Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,637

Karakulak

Karakulak /kaɾakuˈɫak/

“caracal; formerly messenger”1

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

How do you pronounce Karakulak?

Karakulak

IPA /kaɾakuˈɫak/

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

What does the surname Karakulak mean?

The karakulak, “black ear”, is the caracal, a wild cat named after the black tufts on its ears. In the Ottoman period the word also meant a messenger or orderly, and villages of this name exist in Samsun and Mardin.1,2

Grammar Compound kara + kulak.

Karakulak is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Karakulak made of?

Karakulak is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: kara (kara: black) + kulak (kulak: ear).

Karakulak + root kara kara: black TURKIC kara “black” root kulak kulak: ear TURKIC kulak “ear” Karakulak kara root kara: black kara TURKIC “black” kulak root kulak: ear kulak TURKIC “ear”
Karakulak: parts and root words
  • kara Turkic — black1
  • kulak Turkic — ear2

How was the name Karakulak formed?

Karakulak was formed by joining kara (“kara: black”) and kulak (“kulak: ear”).

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

Which surnames are related to Karakulak?

Karakulak 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 – –

How is Karakulak written and pronounced abroad?

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kara accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kulak accessed 9 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: karakulak 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
  5. 5 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Karakulak

Q1

What does the surname Karakulak mean?

The karakulak, “black ear”, is the caracal, a wild cat named after the black tufts on its ears. In the Ottoman period the word also meant a messenger or orderly, and villages of this name exist in Samsun and Mardin.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Karakulak?

Karakulak is made up of two elements: kara “black” (Turkic) and kulak “ear” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Karakulak?

Ka·ra·ku·lak, 4 syllables; IPA: /kaɾakuˈɫak/.