;novice Janissary youth OTHER civelek “lively, cheerful,sociable; young recruit…” PERSIAN cuvānak “young lad, diminutive ofjavān ‘young’” Civelek civelek root lively, merry, sociable; noviceJanissary youth civelek OTHER “lively, cheerful, sociable;young recruit of the Janissary…” cuvānak PERSIAN “young lad, diminutive of javān‘young’”
Civelek: parts and root words
  • civelek Other — lively, cheerful, sociable; young recruit of the Janissary corps2
  • cuvānak Persian — young lad, diminutive of javān ‘young’1

How was the name Civelek formed?

Civelek is the word civelek (“lively, merry, sociable; novice Janissary youth”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Who are some well-known people named Civelek?

  1. Nuriye Ulviye Mevlan Civelek journalist 1893–1964
  2. Ramazan Civelek association football player 1996–
  3. İlayda Civelek association football player 1998–
  4. Feyza Civelek television actor 1995–
  5. Emirhan Civelek association football player 2000–
  6. Esengül Civelek statesperson 1958–
  7. Hasan Civelek entomologist 1967–
  8. İsmet Gürbüz Civelek bureaucrat 1958–2003

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 kureansiklopedi.com kureansiklopedi.com: civelek-9a2cf accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikipedi: Civelek accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: civelek 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

Common questions about Civelek

Q1

What does the surname Civelek mean?

Civelek describes a lively, playful and sociable person; “a civelek child” conveys an endearing liveliness. In the Ottoman period the word also named young lads newly enrolled in the Janissary corps. A Persian source, javānak ‘young lad’, has been proposed, though the link is not settled.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Civelek?

The root word of Civelek is civelek (another language): “lively, cheerful, sociable; young recruit of the Janissary corps”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Civelek?

Ci·ve·lek, 3 syllables; IPA: /dʒiveˈlek/.