Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,529

Kaleci

Kaleci /kaleˈdʒi/

“keeper of the kale; goalkeeper”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 3
Formation
Suffixed
Vowel harmony
mixed
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 Kaleci?

Kaleci

IPA /kaleˈdʒi/

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

What does the surname Kaleci mean?

The word kale “fortress” with the occupational suffix -ci: “one whose work concerns the kale, who guards it”. Today the word means a goalkeeper in ball games. Kale comes from Arabic qalʕa “fort”.1

Grammar kale + -ci

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

Kaleci is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Kaleci made of?

Kaleci is Arabic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: kale (kale: fortress; goal) + -ci (agent / occupation suffix).

Kaleci + root kale kale: fortress; goal ARABIC kale “fortress; goal (ingames)” suffix -ci agent / occupation suffix Kaleci kale root kale: fortress; goal kale ARABIC “fortress; goal (in games)” -ci suffix agent / occupation suffix
Kaleci: parts and root words
  • kale Arabic — fortress; goal (in games)1

How was the name Kaleci formed?

Kaleci was formed by adding the suffix -ci (“agent / occupation suffix”) to kale (“kale: fortress; goal”).

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

Which surnames are related to Kaleci?

Kaleci Kaleli Kalelioğlu Kale Akkale Kala Kalecik Kalecioğlu Türkkalesi
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Kaleli same root – –
02 Kalelioğlu same root – –
03 Kale same root – –
04 Akkale same root – –
05 Kala same root – –
06 Kalecik same root – –
07 Kalecioğlu same root – –
08 Türkkalesi same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Kaleci?

  1. Rahmi Kaleci association football player 1938–2014

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

How is Kaleci written and pronounced abroad?

The name contains no Turkish-specific letters and is written Kaleci in foreign records too.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kale accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: kaleci accessed 9 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: kaleci accessed 9 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Wiktionary: kale accessed 9 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

Common questions about Kaleci

Q1

What does the surname Kaleci mean?

The word kale “fortress” with the occupational suffix -ci: “one whose work concerns the kale, who guards it”. Today the word means a goalkeeper in ball games. Kale comes from Arabic qalʕa “fort”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kaleci?

The root word of Kaleci is kale (Arabic): “fortress; goal (in games)”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kaleci?

Ka·le·ci, 3 syllables; IPA: /kaleˈdʒi/.