Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,940

Kelleci

Kelleci /kelleˈdʒi/

“seller of sheep’s heads”1

Established origin Kelleci: root entries for kelle · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
7 / 3
Formation
Suffixed
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
K
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How do you pronounce Kelleci?

Kelleci

IPA /kelleˈdʒi/

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

What does the surname Kelleci mean?

A kelleci is a seller of cooked sheep’s heads (kelle). Kelle comes from Persian kalla ‘top of the head, skull’ according to Nişanyan; -ci is the Turkish agent suffix.1

Grammar kelle + -ci.

What is Kelleci made of?

Kelleci is Persian in origin and breaks into 2 parts: kelle (head (of a sheep etc.)) + -ci (agent suffix).

Kelleci + root kelle head (of a sheep etc.) PERSIAN kelle “top of the head, skull” suffix -ci agent suffix Kelleci kelle root head (of a sheep etc.) kelle PERSIAN “top of the head, skull” -ci suffix agent suffix
Kelleci: parts and root words
  • kelle Persian — top of the head, skull1

How was the name Kelleci formed?

Kelleci was formed by adding the suffix -ci (“agent suffix”) to kelle (“head (of a sheep etc.)”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.3

Which surnames are related to Kelleci?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Kelle same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Kelleci?

  1. Serdar Kelleci sports journalist
  2. Zehra Kelleci film actor 2000–

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

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Kelleci?

Aktar, Attar and Başçı share gloss keywords with Kelleci within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Kelleci?

Read the root, formation and register information for Kelleci alongside these guides: How Turkish Surnames Are Formed: Roots and Suffixes and How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.

Where do these facts come from?

All sources accessed 8 November 2026

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kelle
  2. 2 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
  3. 3 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)

Common questions about Kelleci

Q1

What does the surname Kelleci mean?

A kelleci is a seller of cooked sheep’s heads (kelle). Kelle comes from Persian kalla ‘top of the head, skull’ according to Nişanyan; -ci is the Turkish agent suffix.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kelleci?

The root word of Kelleci is kelle (Persian): “top of the head, skull”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kelleci?

Kel·le·ci, 3 syllables; IPA: /kelleˈdʒi/.