Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,909

Erkin

Erkin /eɾˈkin/

“free, independent”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Adjective
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 Erkin?

Erkin

IPA /eɾˈkin/

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

What does the surname Erkin mean?

Erkin means ‘free, independent, bound to no one’. It entered Turkish from the Turkic languages of Central Asia and spread during the language reform as a native word for hür ‘free’. Today it is used as both a male and a female given name.1

Grammar Adjective, analysed as erk ‘power’ + -in.

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. English Wiktionary derives the word from Proto-Turkic *erk ‘power’.
  2. Nişanyan Adlar notes that the word appears to have entered the Turkic languages from Mongolian.

Erkin is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Erkin made of?

Erkin is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: erk (power, authority) + -in (derivational suffix).

Erkin ++ root erk power, authority TURKIC erkin “free, independent” suffix -in derivational suffix TURKIC erk “power, authority” Erkin erk root power, authority erkin TURKIC “free, independent” -in suffix derivational suffix erk TURKIC “power, authority”
Erkin: parts and root words
  • erkin Turkic — free, independent1
  • erk Turkic — power, authority1

How was the name Erkin formed?

Erkin was formed by adding the suffix -in (“derivational suffix”) to erk (“power, authority”).

According to Nişanyan Adlar, during the Surname Law period Atatürk gave the surname Erkin to Behiç Bey (1876–1961), one of the ministers of the time.1

Which surnames are related to Erkin?

Erkin Erkmen Erkal Erk Erke Erkiner Erkman Erksan Özerk
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Erkmen same root – –
02 Erkal same root – –
03 Erk same root – –
04 Erke same root – –
05 Erkiner same root – –
06 Erkman same root – –
07 Erksan same root – –
08 Özerk same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Erkin?

  1. Caner Erkin association football player 1988–
  2. Ulvi Cemal Erkin composer 1906–1972
  3. Behiç Erkin politician 1876–1961
  4. Ferhunde Erkin pianist 1909–2007
  5. Feridun Cemal Erkin politician 1899–1980
  6. Sermet Erkin film actor 1957–
  7. Rukiye Erkin housewife 1911–1995
  8. Faruk Erkin basketball player

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

Is Erkin also a first name?

Yes. Erkin is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “free, independent”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Erkin accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: erkin accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: erkin 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 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Erkin

Q1

What does the surname Erkin mean?

Erkin means ‘free, independent, bound to no one’. It entered Turkish from the Turkic languages of Central Asia and spread during the language reform as a native word for hür ‘free’. Today it is used as both a male and a female given name.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Erkin?

The root word of Erkin is erk (Turkic): “power, authority”. There are 3 competing views on where Erkin comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Erkin?

Er·kin, 2 syllables; IPA: /eɾˈkin/.