Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,899

Karatekin

Karatekin /kaɾateˈcin/

“mighty prince”1

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

How do you pronounce Karatekin?

Karatekin

IPA /kaɾateˈcin/

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

What does the surname Karatekin mean?

Kara joins tekin. Tekin was the title given to the khagan’s sons among the early Turks, that is, “prince”; in old names kara often means “strong, mighty” rather than the colour. Karatekin is understood as “mighty prince”. The name also appears in the Danishmendname as that of Emir Karatekin, the conqueror of Çankırı.1

Grammar Compound: kara + tekin.

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

What is Karatekin made of?

Karatekin breaks into 2 parts: kara (kara: black; strong, great) + tekin (tekin: Old Turkic “prince”).

Karatekin + root kara kara: black; strong,great TURKIC tekin “Old Turkic prince, sonof the khagan; today…” root tekin tekin: Old Turkic“prince” TURKIC kara “black; figurativelystrong, great” Karatekin kara root kara: black; strong, great tekin TURKIC “Old Turkic prince, son of thekhagan; today ‘empty;…’” tekin root tekin: Old Turkic “prince” kara TURKIC “black; figuratively strong,great”
Karatekin: parts and root words
  • tekin Turkic — Old Turkic prince, son of the khagan; today “empty; auspicious”1
  • kara Turkic — black; figuratively strong, great1

How was the name Karatekin formed?

Karatekin belongs to the “compound” class of surnames (kara + tekin).

Which surnames are related to Karatekin?

Karatekin Kara Tekin Karataş Karahan Karaca Karakaş Karadağ Karakaya Aytekin Karakoç Karaaslan Karagöz
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 Tekin same root – –
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 Aytekin same root – –
10 Karakoç same root – –
11 Karaaslan same root – –
12 Karagöz same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Karatekin?

  1. Mehmet Karatekin mechanical engineering 1896–1960
  2. Rebii Karatekin statesperson 1905–1983
  3. Tamer Karatekin chess player 1981–
  4. Nimet Karatekin pianist 1921–2014
  5. Anıl Özgün Karatekin researcher
  6. Bilinç Doğruöz Karatekin researcher
  7. Güner Karatekin researcher
  8. Zeliha Sude Karatekin association football player 2002–

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

Is Karatekin also a first name?

Yes. Karatekin is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “mighty prince”.

Karatekin as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: tekin accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikipedi: Karatekin 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 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS) accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Karatekin

Q1

What does the surname Karatekin mean?

Kara joins tekin. Tekin was the title given to the khagan’s sons among the early Turks, that is, “prince”; in old names kara often means “strong, mighty” rather than the colour. Karatekin is understood as “mighty prince”. The name also appears in the Danishmendname as that of Emir Karatekin, the conqueror of Çankırı.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Karatekin?

The root word of Karatekin is tekin (Turkic): ‘Old Turkic prince, son of the khagan; today “empty; auspicious”’.
Q3

How do you pronounce Karatekin?

Ka·ra·te·kin, 4 syllables; IPA: /kaɾateˈcin/.