Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,844

Karabaş

Karabaş /kaɾaˈbaʃ/ ASCII Karabas

“black-headed; sheepdog”1

Letters / syllables
7 / 3
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
K
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7Abroad
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Karabaş?

Karabaş

IPA /kaɾaˈbaʃ/

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

What does the surname Karabaş mean?

Karabaş combines kara ‘black’ and baş ‘head’, literally ‘black-headed’. The dictionary records several established senses: the large Anatolian sheepdog, a priest in black robes, and an unmarried man. A lavender-like plant is also called karabaş otu.1

Grammar kara + baş.

That Karabaş goes back to karabaş and kara is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

Karabaş is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Karabaş made of?

Karabaş breaks into 2 parts: kara (kara: black) + baş (baş: head).

Karabaş ++ root kara kara: black TURKIC karabaş “sheepdog; priest;bachelor” root baş baş: head TURKIC kara “black” TURKIC baş “head” Karabaş kara root kara: black karabaş TURKIC “sheepdog; priest; bachelor” baş root baş: head kara TURKIC “black” baş TURKIC “head”
Karabaş: parts and root words
  • karabaş Turkic — sheepdog; priest; bachelor1
  • kara Turkic — black1
  • baş Turkic — head1

How was the name Karabaş formed?

Karabaş belongs to the “compound” class of surnames (kara + baş).

Which surnames are related to Karabaş?

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

Who are some well-known people named Karabaş?

  1. Berrin Karabaş basketball player 1987–
  2. Mehmet Nezir Karabaş politician 1960–
  3. Onur Karabaş association football referee
  4. Sacit Karabaş association football player 1952–2010
  5. Hülya Çakır Karabaş researcher

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

How is Karabaş written and pronounced abroad?

Outside Türkiye the name is usually written Karabas.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: karabaş 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
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Karabaş

Q1

What does the surname Karabaş mean?

Karabaş combines kara ‘black’ and baş ‘head’, literally ‘black-headed’. The dictionary records several established senses: the large Anatolian sheepdog, a priest in black robes, and an unmarried man. A lavender-like plant is also called karabaş otu.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Karabaş?

The root word of Karabaş is karabaş (Turkic): “sheepdog; priest; bachelor”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Karabaş?

Ka·ra·baş, 3 syllables; IPA: /kaɾaˈbaʃ/.