SURNAMEEntry 3,078
Kocaefe
“great efe, mighty hero”1
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How do you pronounce Kocaefe?
The stress usually falls on syllable 4 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.
What does the surname Kocaefe mean?
An efe was the leader of the zeybek irregulars in the Aegean region and, more generally, a bold, valiant man; with koca the name means “great efe, mighty hero”.1,2
Grammar Compound koca + efe.
The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:
- Efe is related to Old Turkic nursery words such as ebe and ece (Nişanyan, as cited in en.Wiktionary).
- Efe comes from Greek éphēbos “adolescent” (en.Wiktionary).
How was the name Kocaefe formed?
Kocaefe was formed by joining koca (“koca: big, great”) and efe (“efe: leader of the zeybeks; elder brother”).
Which surnames are related to Kocaefe?
| # | Surname | Relation | Rank | People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Koca | same root | – | – |
| 02 | Efe | same root | – | – |
| 03 | Kocabaş | same root | – | – |
| 04 | Kocatürk | same root | – | – |
| 05 | Kocaoğlu | same root | – | – |
| 06 | Kocaman | same root | – | – |
| 07 | Kocabıyık | same root | – | – |
| 08 | Kocatepe | same root | – | – |
| 09 | Kocakaya | same root | – | – |
| 10 | Kocaer | same root | – | – |
| 11 | Kocagöz | same root | – | – |
| 12 | Kocahan | same root | – | – |
Who are some well-known people named Kocaefe?
- Duygu Kocaefe university teacher 1955–
- Çetin Kocaefe researcher
People surnamed Kocaefe as recorded in Wikidata, ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions.
How is Kocaefe written and pronounced abroad?
The name has no Turkish-specific letters and is written Kocaefe abroad as well; the Turkish c is pronounced like English j in “jam”.
Which surnames have a meaning similar to Kocaefe?
Kocaer, Canefe and Kocayiğit share gloss keywords with Kocaefe within the same primary category.
Which guides add context to Kocaefe?
Read the root, formation and register information for Kocaefe 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?
- 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: koca
- 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: efe
- 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: efe
- 4 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
- 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)
Common questions about Kocaefe
- Q1
What does the surname Kocaefe mean?
- An efe was the leader of the zeybek irregulars in the Aegean region and, more generally, a bold, valiant man; with koca the name means “great efe, mighty hero”.
- Q2
What is the origin of the surname Kocaefe?
- Kocaefe is made up of two elements: koca “big; elderly, venerable” (Turkic) and efe “leader of the zeybeks; valiant man” (Turkic). There are 3 competing views on where Kocaefe comes from, all set out on this page.
- Q3
How do you pronounce Kocaefe?
- Ko·ca·e·fe, 4 syllables; IPA: /kodʒaeˈfe/.