Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,929

Ersel

Ersel /eɾˈsel/

“man like a torrent”2

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
E
Contents§1–§11
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7As a first name
  8. §8Abroad
  9. §9Sources
  10. §10Questions
  11. §11Related

How do you pronounce Ersel?

Ersel

IPA /eɾˈsel/

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

What does the surname Ersel mean?

A male name from er ‘man, brave man’ and sel. Sel ‘torrent’ is from Arabic sayl; the name reads ‘a man like a torrent’. The same element appears in Gürsel.1,2

Grammar er + sel.

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

What is Ersel made of?

Ersel combines Turkic and Arabic elements in 2 parts: er (er: man, brave man) + sel (sel: torrent, flood).

Ersel + first element er er: man, brave man TURKIC er “man” root sel sel: torrent, flood ARABIC sel “torrent, flood” Ersel er first element er: man, brave man er TURKIC “man” sel root sel: torrent, flood sel ARABIC “torrent, flood”
Ersel: parts and root words
  • er Turkic — man2
  • sel Arabic — torrent, flood1

How was the name Ersel formed?

Ersel was formed by joining er (“er: man, brave man”) and sel (“sel: torrent, flood”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.4

Which surnames are related to Ersel?

Ersel Gürsel Tansel Baransel Selcan Cansel
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Gürsel same root – –
02 Tansel same root – –
03 Baransel same root – –
04 Selcan same root – –
05 Cansel same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Ersel?

  1. Hasan Ersel economist 1946–2025

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

Is Ersel also a first name?

Yes. Ersel is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “man like a torrent”.

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

How is Ersel written and pronounced abroad?

The spelling Ersel is unchanged in foreign records.

Where do these facts come from?

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

Common questions about Ersel

Q1

What does the surname Ersel mean?

A male name from er ‘man, brave man’ and sel. Sel ‘torrent’ is from Arabic sayl; the name reads ‘a man like a torrent’. The same element appears in Gürsel.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Ersel?

Ersel is made up of two elements: er “man” (Turkic) and sel “torrent, flood” (Arabic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Ersel?

Er·sel, 2 syllables; IPA: /eɾˈsel/.