Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,598

Derebaşı

Derebaşı /deɾebaˈʃɯ/ ASCII Derebasi

“head of the valley”1

Letters / syllables
8 / 4
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
D
Contents§1–§9
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Abroad
  7. §7Sources
  8. §8Questions
  9. §9Related

How do you pronounce Derebaşı?

Derebaşı

IPA /deɾebaˈʃɯ/

The stress usually falls on syllable 4 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Derebaşı mean?

Derebaşı means the head of a stream or valley, the point where it begins; it is the name of many villages from Aydın to Erzurum. According to Nişanyan, dere is borrowed from Persian dara “valley”, while baş, the head element of the compound, is Turkish.1,2

Grammar Noun compound: dere + baş + possessive -ı

What is Derebaşı made of?

Derebaşı combines Persian and Turkic elements in 2 parts: dere (dere: valley; brook) + başı (baş: head, upper end (+ possessive)).

Derebaşı + root dere dere: valley; brook PERSIAN dere “valley, pass; Persiandara” root başı baş: head, upper end (+possessive) TURKIC baş “head; upper end” Derebaşı dere root dere: valley; brook dere PERSIAN “valley, pass; Persian dara” başı root baş: head, upper end (+ possessive) baş TURKIC “head; upper end”
Derebaşı: parts and root words
  • dere Persian — valley, pass; Persian dara1
  • baş Turkic — head; upper end2

How was the name Derebaşı formed?

Derebaşı was formed by joining dere (“dere: valley; brook”) and başı (“baş: head, upper end (+ possessive)”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.4

Which surnames are related to Derebaşı?

Derebaşı Akbaş Baş Subaşı Başer Kocabaş Erbaş Baştürk Demirbaş Başkan Dereli Başoğlu Dere
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Akbaş same root – –
02 Baş same root – –
03 Subaşı same root – –
04 Başer same root – –
05 Kocabaş same root – –
06 Erbaş same root – –
07 Baştürk same root – –
08 Demirbaş same root – –
09 Başkan same root – –
10 Dereli same root – –
11 Başoğlu same root – –
12 Dere same root – –

How is Derebaşı written and pronounced abroad?

In Derebaşı, ı (dotless i) is usually written i in foreign records; ş (English “sh”) often appears as s, giving forms such as Derebasi.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: dere accessed 9 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: baş accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Derebaşı accessed 9 November 2026
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Derebaşı

Q1

What does the surname Derebaşı mean?

Derebaşı means the head of a stream or valley, the point where it begins; it is the name of many villages from Aydın to Erzurum. According to Nişanyan, dere is borrowed from Persian dara “valley”, while baş, the head element of the compound, is Turkish.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Derebaşı?

Derebaşı is made up of two elements: dere “valley, pass; Persian dara” (Persian) and baş “head; upper end” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Derebaşı?

De·re·ba·şı, 4 syllables; IPA: /deɾebaˈʃɯ/.