Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,725

İleri

İleri /ileˈɾi/ ASCII Ileri

“forward, advanced”1

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

How do you pronounce İleri?

İleri

IPA /ileˈɾi/

The stress usually falls on syllable 3 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname İleri mean?

İleri is the opposite of geri ‘back’: forward, further ahead. Applied to time it means ‘the future’, and to a society ‘advanced, progressive’. In the early Republic the word stood for the idea of progress and was chosen as a surname.1

İleri is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is İleri made of?

İleri is a single root: ileri (forward; advanced).

İleri root ileri forward; advanced TURKIC ileri “forward, ahead; future;advanced” İleri ileri root forward; advanced ileri TURKIC “forward, ahead; future; advanced”
İleri: parts and root words
  • ileri Turkic — forward, ahead; future; advanced1

How was the name İleri formed?

İleri belongs to the “adjective” class of surnames.

Which surnames are related to İleri?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Hepileri same root – –

Who are some well-known people named İleri?

  1. Gürbey İleri actor 1988–
  2. Selim İleri writer 1949–2025
  3. Özgür İleri association football player 1987–
  4. Celal Nuri İleri politician 1881–1938
  5. Tevfik İleri politician 1911–1961
  6. Suphi Nuri İleri politician 1887–1945
  7. Güler İleri politician 1948–
  8. Mehmet Esat İleri politician 1882–1957

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

How is İleri written and pronounced abroad?

Outside Türkiye the name is often written Ileri in passports and registers that lack Turkish letters.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: ileri 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
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about İleri

Q1

What does the surname İleri mean?

İleri is the opposite of geri ‘back’: forward, further ahead. Applied to time it means ‘the future’, and to a society ‘advanced, progressive’. In the early Republic the word stood for the idea of progress and was chosen as a surname.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname İleri?

The root word of İleri is ileri (Turkic): “forward, ahead; future; advanced”.
Q3

How do you pronounce İleri?

İ·le·ri, 3 syllables; IPA: /ileˈɾi/.