Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,493

Kaan

Kaan /kaˈan/

“khagan, sovereign”2

Letters / syllables
4 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
K
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7As a first name
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Kaan?

Kaan

IPA /kaˈan/

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

What does the surname Kaan mean?

Kaan is a form of kağan, the title of the supreme ruler above the khans in old Turkic states, with the ğ dropped. The title appears as qaġan in the Orkhon inscriptions, and Altai uses the form kaan as well. Today it is a common male given name.2

Grammar kağan with the ğ dropped

What is Kaan made of?

Kaan is a single Turkic root: kaan (khagan, sovereign).

Kaan root kaan khagan, sovereign TURKIC kağan “supreme ruler of oldTurkic states; Old…” Kaan kaan root khagan, sovereign kağan TURKIC “supreme ruler of old Turkicstates; Old Turkic qaġan”
Kaan: parts and root words
  • kağan Turkic — supreme ruler of old Turkic states; Old Turkic qaġan2

How was the name Kaan formed?

Kaan is the word kaan (“khagan, sovereign”), taken unchanged as a surname.

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.6

Which surnames are related to Kaan?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Kan same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Kaan?

  1. Demir Kaan basketball player 1970–
  2. Gültekin Kaan singer 1969–
  3. Oğuz Kaan Salıcı politician 1972–
  4. Cihan Kaan musician 1976–
  5. Gül Kaan association football player 1994–
  6. Karaca Kaan actor 1958–
  7. Kartal Kaan musician

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

Is Kaan also a first name?

Yes. Kaan is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “khagan, sovereign”.

Kaan as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikipedi: Kaan (isim) accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: kağan accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: kağan accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Kaan accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Kaan

Q1

What does the surname Kaan mean?

Kaan is a form of kağan, the title of the supreme ruler above the khans in old Turkic states, with the ğ dropped. The title appears as qaġan in the Orkhon inscriptions, and Altai uses the form kaan as well. Today it is a common male given name.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kaan?

The root word of Kaan is kağan (Turkic): “supreme ruler of old Turkic states; Old Turkic qaġan”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kaan?

Ka·an, 2 syllables; IPA: /kaˈan/.