Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,577

Kapanlı

Kapanlı /kapanˈɫɯ/ ASCII Kapanli

“of the kapan (trap or public scale)”2

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

How do you pronounce Kapanlı?

Kapanlı

IPA /kapanˈɫɯ/

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

What does the surname Kapanlı mean?

Kapanlı means “connected with a kapan” or “from a place called Kapan”; there are villages named Kapanlı. Turkish has two words kapan: “trap”, from kap- “to seize”, and the large public scale where goods brought to market were weighed in Ottoman times. Which one underlies the name is not settled.2

Grammar kapan + suffix -lı

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. kapan “trap” (Turkish, from kap-).
  2. kapan “public scale” (Arabic qabbān).

What is Kapanlı made of?

Kapanlı combines Turkic and Arabic elements in 2 parts: kapan (kapan: trap; old public weighing scale and its hall) + -lı (suffix -lı “from, of”).

Kapanlı ++ root kapan kapan: trap; old publicweighing scale and its… TURKIC kapan “trap; from kap- ‘toseize’” suffix -lı suffix -lı “from, of” ARABIC kapan “public weighing scale;Arabic qabbān” Kapanlı kapan root kapan: trap; old public weighing scaleand its hall kapan TURKIC “trap; from kap- ‘to seize’” -lı suffix suffix -lı “from, of” kapan ARABIC “public weighing scale; Arabicqabbān”
Kapanlı: parts and root words
  • kapan Turkic — trap; from kap- “to seize”2
  • kapan Arabic — public weighing scale; Arabic qabbān2

How was the name Kapanlı formed?

Kapanlı was formed by adding the suffix -lı (“suffix -lı “from, of””) to kapan (“kapan: trap; old public weighing scale and its hall”).

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

How is Kapanlı written and pronounced abroad?

In Kapanlı, ı (dotless i) is usually written i in foreign records, giving forms such as Kapanli.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikipedi: Kapanlı accessed 9 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: kapan accessed 9 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: kapan accessed 9 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 Kapanlı

Q1

What does the surname Kapanlı mean?

Kapanlı means “connected with a kapan” or “from a place called Kapan”; there are villages named Kapanlı. Turkish has two words kapan: “trap”, from kap- “to seize”, and the large public scale where goods brought to market were weighed in Ottoman times. Which one underlies the name is not settled.
Q2

How do you pronounce Kapanlı?

Ka·pan·lı, 3 syllables; IPA: /kapanˈɫɯ/.