Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,919

Erciyes

Erciyes /eɾdʒiˈjes/

“Mount Erciyes”1

Established origin Erciyes: root entries for Argaios · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
7 / 3
Formation
Place name
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
E
Cite and share
Download card

How do you pronounce Erciyes?

Erciyes

IPA /eɾdʒiˈjes/

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

What does the surname Erciyes mean?

Erciyes is the extinct volcano rising just south of Kayseri. According to Nişanyan Adlar the name adapts the ancient Greek Argaios ‘white (mountain)’, recorded since antiquity, which reached Turkish through Arabic.1

What is Erciyes made of?

Erciyes is a single Greek root: Erciyes (Erciyes: mountain near Kayseri).

Erciyes root Erciyes Erciyes: mountain nearKayseri GREEK Argaios “ancient name of MountErciyes, ‘white…’” Erciyes Erciyes root Erciyes: mountain near Kayseri Argaios GREEK “ancient name of Mount Erciyes,‘white (mountain)’”
Erciyes: parts and root words
  • Argaios Greek — ancient name of Mount Erciyes, ‘white (mountain)’1

How was the name Erciyes formed?

Erciyes comes from a place name: Erciyes (“Erciyes: mountain near Kayseri”).

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

Who are some well-known people named Erciyes?

  1. Kayhan Erciyes researcher 1956–
  2. Çağatay Erciyes diplomat 1966–
  3. Demet Erciyes researcher

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

Is Erciyes also a first name?

Yes. Erciyes is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “Mount Erciyes”.

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

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Erciyes?

Ilgaz, Alpsakarya and Babadağ share gloss keywords with Erciyes within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Erciyes?

Read the root, formation and register information for Erciyes alongside this guide: How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Erciyes 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 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Erciyes

Q1

What does the surname Erciyes mean?

Erciyes is the extinct volcano rising just south of Kayseri. According to Nişanyan Adlar the name adapts the ancient Greek Argaios ‘white (mountain)’, recorded since antiquity, which reached Turkish through Arabic.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Erciyes?

The root word of Erciyes is Argaios (Greek): “ancient name of Mount Erciyes, ‘white (mountain)’”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Erciyes?

Er·ci·yes, 3 syllables; IPA: /eɾdʒiˈjes/.