Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,863

Erel

Erel /eˈɾel/

“land of heroes”1

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

How do you pronounce Erel?

Erel

IPA /eˈɾel/

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

What does the surname Erel mean?

Erel is built from er ‘hero’ and el ‘land, people’, understood as ‘land of heroes’ or ‘a brave people’. It follows the pattern of 1934-style surnames in -el such as Demirel, Yücel and Gürel.1,2

Grammar er + el: noun compound.

That Erel goes back to er and el is probable rather than proven: the dictionaries cited agree on it.

What is Erel made of?

Erel is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: er (man, hero) + el (land; people).

Erel ++ first element er man, hero TURKIC er “man; hero” suffix el land; people TURKIC el “homeland; people” Erel er first element man, hero er TURKIC “man; hero” el suffix land; people el TURKIC “homeland; people”
Erel: parts and root words
  • er Turkic — man; hero1
  • el Turkic — homeland; people2

How was the name Erel formed?

Erel was formed by adding the suffix el (“land; people”) to er (“man, hero”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.8

Who are some well-known people named Erel?

  1. Yankı Erel tennis player 2000–
  2. Hakkı Şinasi Erel politician 1871–1941
  3. Ayhan Erel politician 1957–
  4. Korhan Erel musician 1973–
  5. Aydın Erel academic 1949–2010
  6. Muhiddin Erel academic 1889–1986
  7. Ahmet Rasim Erel politician 1899–1961
  8. Atilla Erel association football player 1991–

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

Is Erel also a first name?

Yes. Erel is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “land of heroes”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: er accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: el accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikipedi: Erel accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: er accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: el accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Erel accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  8. 8 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  9. 9 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Erel

Q1

What does the surname Erel mean?

Erel is built from er ‘hero’ and el ‘land, people’, understood as ‘land of heroes’ or ‘a brave people’. It follows the pattern of 1934-style surnames in -el such as Demirel, Yücel and Gürel.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Erel?

Erel is made up of two elements: er “man; hero” (Turkic) and el “homeland; people” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Erel?

E·rel, 2 syllables; IPA: /eˈɾel/.