Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,827

Efeoğlu

Efeoğlu /efeoːˈɫu/ ASCII Efeoglu

“son of the efe (hero)”1

Probable origin Efeoğlu: root entries for efe + oğul · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
7 / 4
Formation
Patronymic
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
E
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How do you pronounce Efeoğlu?

Efeoğlu

IPA /efeoːˈɫu/

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

What does the surname Efeoğlu mean?

Efe is the title of a zeybek leader and village hero in western Anatolia, and in some dialects means “elder brother”. Nişanyan notes it may come from a nursery word. Efeoğlu adds -oğlu, “son of”.1,2

Grammar efe + -oğlu

That Efeoğlu goes back to efe and oğul is probable rather than proven: the dictionaries cited agree on it.

What is Efeoğlu made of?

Efeoğlu is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: efe (efe: village hero of western Anatolia, zeybek leader; elder brother) + -oğlu (oğul: son; lineage element).

Efeoğlu ++ root efe efe: village hero ofwestern Anatolia, zeybek… TURKIC efe “brave fellow, zeybek;elder brother” suffix -oğlu oğul: son; lineageelement TURKIC oğul “son, offspring” Efeoğlu efe root efe: village hero of western Anatolia,zeybek leader; elder brother efe TURKIC “brave fellow, zeybek; elderbrother” -oğlu suffix oğul: son; lineage element oğul TURKIC “son, offspring”
Efeoğlu: parts and root words
  • efe Turkic — brave fellow, zeybek; elder brother1
  • oğul Turkic — son, offspring2

How was the name Efeoğlu formed?

Efeoğlu was formed by adding -oğlu, “son of”, to efe (“efe: village hero of western Anatolia, zeybek leader; elder brother”).

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

Which surnames are related to Efeoğlu?

Efeoğlu Efe Kocaefe Canefe Efemgil
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Efe same root – –
02 Kocaefe same root – –
03 Canefe same root – –
04 Efemgil same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Efeoğlu?

  1. Karahan Tuan Efeoğlu basketball player 2004–

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

How is Efeoğlu written and pronounced abroad?

In passports and records without Turkish letters it usually appears as Efeoglu.

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Efeoğlu?

Boralıoğlu, Büyüktürkoğlu and Ceylanoğlu share gloss keywords with Efeoğlu within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Efeoğlu?

Read the root, formation and register information for Efeoğlu alongside these guides: How Turkish Surnames Are Formed: Roots and Suffixes and How to Pronounce and Spell Turkish Surnames.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: efe accessed 9 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: oğul accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 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 Efeoğlu

Q1

What does the surname Efeoğlu mean?

Efe is the title of a zeybek leader and village hero in western Anatolia, and in some dialects means “elder brother”. Nişanyan notes it may come from a nursery word. Efeoğlu adds -oğlu, “son of”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Efeoğlu?

Efeoğlu is made up of two elements: efe “brave fellow, zeybek; elder brother” (Turkic) and oğul “son, offspring” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Efeoğlu?

E·fe·oğ·lu, 4 syllables; IPA: /efeoːˈɫu/.