Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,535

Kalemli

Kalemli /kalemˈli/

“one who holds the pen”1

Letters / syllables
7 / 3
Formation
Suffixed
Vowel harmony
mixed
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 Kalemli?

Kalemli

IPA /kalemˈli/

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

What does the surname Kalemli mean?

Kalemli means ‘having a pen, one who holds the pen’. Kalem, according to Nişanyan, comes from Arabic qalam ‘reed pen’, which goes back through Aramaic to Greek kálamos ‘reed’. In Ottoman usage kalem also meant the office where written business was done.1

Grammar kalem + -li.

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

What is Kalemli made of?

Kalemli is Arabic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: kalem (pen; office) + -lı (from; having).

Kalemli + root kalem pen; office ARABIC kalem “reed pen; Arabic qalam” suffix -lı from; having Kalemli kalem root pen; office kalem ARABIC “reed pen; Arabic qalam” -lı suffix from; having
Kalemli: parts and root words
  • kalem Arabic — reed pen; Arabic qalam1

How was the name Kalemli formed?

Kalemli was formed by adding the suffix -lı (“from; having”) to kalem (“pen; office”).

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

Which surnames are related to Kalemli?

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

Who are some well-known people named Kalemli?

  1. Mustafa Kalemli politician 1943–
  2. Şebnem Kalemli-Özcan economist 1974–

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kalem 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

Common questions about Kalemli

Q1

What does the surname Kalemli mean?

Kalemli means ‘having a pen, one who holds the pen’. Kalem, according to Nişanyan, comes from Arabic qalam ‘reed pen’, which goes back through Aramaic to Greek kálamos ‘reed’. In Ottoman usage kalem also meant the office where written business was done.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kalemli?

The root word of Kalemli is kalem (Arabic): “reed pen; Arabic qalam”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kalemli?

Ka·lem·li, 3 syllables; IPA: /kalemˈli/.