Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,776

Kaba

Kaba /kaˈba/

“bulky, thickset”2

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

How do you pronounce Kaba?

Kaba

IPA /kaˈba/

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

What does the surname Kaba mean?

Kaba goes back to a root meaning “to swell, to thicken”, and its first sense is “bulky, thick, coarse”: kaba kumaş “coarse cloth”. The meaning “rude, unrefined” developed later. As a nickname it usually describes a big, sturdily built person.2

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

Kaba is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Kaba made of?

Kaba is a single root: kaba (kaba: bulky, thick; coarse; rude).

Kaba + root kaba kaba: bulky, thick;coarse; rude TURKIC kaba “coarse; large-grained;bulky but light; rude” TURKIC kaba “from Proto-Turkic *kāp-‘to swell; thick,…’” Kaba kaba root kaba: bulky, thick; coarse; rude kaba TURKIC “coarse; large-grained; bulky butlight; rude” kaba TURKIC “from Proto-Turkic *kāp- ‘toswell; thick, swollen’”
Kaba: parts and root words
  • kaba Turkic — coarse; large-grained; bulky but light; rude2
  • kaba Turkic — from Proto-Turkic *kāp- “to swell; thick, swollen”2

How was the name Kaba formed?

Kaba belongs to the “adjective” class of surnames.

Which surnames are related to Kaba?

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

Who are some well-known people named Kaba?

  1. Gökhan Kaba association football player 1983–
  2. Ahmed Şahin Kaba judoka 1993–
  3. Yağız Kaba basketball player 1989–
  4. Burhan Kaba association football player 1963–
  5. Necdet Kaba association football player 1985–
  6. Yiğit Gökay Kaba basketball player 2006–
  7. Şenol Kaba association football player 1965–
  8. Diyar Kaba association football player

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: kaba accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: kaba accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Kaba

Q1

What does the surname Kaba mean?

Kaba goes back to a root meaning “to swell, to thicken”, and its first sense is “bulky, thick, coarse”: kaba kumaş “coarse cloth”. The meaning “rude, unrefined” developed later. As a nickname it usually describes a big, sturdily built person.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kaba?

The root word of Kaba is kaba (Turkic): “coarse; large-grained; bulky but light; rude”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kaba?

Ka·ba, 2 syllables; IPA: /kaˈba/.