Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,631

İşlek

İşlek /iʃˈlek/ ASCII Islek

“busy, lively”1

Established origin İşlek: root entries for işlek · How do we know?

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Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Adjective
Vowel harmony
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Initial
İ
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How do you pronounce İşlek?

İşlek

IPA /iʃˈlek/

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

What does the surname İşlek mean?

İşlek means busy, lively, much frequented, as in işlek bir cadde, “a busy street”. Fluent, quickly written but legible handwriting is also called işlek yazı. Nişanyan’s dictionary traces it to the Old Turkic verb işle-, “to work”, and that to iş, “work”.1

Grammar işle- + -k.

İşlek is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is İşlek made of?

İşlek is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: işle- (işlemek: to work) + -k (adjective-forming suffix).

İşlek + root işle- işlemek: to work TURKIC işlek “busy, lively; fluent(handwriting)” suffix -k adjective-forming suffix İşlek işle- root işlemek: to work işlek TURKIC “busy, lively; fluent(handwriting)” -k suffix adjective-forming suffix
İşlek: parts and root words
  • işlek Turkic — busy, lively; fluent (handwriting)1

How was the name İşlek formed?

İşlek was formed by adding the suffix -k (“adjective-forming suffix”) to işle- (“işlemek: to work”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.5

Which surnames are related to İşlek?

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

Who are some well-known people named İşlek?

  1. Yasin İşlek film actor 1988–
  2. Akif İşlek researcher
  3. Ali İşlek researcher
  4. Burak İşlek researcher

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

How is İşlek written and pronounced abroad?

Outside Turkey the name is often written Islek.

Which surnames have a meaning similar to İşlek?

Aşkın, Boluğur and Enuğur share gloss keywords with İşlek within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to İşlek?

Read the root, formation and register information for İşlek alongside these guides: How to Pronounce and Spell Turkish Surnames and How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.

Where do these facts come from?

All sources accessed 8 November 2026

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: işlek
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: işlek
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: işlek
  4. 4 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)

Common questions about İşlek

Q1

What does the surname İşlek mean?

İşlek means busy, lively, much frequented, as in işlek bir cadde, “a busy street”. Fluent, quickly written but legible handwriting is also called işlek yazı. Nişanyan’s dictionary traces it to the Old Turkic verb işle-, “to work”, and that to iş, “work”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname İşlek?

The root word of İşlek is işlek (Turkic): “busy, lively; fluent (handwriting)”.
Q3

How do you pronounce İşlek?

İş·lek, 2 syllables; IPA: /iʃˈlek/.