Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,523

Kalafatoğlu

Kalafatoğlu /kaɫafatoˈɫu/ ASCII Kalafatoglu

“son of Kalafat (caulking)”1

Letters / syllables
11 / 5
Formation
Patronymic
Vowel harmony
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Initial
K
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 Kalafatoğlu?

Kalafatoğlu

IPA /kaɫafatoˈɫu/

The stress usually falls on syllable 5 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Kalafatoğlu mean?

Kalafatoğlu is formed from kalafat with -oğlu. Kalafat is the caulking of a ship’s seams with oakum and pitch; according to Nişanyan, the word was borrowed from Middle Greek kalafátis, “caulker”, which goes back to Late Latin calefactor. Turkish also has a word kalafat of the same spelling for a headdress worn by Janissaries and high officials.1

Grammar kalafat + -oğlu.

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. The shipbuilding term kalafat “caulking” (Middle Greek kalafátis).
  2. The kalafat headdress worn by Janissaries and officials.

What is Kalafatoğlu made of?

Kalafatoğlu is Greek in origin and breaks into 2 parts: kalafat (caulking; or a kind of headdress) + -oğlu (son of).

Kalafatoğlu ++ root kalafat caulking; or a kind ofheaddress GREEK kalafat “caulking a ship’s seams(Middle Greek kalafátis)” suffix -oğlu son of OTHER kalafat “a headdress worn byJanissaries and high…” Kalafatoğlu kalafat root caulking; or a kind of headdress kalafat GREEK “caulking a ship’s seams (MiddleGreek kalafátis)” -oğlu suffix son of kalafat OTHER “a headdress worn by Janissariesand high officials”
Kalafatoğlu: parts and root words
  • kalafat Greek — caulking a ship’s seams (Middle Greek kalafátis)1
  • kalafat Other — a headdress worn by Janissaries and high officials1

How was the name Kalafatoğlu formed?

Kalafatoğlu was formed by adding -oğlu, “son of”, to kalafat (“caulking; or a kind of headdress”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.4

Which surnames are related to Kalafatoğlu?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Kalafat same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Kalafatoğlu?

  1. Mustafa Kalafatoğlu association football player 1969–
  2. Süleyman Kalafatoğlu association football player 1963–
  3. Serdar Kalafatoğlu film score composer

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

How is Kalafatoğlu written and pronounced abroad?

Outside Turkey Kalafatoğlu is usually written Kalafatoglu.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kalafat accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: kalafat 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

Common questions about Kalafatoğlu

Q1

What does the surname Kalafatoğlu mean?

Kalafatoğlu is formed from kalafat with -oğlu. Kalafat is the caulking of a ship’s seams with oakum and pitch; according to Nişanyan, the word was borrowed from Middle Greek kalafátis, “caulker”, which goes back to Late Latin calefactor. Turkish also has a word kalafat of the same spelling for a headdress worn by Janissaries and high officials.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kalafatoğlu?

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

How do you pronounce Kalafatoğlu?

Ka·la·fa·toğ·lu, 5 syllables; IPA: /kaɫafatoˈɫu/.