Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,907

Erken

Erken /eɾˈken/

“early”1

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

How do you pronounce Erken?

Erken

IPA /eɾˈken/

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

What does the surname Erken mean?

Erken means ‘early’, before the usual time or in the first hours of the morning; it is the opposite of geç ‘late’. It goes back to the old Turkic root er ‘early’. As a surname it may come from a nickname for an early riser.1

Erken is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Erken made of?

Erken is a single Turkic root: erken (early).

Erken + root erken early TURKIC erken “early; early in themorning” TURKIC erken “early” Erken erken root early erken TURKIC “early; early in the morning” erken TURKIC “early”
Erken: parts and root words
  • erken Turkic — early; early in the morning1
  • erken Turkic — early1

How was the name Erken formed?

Erken is the adjective erken (“early”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Who are some well-known people named Erken?

  1. Ece Erken actor 1978–
  2. Birgül Erken swimmer 1972–
  3. Saim Erken painter 1965–
  4. Sezayi Erken photographer 1978–
  5. Burak Erken researcher
  6. Ertuğrul Erken researcher

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: erken accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: erken accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: erken 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

Common questions about Erken

Q1

What does the surname Erken mean?

Erken means ‘early’, before the usual time or in the first hours of the morning; it is the opposite of geç ‘late’. It goes back to the old Turkic root er ‘early’. As a surname it may come from a nickname for an early riser.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Erken?

The root word of Erken is erken (Turkic): “early; early in the morning”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Erken?

Er·ken, 2 syllables; IPA: /eɾˈken/.