Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,670

Karayel

Karayel /kaɾaˈjel/

“north-westerly wind”2

Letters / syllables
7 / 3
Formation
Plain noun
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 Karayel?

Karayel

IPA /kaɾaˈjel/

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

What does the surname Karayel mean?

Karayel is the name of the north-westerly wind, often cold and stormy. It is made of kara ‘black’ and yel ‘wind’; in the old Turkic colour scheme of directions kara also stands for the north. Sailors and farmers name it often when reading the weather.1,2

Grammar Lexicalised compound listed as one word: kara + yel.

Karayel is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Karayel made of?

Karayel is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: kara (black, north; harsh) + yel (wind).

Karayel + first element kara black, north; harsh TURKIC karayel “cold north-westerly wind” root yel wind TURKIC yel “wind” Karayel kara first element black, north; harsh karayel TURKIC “cold north-westerly wind” yel root wind yel TURKIC “wind”
Karayel: parts and root words
  • karayel Turkic — cold north-westerly wind2
  • yel Turkic — wind1

How was the name Karayel formed?

Karayel was formed by joining kara (“black, north; harsh”) and yel (“wind”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.5

Which surnames are related to Karayel?

Karayel Akyel Bozyel Tanyeli Tanyel Yel Yeltan Dağyeli
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Akyel same root – –
02 Bozyel same root – –
03 Tanyeli same root – –
04 Tanyel same root – –
05 Yel same root – –
06 Yeltan same root – –
07 Dağyeli same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Karayel?

  1. Öykü Karayel actor 1990–
  2. Cebrail Karayel association football player 1994–
  3. Emre Karayel actor 1972–
  4. Fikri Karayel singer 1987–
  5. Yaşar Karayel politician 1950–
  6. İsmail Emrah Karayel politician 1978–
  7. Bekir Karayel politician 1920–2012
  8. Erdoğan Karayel caricaturist 1956–

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: yel accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: karayel accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: yel accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Karayel

Q1

What does the surname Karayel mean?

Karayel is the name of the north-westerly wind, often cold and stormy. It is made of kara ‘black’ and yel ‘wind’; in the old Turkic colour scheme of directions kara also stands for the north. Sailors and farmers name it often when reading the weather.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Karayel?

The root word of Karayel is yel (Turkic): “wind”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Karayel?

Ka·ra·yel, 3 syllables; IPA: /kaɾaˈjel/.