Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,925

Kazak

Kazak /kaˈzak/

“domineering man; name of the Kazakhs”2

Disputed origin Kazak: root entries for kazak · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
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Initial
K
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How do you pronounce Kazak?

Kazak

IPA /kaˈzak/

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

What does the surname Kazak mean?

Turkish kazak is several distinct words. As an adjective it means a husband who has the upper hand at home; as a proper name it is the name of the Kazakhs and of the Cossacks; and kazak ‘pullover’ comes from French casaque. Which of these lies behind the surname is not documented.2

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. Adjective: ‘a husband who has the upper hand’ (Wiktionary).
  2. Ethnonym: Kazak, a historical name from Kipchak (Wiktionary).

Kazak is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Kazak made of?

Kazak is a single Turkic root: kazak (domineering husband; the Kazakh people; pullover).

Kazak root kazak domineering husband; theKazakh people; pullover TURKIC kazak “domineering husband; theKazakh people; pullover” Kazak kazak root domineering husband; the Kazakhpeople; pullover kazak TURKIC “domineering husband; the Kazakhpeople; pullover”
Kazak: parts and root words
  • kazak Turkic — domineering husband; the Kazakh people; pullover2

How was the name Kazak formed?

Kazak is the word kazak (“domineering husband; the Kazakh people; pullover”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Who are some well-known people named Kazak?

  1. Levent Kazak actor 1967–
  2. Osman Kazak military personnel 1892–1950
  3. Cengiz Kazak researcher
  4. Volkan Kazak association football player 1978–
  5. Canan Kazak researcher 2000–
  6. Esra Kazak researcher

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

Is Kazak also a first name?

Yes. Kazak is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “domineering man; name of the Kazakhs”.

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

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Kazak?

Abalıoğlu, Arapoğlu and Arıkoğlu share gloss keywords with Kazak within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Kazak?

Read the root, formation and register information for Kazak alongside this guide: How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kazak2 accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: kazak accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: kazak 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 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Kazak

Q1

What does the surname Kazak mean?

Turkish kazak is several distinct words. As an adjective it means a husband who has the upper hand at home; as a proper name it is the name of the Kazakhs and of the Cossacks; and kazak ‘pullover’ comes from French casaque. Which of these lies behind the surname is not documented.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kazak?

The root word of Kazak is kazak (Turkic): “domineering husband; the Kazakh people; pullover”. There are 3 competing views on where Kazak comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kazak?

Ka·zak, 2 syllables; IPA: /kaˈzak/.