Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,539

Delen

Delen /deˈlen/

“piercing, breaking through”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
From a verb
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
D
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 Delen?

Delen

IPA /deˈlen/

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

What does the surname Delen mean?

Delen is the present participle of delmek ‘to pierce’: ‘piercing, breaking through’. Like other participle names such as Yener or Aşan, it describes someone who breaks through an obstacle.1

Grammar del- + -en (present participle).

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

What is Delen made of?

Delen is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: del- (delmek: to pierce, to bore) + -en (present participle suffix).

Delen + root del- delmek: to pierce, tobore TURKIC delmek “to pierce, to borethrough” suffix -en present participle suffix Delen del- root delmek: to pierce, to bore delmek TURKIC “to pierce, to bore through” -en suffix present participle suffix
Delen: parts and root words
  • delmek Turkic — to pierce, to bore through1

How was the name Delen formed?

Delen was formed by adding the suffix -en (“present participle suffix”) to the verb stem del- (“delmek: to pierce, to bore”).

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

Which surnames are related to Delen?

Delen Dağdelen Taşdelen Öztaşdelen Dağdelenler Demirdelen Kayadelen Taşdeler
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Dağdelen same root – –
02 Taşdelen same root – –
03 Öztaşdelen same root – –
04 Dağdelenler same root – –
05 Demirdelen same root – –
06 Kayadelen same root – –
07 Taşdeler same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Delen?

  1. Nazım Delen badminton player 1997–

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

How is Delen written and pronounced abroad?

The spelling Delen is unchanged in foreign records.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: delmek accessed 9 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

Common questions about Delen

Q1

What does the surname Delen mean?

Delen is the present participle of delmek ‘to pierce’: ‘piercing, breaking through’. Like other participle names such as Yener or Aşan, it describes someone who breaks through an obstacle.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Delen?

The root word of Delen is delmek (Turkic): “to pierce, to bore through”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Delen?

De·len, 2 syllables; IPA: /deˈlen/.