Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,582

Kar

/kaɾ/

“snow”1

Letters / syllables
3 / 1
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
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 Kar?

Kar

IPA /kaɾ/

What does the surname Kar mean?

Kar is snow, the white ice crystals that fall in winter. The word has kept the same form since Old Turkic; Nişanyan sees a possible link with the verb kar- ‘to pile up, to accumulate’, without treating it as certain. The one-syllable surname carries the image of whiteness and winter.1

Grammar Bare noun.

Kar is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Kar made of?

Kar is a single Turkic root: kar (snow).

Kar + root kar snow TURKIC kar “snow” TURKIC kar “Old Turkic kar ‘snow’” Kar kar root snow kar TURKIC “snow” kar TURKIC “Old Turkic kar ‘snow’”
Kar: parts and root words
  • kar Turkic — snow1
  • kar Turkic — Old Turkic kar ‘snow’1

How was the name Kar formed?

Kar is the word kar (“snow”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Which surnames are related to Kar?

Kar Karcı Karlıdağ Karlı
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Karcı same root – –
02 Karlıdağ same root – –
03 Karlı same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Kar?

  1. Güzin Kar writer 1971–
  2. Emin Kar association football player 1960–
  3. Fatih Sultan Kar writer 1971–
  4. Hüseyin Kar association football player 1986–
  5. Ahmet Kar researcher
  6. Berk Kar basketball player 1998–
  7. Cem Kar journalist 1979–
  8. Ezgi Kar researcher

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kar accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: kar 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 Kar

Q1

What does the surname Kar mean?

Kar is snow, the white ice crystals that fall in winter. The word has kept the same form since Old Turkic; Nişanyan sees a possible link with the verb kar- ‘to pile up, to accumulate’, without treating it as certain. The one-syllable surname carries the image of whiteness and winter.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kar?

The root word of Kar is kar (Turkic): “snow”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kar?

Kar, 1 syllable; IPA: /kaɾ/.