Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,367

Hoca

Hoca /hoˈdʒa/

“teacher; religious scholar”1

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

How do you pronounce Hoca?

Hoca

IPA /hoˈdʒa/

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

What does the surname Hoca mean?

Hoca comes from Persian χʷāca ‘respected person, master’. In Turkish it is used for a teacher or university lecturer as well as for a religious scholar; in the past wealthy merchants were also called hoca. The surname carries only the word itself.1

Hoca is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Hoca made of?

Hoca is a single Persian root: hoca (hoca: teacher; religious scholar; respected man).

Hoca root hoca hoca: teacher; religiousscholar; respected man PERSIAN hoca “respected person,master; teacher” Hoca hoca root hoca: teacher; religious scholar;respected man hoca PERSIAN “respected person, master;teacher”
Hoca: parts and root words
  • hoca Persian — respected person, master; teacher1

How was the name Hoca formed?

Hoca is the word hoca (“hoca: teacher; religious scholar; respected man”), 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 Hoca?

Hoca Hocaoğlu Karahocagil
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Hocaoğlu same root – –
02 Karahocagil same root – –

How is Hoca written and pronounced abroad?

The spelling Hoca is unchanged in foreign records.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: hoca accessed 9 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: hoca accessed 9 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 Hoca

Q1

What does the surname Hoca mean?

Hoca comes from Persian χʷāca ‘respected person, master’. In Turkish it is used for a teacher or university lecturer as well as for a religious scholar; in the past wealthy merchants were also called hoca. The surname carries only the word itself.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Hoca?

The root word of Hoca is hoca (Persian): “respected person, master; teacher”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Hoca?

Ho·ca, 2 syllables; IPA: /hoˈdʒa/.