Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,748

Karaarslan

Karaarslan /kaɾaaɾsˈɫan/

“black lion”2

Probable origin Karaarslan: root entries for kara + arslan · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
10 / 4
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
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Initial
K
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How do you pronounce Karaarslan?

Karaarslan

IPA /kaɾaaɾsˈɫan/

The stress usually falls on syllable 4 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Karaarslan mean?

Made of kara ‘black; strong, mighty’ and arslan ‘lion’: ‘black lion’. Arslan is the older, full form of aslan, which Nişanyan traces to Old Turkic arslan. In old Turkic names kara often conveys strength and greatness rather than colour alone.1,2

Grammar kara + arslan.

That Karaarslan goes back to kara and arslan is probable rather than proven: the dictionaries cited agree on it.

What is Karaarslan made of?

Karaarslan is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: kara (black; strong, mighty) + arslan (lion).

Karaarslan + first element kara black; strong, mighty TURKIC kara “black; strong, mighty” root arslan lion TURKIC arslan “lion” Karaarslan kara first element black; strong, mighty kara TURKIC “black; strong, mighty” arslan root lion arslan TURKIC “lion”
Karaarslan: parts and root words

How was the name Karaarslan formed?

Karaarslan was formed by joining kara (“black; strong, mighty”) and arslan (“lion”).

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

Which surnames are related to Karaarslan?

Karaarslan Arslan Kara Karataş Karahan Karaca Karakaş
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Arslan same root 11 521,149
02 Kara same root 16 290,024
03 Karataş same root – –
04 Karahan same root – –
05 Karaca same root – –
06 Karakaş same root – –
07 Karadağ same root – –
08 Karakaya same root – –
09 Karakoç same root – –
10 Karagöz same root – –
11 Baykara same root – –
12 Karabulut same root – –

How else is Karaarslan spelled?

Karaaslanspelling

How is Karaarslan written and pronounced abroad?

The name has no Turkish-specific letters and is written Karaarslan abroad as well.

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Karaarslan?

Karaaslan, Karakurt and Koçarslan share gloss keywords with Karaarslan within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Karaarslan?

Read the root, formation and register information for Karaarslan alongside these guides: How Turkish Surnames Are Formed: Roots and Suffixes and How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: arslan accessed 9 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: kara 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
  4. 4 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Karaarslan

Q1

What does the surname Karaarslan mean?

Made of kara ‘black; strong, mighty’ and arslan ‘lion’: ‘black lion’. Arslan is the older, full form of aslan, which Nişanyan traces to Old Turkic arslan. In old Turkic names kara often conveys strength and greatness rather than colour alone.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Karaarslan?

Karaarslan is made up of two elements: kara “black; strong, mighty” (Turkic) and arslan “lion” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Karaarslan?

Ka·ra·ars·lan, 4 syllables; IPA: /kaɾaaɾsˈɫan/.