SURNAMENo. 18
ADNKS 2025Koç
“ram; sturdy, brave”3
- CategoryDomestic and other animals
- OriginTurkic
- FormPlain noun
#18 The 18th most common surname in Türkiye 286,207 peopleTÜİK ADNKS 20251
- Letters / syllables
- 3 / 1
- Formation
- Plain noun
Contents§1–§17
How do you pronounce Koç?
What does the surname Koç mean?
A koç is a ram, the breeding male of the flock. In everyday speech it also means a strong, fearless young man, as in koç yiğit, “a ram of a lad”. The surname carries this image of strength and courage, and Koç is also a male given name.3
Koç is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.
What is Koç made of?
Koç is a single Turkic root: koç (ram).
- koç Turkic — ram; figuratively a sturdy, brave young man3
How was the name Koç formed?
Koç is the word koç (“ram”), taken unchanged as a surname.
Which surnames are related to Koç?
| # | Surname | Relation | Rank | People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Koçak | same root | – | – |
| 02 | Koçer | same root | – | – |
| 03 | Karakoç | same root | – | – |
| 04 | Koçyiğit | same root | – | – |
| 05 | Akkoç | same root | – | – |
| 06 | Erkoç | same root | – | – |
| 07 | Koçoğlu | same root | – | – |
| 08 | Aykoç | same root | – | – |
| 09 | Arkoç | same root | – | – |
| 10 | Alkoçlar | same root | – | – |
| 11 | Koçbay | same root | – | – |
| 12 | Koçdemir | same root | – | – |
How many people in Türkiye are called Koç?
In TÜİK’s ADNKS 2025 figures, 286,207 people in Türkiye carry the surname Koç, ranking it 18th in the top 30. That is 3,516 behind Kurt and 12,336 ahead of Polat.1
Bearers by year
| 2018 | 274,215 |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 277,019 |
| 2020 | 279,165 |
| 2021 | 281,173 |
| 2022 | 282,931 |
| 2023 | 284,090 |
| 2024 | 285,191 |
| 2025 | 286,207 |
Koç gained 11,992 bearers between 2018 and 2025, yet its share slipped from 3.34 to 3.32 per 1,000 people, because the population grew faster. It has held 18th place every year since 2018.1,2
How has Koç ranked over the years?
| Year | Rank | People | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | 286,207 | +1,016 | [1] |
| 2024 | 18 | 285,191 | +1,101 | [1] |
| 2023 | 18 | 284,090 | +1,159 | [1] |
| 2022 | 18 | 282,931 | +1,758 | [1] |
| 2021 | 18 | 281,173 | +2,008 | [1] |
| 2020 | 18 | 279,165 | +2,146 | [1] |
| 2019 | 18 | 277,019 | +2,804 | [1] |
| 2018 | 18 | 274,215 | – | [1] |
Where in Türkiye is Koç most common?
Koç is outside the national top 30, but it appears in the top-30 lists of 47 provinces; its best rank is 7th in Van.1
- In the province top 30 47
- Not listed
| # | Province | Rank | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Istanbul | 15 | 54,580 |
| 02 | Ankara | 15 | 25,118 |
| 03 | Izmir | 19 | 13,452 |
| 04 | Konya | 15 | 9,894 |
| 05 | Bursa | 29 | 9,456 |
| 06 | Kocaeli | 14 | 8,618 |
How does Koç compare with similar surnames?
Surnames in the “Domestic and other animals” category and the Koç family:
Koç and Kurt are carried by almost exactly as many people.
How many people are called Mehmet Koç?
These are estimates that assume given names and surnames are independent. In reality, families and regions do not choose names independently, so read them as orders of magnitude.
| # | Full name | Estimated people |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Mehmet Koç | ≈4,228estimate |
| 02 | Fatma Koç | ≈3,830estimate |
| 03 | Mustafa Koç | ≈3,516estimate |
| 04 | Ayşe Koç | ≈3,015estimate |
| 05 | Ahmet Koç | ≈2,849estimate |
Who are some well-known people named Koç?
- Ekin Koç actor 1992–
- Vehbi Koç philanthropist 1901–1996
- Ali Koç businessperson 1967–
- Oğuzhan Koç actor 1985–
- Rahmi Koç businessperson 1930–
- Mustafa Koç businessperson 1960–2016
- Atilla Koç politician 1946–
- Fehmi Koç association football player 2003–
People surnamed Koç as recorded in Wikidata, ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions.
Is Koç also a first name?
Yes. Koç is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “ram; sturdy, brave”.
Koç as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →
How is Koç written and pronounced abroad?
In passports and records outside Turkey Koç is usually written Koc.
Where do these facts come from?
- 1 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)
- 2 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK ADNKS: Cinsiyete göre nüfus, Türkiye ve 81 il
- 3 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: koç
- 4 Wikimedia Wiktionary: koç
- 5 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: koç
- 6 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Koç
- 7 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
- 8 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı — En çok kullanılan isimler (ADNKS)
- 9 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)
- 10 Natural Earth Natural Earth: Admin-1 boundaries
- 11 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com)
Common questions about Koç
- Q1
What does the surname Koç mean?
- A koç is a ram, the breeding male of the flock. In everyday speech it also means a strong, fearless young man, as in koç yiğit, “a ram of a lad”. The surname carries this image of strength and courage, and Koç is also a male given name.
- Q2
How many people in Türkiye have the surname Koç?
- 286,207 people, according to TÜİK ADNKS 2025, which places it at number 18 in Türkiye.
- Q3
What is the origin of the surname Koç?
- The root word of Koç is koç (Turkic): “ram; figuratively a sturdy, brave young man”.
- Q4
How do you pronounce Koç?
- Koç, 1 syllable; IPA: /kotʃ/.