Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,595

Karabekir

Karabekir /kaɾabeˈciɾ/

“‘black’ Bekir”1

Letters / syllables
9 / 4
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
mixed
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 Karabekir?

Karabekir

IPA /kaɾabeˈciɾ/

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

What does the surname Karabekir mean?

Kara joined to the given name Bekir; Nişanyan’s dictionary of names glosses it ‘black Bekir’. Kara is often placed before personal names as an epithet. Bekir is a male name from Arabic bikr ‘firstborn’. Nişanyan’s dictionary mentions Kâzım Karabekir (1882–1948), commander of the Erzurum front in the War of Independence.1,2

Grammar kara + Bekir.

What is Karabekir made of?

Karabekir combines Turkic and Arabic elements in 2 parts: kara (black; strong) + Bekir (male given name).

Karabekir + root kara black; strong TURKIC kara “black; strong” root Bekir male given name ARABIC Bekir “male given name;firstborn” Karabekir kara root black; strong kara TURKIC “black; strong” Bekir root male given name Bekir ARABIC “male given name; firstborn”
Karabekir: parts and root words
  • kara Turkic — black; strong1
  • Bekir Arabic — male given name; firstborn2

How was the name Karabekir formed?

Karabekir was formed by joining kara (“black; strong”) and Bekir (“male given name”).

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

Which surnames are related to Karabekir?

Karabekir Kara Karataş Karahan Karaca Karakaş Karadağ Karakaya Karakoç Karaaslan Karagöz Baykara Karabulut
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 Karaca same root – –
05 Karakaş same root – –
06 Karadağ same root – –
07 Karakaya same root – –
08 Karakoç same root – –
09 Karaaslan same root – –
10 Karagöz same root – –
11 Baykara same root – –
12 Karabulut same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Karabekir?

  1. Kâzım Karabekir politician 1882–1948
  2. Ercan Karabekir researcher

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Karabekir accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Bekir 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
  5. 5 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Karabekir

Q1

What does the surname Karabekir mean?

Kara joined to the given name Bekir; Nişanyan’s dictionary of names glosses it ‘black Bekir’. Kara is often placed before personal names as an epithet. Bekir is a male name from Arabic bikr ‘firstborn’. Nişanyan’s dictionary mentions Kâzım Karabekir (1882–1948), commander of the Erzurum front in the War of Independence.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Karabekir?

Karabekir is made up of two elements: kara “black; strong” (Turkic) and Bekir “male given name; firstborn” (Arabic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Karabekir?

Ka·ra·be·kir, 4 syllables; IPA: /kaɾabeˈciɾ/.