Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,807

Emir

Emir /eˈmiɾ/

“commander, prince (given name)”1

Letters / syllables
4 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
E
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7As a first name
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Emir?

Emir

IPA /eˈmiɾ/

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

What does the surname Emir mean?

Emir is a man’s name from Arabic amīr, “commander, ruler, lord”; historically the head of many principalities and states was called emir. Today it is among the most popular boys’ names in Türkiye. The emir meaning “order, command” is a separate word, from Arabic amr.1

That Emir goes back to amīr and emir is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is Emir made of?

Emir is a single Arabic root: Emir (Emir: Arabic amīr “commander, prince”; man’s name).

Emir + root Emir Emir: Arabic amīr“commander, prince”;… ARABIC amīr “commander, ruler, prince” ARABIC emir “order, command (Arabicamr)” Emir Emir root Emir: Arabic amīr “commander, prince”;man’s name amīr ARABIC “commander, ruler, prince” emir ARABIC “order, command (Arabic amr)”
Emir: parts and root words
  • amīr Arabic — commander, ruler, prince1
  • emir Arabic — order, command (Arabic amr)1

How was the name Emir formed?

Emir is the word Emir (“Emir: Arabic amīr “commander, prince”; man’s name”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Which surnames are related to Emir?

Emir Emiroğlu Emirtekin Emirgil Emîrî
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Emiroğlu same root – –
02 Emirtekin same root – –
03 Emirgil same root – –
04 Emîrî same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Emir?

  1. Hüseyin Hüsnü Emir Erkilet military attaché 1883–1954
  2. Murat Emir politician 1969–
  3. Güneş Emir actor 1985–
  4. Emirhan Emir association football player 1997–
  5. Şemsettin Emir statesperson
  6. Muhammet Mahmut Emir association football player 1995–

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

Is Emir also a first name?

Yes. Emir is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “commander, prince (given name)”.

Emir as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: emir accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Emir accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: emir 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
  6. 6 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Emir

Q1

What does the surname Emir mean?

Emir is a man’s name from Arabic amīr, “commander, ruler, lord”; historically the head of many principalities and states was called emir. Today it is among the most popular boys’ names in Türkiye. The emir meaning “order, command” is a separate word, from Arabic amr.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Emir?

The root word of Emir is amīr (Arabic): “commander, ruler, prince”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Emir?

E·mir, 2 syllables; IPA: /eˈmiɾ/.