Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,103

Defterli

Defterli /defteɾˈli/

“having a register”1

Letters / syllables
8 / 3
Formation
Suffixed
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
D
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 Defterli?

Defterli

IPA /defteɾˈli/

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

What does the surname Defterli mean?

The name is defter ‘notebook, register’ with the suffix -li: ‘having a register, connected with the register’. Nişanyan derives defter from Arabic daftar ‘register, codex’, which goes back through Middle Persian and Aramaic to Ancient Greek diphthéra ‘tanned hide, writing skin’. No source says in which sense the surname was taken.1

Grammar defter + -li.

That Defterli goes back to defter is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is Defterli made of?

Defterli breaks into 2 parts: defter (notebook; register) + -li (suffix ‘having, related to’).

Defterli + root defter notebook; register ARABIC defter “register, codex” suffix -li suffix ‘having, relatedto’ Defterli defter root notebook; register defter ARABIC “register, codex” -li suffix suffix ‘having, related to’
Defterli: parts and root words
  • defter Arabic — register, codex1

How was the name Defterli formed?

Defterli belongs to the “suffixed” class of surnames (defter + -li).

Who are some well-known people named Defterli?

  1. Bilgin Defterli association football player 1980–

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: defter accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Defterli

Q1

What does the surname Defterli mean?

The name is defter ‘notebook, register’ with the suffix -li: ‘having a register, connected with the register’. Nişanyan derives defter from Arabic daftar ‘register, codex’, which goes back through Middle Persian and Aramaic to Ancient Greek diphthéra ‘tanned hide, writing skin’. No source says in which sense the surname was taken.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Defterli?

The root word of Defterli is defter (Arabic): “register, codex”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Defterli?

Def·ter·li, 3 syllables; IPA: /defteɾˈli/.