Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,999

Kırat

Kırat /kɯˈɾat/ ASCII Kirat

“grey horse; carat”3

Disputed origin Kırat: root entries for kır + at · How do we know?

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Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Compound
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Initial
K
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How do you pronounce Kırat?

Kırat

IPA /kɯˈɾat/

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

What does the surname Kırat mean?

Two readings exist. Kır at is a grey, dappled horse; in the Köroğlu epic the hero’s famous horse is called Kırat. Kırat is also the carat, the unit for gems and gold; Nişanyan derives it from Arabic qīrāṭ, from Greek kerátion ‘carob seed’.1,3

Grammar kır + at; or the single word kırat.

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. Reading kır at ‘grey horse’, as in Köroğlu’s horse Kırat (Turkish Wiktionary).
  2. Kırat ‘carat’, Arabic qīrāṭ < Greek kerátion (Nişanyan).

Kırat is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Kırat made of?

Kırat combines Turkic and Arabic elements in 2 parts: kır (grey, dappled) + at (horse).

Kırat ++ root kır grey, dappled TURKIC kır “grey, dappled” root at horse TURKIC at “horse” ARABIC kırat “carat” Kırat kır root grey, dappled kır TURKIC “grey, dappled” at root horse at TURKIC “horse” kırat ARABIC “carat”
Kırat: parts and root words

How was the name Kırat formed?

Kırat was formed by joining kır (“grey, dappled”) and at (“horse”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.4

Which surnames are related to Kırat?

Kırat Kır Kırca Kırdar Kıratlı Kırbaş Alkır
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Kır same root – –
02 Kırca same root – –
03 Kırdar same root – –
04 Kıratlı same root – –
05 Kırbaş same root – –
06 Alkır same root – –
07 Kırağası same root – –
08 Kırlı same root – –

How is Kırat written and pronounced abroad?

Without Turkish letters the name is usually written Kirat in English-language records.

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Kırat?

Kıratlı, Göktay and Karaböcek share gloss keywords with Kırat within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Kırat?

Read the root, formation and register information for Kırat alongside these guides: How Turkish Surnames Are Formed: Roots and Suffixes and How to Pronounce and Spell Turkish Surnames.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kırat accessed 9 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Kırat accessed 9 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: kır 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

Common questions about Kırat

Q1

What does the surname Kırat mean?

Two readings exist. Kır at is a grey, dappled horse; in the Köroğlu epic the hero’s famous horse is called Kırat. Kırat is also the carat, the unit for gems and gold; Nişanyan derives it from Arabic qīrāṭ, from Greek kerátion ‘carob seed’.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kırat?

Kırat is made up of two elements: kır “grey, dappled” (Turkic) and at “horse” (Turkic). There are 3 competing views on where Kırat comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kırat?

Kı·rat, 2 syllables; IPA: /kɯˈɾat/.