Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,483

İşler

İşler /iʃˈleɾ/ ASCII Isler

“hard-working, industrious”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
From a verb
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 İşler?

İşler

IPA /iʃˈleɾ/

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

What does the surname İşler mean?

İşler is the aorist of işlemek: “he works, it functions”. The verb covers both a person or machine at work and the working of metal, wood or embroidery. The surname praises an industrious, capable person; it is not the plural of iş “work”.1

Grammar Aorist third person singular of işlemek (işle- + -r).

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

What is İşler made of?

İşler is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: işle- (işlemek: to work; to process; to embroider) + -r (aorist suffix).

İşler + root işle- işlemek: to work; toprocess; to embroider TURKIC işlemek “to work, function; towork (a material),…” suffix -r aorist suffix İşler işle- root işlemek: to work; to process; toembroider işlemek TURKIC “to work, function; to work (amaterial), embroider” -r suffix aorist suffix
İşler: parts and root words
  • işlemek Turkic — to work, function; to work (a material), embroider1

How was the name İşler formed?

İşler was formed by adding the suffix -r (“aorist suffix”) to the verb stem işle- (“işlemek: to work; to process; to embroider”).

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

Which surnames are related to İşler?

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

Who are some well-known people named İşler?

  1. Nejat İşler actor 1972–
  2. Cenk İşler association football player 1974–
  3. Emrullah İşler politician 1960–
  4. Cihan İşler researcher
  5. Mehmet İşler researcher
  6. Ozan İşler researcher
  7. Volkan İşler computer scientist
  8. Yalçın İşler researcher

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

How is İşler written and pronounced abroad?

Without Turkish letters the name is printed Isler in English-language records.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Wiktionary: işlemek 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 İşler

Q1

What does the surname İşler mean?

İşler is the aorist of işlemek: “he works, it functions”. The verb covers both a person or machine at work and the working of metal, wood or embroidery. The surname praises an industrious, capable person; it is not the plural of iş “work”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname İşler?

The root word of İşler is işlemek (Turkic): “to work, function; to work (a material), embroider”.
Q3

How do you pronounce İşler?

İş·ler, 2 syllables; IPA: /iʃˈleɾ/.