Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,911

Karlı

Karlı /kaɾˈɫɯ/ ASCII Karli

“snowy; profitable”2

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Suffixed
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
K
Contents§1–§11
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7As a first name
  8. §8Abroad
  9. §9Sources
  10. §10Questions
  11. §11Related

How do you pronounce Karlı?

Karlı

IPA /kaɾˈɫɯ/

The stress usually falls on syllable 2 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Karlı mean?

Karlı means “snowy, covered with snow”; it is kar “snow”, an Old Turkic word, plus the suffix -lı. The same spelling can also stand for kârlı “profitable”, built on kâr “profit” from Persian kār “work, yield”. Karlı is also recorded as a girl’s and boy’s name and as a village name in Artvin and Çanakkale.2,3

Grammar kar + -lı (suffix “having”).

That Karlı goes back to kar and kâr is probable rather than proven: the dictionaries cited agree on it.

Karlı is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Karlı made of?

Karlı breaks into 2 parts: kar (snow) + -lı (“having”).

Karlı ++ root kar snow TURKIC kar “snow” suffix -lı “having” PERSIAN kâr “profit; Persian kār‘work, yield’” Karlı kar root snow kar TURKIC “snow” -lı suffix “having” kâr PERSIAN “profit; Persian kār ‘work,yield’”
Karlı: parts and root words
  • kar Turkic — snow2
  • kâr Persian — profit; Persian kār “work, yield”3

How was the name Karlı formed?

Karlı belongs to the “suffixed” class of surnames (kar + -lı).

Which surnames are related to Karlı?

Karlı Kar Karcı Karlıdağ
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Kar same root – –
02 Karcı same root – –
03 Karlıdağ same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Karlı?

  1. Songül Karlı television presenter 1973–
  2. Mehmet Karlı businessperson 1979–
  3. Bekir Karlı basketball player 1997–
  4. Pervin Karlı researcher

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

Is Karlı also a first name?

Yes. Karlı is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “snowy; profitable”.

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

How is Karlı written and pronounced abroad?

Without Turkish letters the name appears as Karli in passports and foreign registers.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: karlı accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kar accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kâr 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
  6. 6 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Karlı

Q1

What does the surname Karlı mean?

Karlı means “snowy, covered with snow”; it is kar “snow”, an Old Turkic word, plus the suffix -lı. The same spelling can also stand for kârlı “profitable”, built on kâr “profit” from Persian kār “work, yield”. Karlı is also recorded as a girl’s and boy’s name and as a village name in Artvin and Çanakkale.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Karlı?

The root word of Karlı is kar (Turkic): “snow”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Karlı?

Kar·lı, 2 syllables; IPA: /kaɾˈɫɯ/.