Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,543

Kalman

Kalman /kaɫˈman/

“grandfather Muhammad; or Kálmán”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
K
Contents§1–§8
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6Sources
  7. §7Questions
  8. §8Related

How do you pronounce Kalman?

Kalman

IPA /kaɫˈman/

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

What does the surname Kalman mean?

There are independent explanations for Kalman. Nişanyan Adlar classifies it as a Kurdish name and records it as the name of a village in Nazımiye; it links the name with Muhammed Dede, who gave the village its name, and glosses it ‘grandfather Muhammad’. The same form is also known as Hungarian Kálmán, from the Germanic name Koloman, and as Yiddish Kalman, a short form of Kalonymos.1,2

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. Kurdish name, ‘grandfather Muhammad’, linked with a village name in Nazımiye (Nişanyan Adlar).
  2. Hungarian Kálmán (Germanic Koloman) or Yiddish Kalman (Kalonymos) (Wikipedia).

What is Kalman made of?

Kalman is a single Kurdish root: Kalman (Kalman: personal and village name).

Kalman + root Kalman Kalman: personal andvillage name KURDISH Kalman “‘grandfather Muhammad’(Nişanyan Adlar,…” OTHER Kálmán “Hungarian name (GermanicKoloman); also Yiddish…” Kalman Kalman root Kalman: personal and village name Kalman KURDISH “‘grandfather Muhammad’ (NişanyanAdlar, Kurdish name)” Kálmán OTHER “Hungarian name (GermanicKoloman); also Yiddish Kalman”
Kalman: parts and root words
  • Kalman Kurdish — ‘grandfather Muhammad’ (Nişanyan Adlar, Kurdish name)1
  • Kálmán Other — Hungarian name (Germanic Koloman); also Yiddish Kalman2

How was the name Kalman formed?

Kalman is the word Kalman (“Kalman: personal and village name”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Who are some well-known people named Kalman?

  1. Özcan Kalman association football player
  2. Özkan Kalman association football player

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Kalman accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wikipedia: Kálmán 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 Kalman

Q1

What does the surname Kalman mean?

There are independent explanations for Kalman. Nişanyan Adlar classifies it as a Kurdish name and records it as the name of a village in Nazımiye; it links the name with Muhammed Dede, who gave the village its name, and glosses it ‘grandfather Muhammad’. The same form is also known as Hungarian Kálmán, from the Germanic name Koloman, and as Yiddish Kalman, a short form of Kalonymos.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kalman?

The root word of Kalman is Kalman (Kurdish): “‘grandfather Muhammad’ (Nişanyan Adlar, Kurdish name)”. There are 3 competing views on where Kalman comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kalman?

Kal·man, 2 syllables; IPA: /kaɫˈman/.