Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,796

Kalafat

Kalafat /kaɫaˈfat/

“caulking; an Ottoman headdress”1

Letters / syllables
7 / 3
Formation
Plain noun
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 Kalafat?

Kalafat

IPA /kaɫaˈfat/

The stress usually falls on syllable 3 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Kalafat mean?

Kalafat is caulking: filling the seams of a ship’s planking with oakum and pitch to make it watertight; the craftsman is a kalafatçı. The nautical word comes from Greek kalafátis ‘caulker’. In Ottoman the same word also named a tall headdress, wider at the top, worn by janissaries and viziers.1

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. Seafaring reading: kalafat ‘caulking’, from Greek kalafátis ‘caulker’ (Wiktionary).
  2. Dress reading: kalafat, the headdress of janissaries and viziers (Wiktionary).

Kalafat is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Kalafat made of?

Kalafat is a single root: kalafat (caulking; a kind of headgear).

Kalafat + root kalafat caulking; a kind ofheadgear GREEK kalafat “caulking a ship’s seams;repair; from Greek…” OTHER kalafat “headgear worn byjanissaries and Ottoman…” Kalafat kalafat root caulking; a kind of headgear kalafat GREEK “caulking a ship’s seams; repair;from Greek kalafátis” kalafat OTHER “headgear worn by janissaries andOttoman dignitaries”
Kalafat: parts and root words
  • kalafat Greek — caulking a ship’s seams; repair; from Greek kalafátis1
  • kalafat Other — headgear worn by janissaries and Ottoman dignitaries1

How was the name Kalafat formed?

Kalafat belongs to the “plain noun” class of surnames.

Which surnames are related to Kalafat?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Kalafatoğlu same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Kalafat?

  1. Kerem Kalafat association football player 2001–
  2. Onur Kalafat association football player 1984–
  3. Emin Kalafat politician 1902–1984
  4. Kaan Kalafat association football player 2001–
  5. Orhan Kalafat association football player 1982–
  6. Cem Emrah Kalafat researcher
  7. Doğan Kalafat researcher
  8. Erkan Kalafat researcher

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: kalafat 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
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Kalafat

Q1

What does the surname Kalafat mean?

Kalafat is caulking: filling the seams of a ship’s planking with oakum and pitch to make it watertight; the craftsman is a kalafatçı. The nautical word comes from Greek kalafátis ‘caulker’. In Ottoman the same word also named a tall headdress, wider at the top, worn by janissaries and viziers.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kalafat?

The root word of Kalafat is kalafat (Greek): “caulking a ship’s seams; repair; from Greek kalafátis”. There are 3 competing views on where Kalafat comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kalafat?

Ka·la·fat, 3 syllables; IPA: /kaɫaˈfat/.