Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,059

German

German /ɟeɾˈman/

“fortress; the city of Kirman”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
G
Contents§1–§9
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7Sources
  8. §8Questions
  9. §9Related

How do you pronounce German?

German

IPA /ɟeɾˈman/

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

What does the surname German mean?

Nişanyan’s dictionary of names lists German as a form of Kirman, from Persian kirmān “fortress, citadel”. Kirman is also the name of a city in Iran, and a hero called Kirmanşah appears in Iranian and Anatolian folk tales. The name has nothing to do with English German.1

That German goes back to kirmān is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is German made of?

German is a single Persian root: German (Kirman: fortress; a city in Iran).

German root German Kirman: fortress; a cityin Iran PERSIAN kirmān “fortress, citadel” German German root Kirman: fortress; a city in Iran kirmān PERSIAN “fortress, citadel”
German: parts and root words
  • kirmān Persian — fortress, citadel1

How was the name German formed?

German is the word German (“Kirman: fortress; a city in Iran”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Which surnames are related to German?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Akkerman same root – –

Who are some well-known people named German?

  1. Tülay German singer 1935–
  2. Işıl German singer 1953–2016

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: German 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

Common questions about German

Q1

What does the surname German mean?

Nişanyan’s dictionary of names lists German as a form of Kirman, from Persian kirmān “fortress, citadel”. Kirman is also the name of a city in Iran, and a hero called Kirmanşah appears in Iranian and Anatolian folk tales. The name has nothing to do with English German.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname German?

The root word of German is kirmān (Persian): “fortress, citadel”.
Q3

How do you pronounce German?

Ger·man, 2 syllables; IPA: /ɟeɾˈman/.