Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,506

Kadem

Kadem /kaˈdem/

“good luck; foot, step”1

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

How do you pronounce Kadem?

Kadem

IPA /kaˈdem/

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

What does the surname Kadem mean?

Kadem, from Arabic qadam “foot, step”, also came to mean “good luck” in Turkish, as in kademli olsun, “may it bring luck”. It was also an old unit of length, the foot.1

Kadem is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Kadem made of?

Kadem is a single Arabic root: kadem (qadam: foot; step; good luck).

Kadem root kadem qadam: foot; step; goodluck ARABIC kadem “foot; step; good fortune” Kadem kadem root qadam: foot; step; good luck kadem ARABIC “foot; step; good fortune”
Kadem: parts and root words
  • kadem Arabic — foot; step; good fortune1

How was the name Kadem formed?

Kadem is the word kadem (“qadam: foot; step; good luck”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Who are some well-known people named Kadem?

  1. Burak Kadem university teacher

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

Is Kadem also a first name?

Yes. Kadem is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “good luck; foot, step”.

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

How is Kadem written and pronounced abroad?

The name has no Turkish-specific letters and is written Kadem abroad as well.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: kadem accessed 9 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 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Kadem

Q1

What does the surname Kadem mean?

Kadem, from Arabic qadam “foot, step”, also came to mean “good luck” in Turkish, as in kademli olsun, “may it bring luck”. It was also an old unit of length, the foot.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kadem?

The root word of Kadem is kadem (Arabic): “foot; step; good fortune”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kadem?

Ka·dem, 2 syllables; IPA: /kaˈdem/.