Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,001

Kuban

Kuban /kuˈban/

“the Kuban river and region”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
K
Contents§1–§9
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6As a first name
  7. §7Sources
  8. §8Questions
  9. §9Related

How do you pronounce Kuban?

Kuban

IPA /kuˈban/

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

What does the surname Kuban mean?

Kuban is the name of a river in the North Caucasus, rising on the slopes of Mount Elbrus and flowing into the Sea of Azov, and of the surrounding region. In Karachay-Balkar and Nogai it is Qoban; the ancient Greeks called it Hypanis. The origin of the name is disputed: Trubachev and Vasmer connect it with an Indo-Iranian *kuba- ‘winding’; the Turkic forms Qoban are interpreted as ‘turbulent, rushing’, and a Circassian explanation has also been proposed.1

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. From Indo-Iranian (Maeotian) *kuba- ‘winding’, transmitted through Turkic (Trubachev; Vasmer; Russian Wikipedia).
  2. Nogai Koban, Karachay-Balkar Qoban ‘turbulent, rushing’ (Tvyordy; Russian Wikipedia).
  3. Circassian Kuebane ‘thorny ravine’ (Russian Wikipedia).

What is Kuban made of?

Kuban is a single root: Kuban (Kuban: river and region in the North Caucasus).

Kuban root Kuban Kuban: river and regionin the North Caucasus UNKNOWN Kuban / Qoban “the Kuban river” Kuban Kuban root Kuban: river and region in the NorthCaucasus Kuban / Qoban UNKNOWN “the Kuban river”
Kuban: parts and root words
  • Kuban / Qoban unknown — the Kuban river1

How was the name Kuban formed?

Kuban is the word Kuban (“Kuban: river and region in the North Caucasus”), 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 Kuban?

  1. Doğan Kuban writer 1926–2021

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

Is Kuban also a first name?

Yes. Kuban is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “the Kuban river and region”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Kuban accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wikipedia: Kuban (river) accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 ru.wikipedia.org ru.wikipedia.org: Кубань (река) 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 Kuban

Q1

What does the surname Kuban mean?

Kuban is the name of a river in the North Caucasus, rising on the slopes of Mount Elbrus and flowing into the Sea of Azov, and of the surrounding region. In Karachay-Balkar and Nogai it is Qoban; the ancient Greeks called it Hypanis. The origin of the name is disputed: Trubachev and Vasmer connect it with an Indo-Iranian *kuba- ‘winding’; the Turkic forms Qoban are interpreted as ‘turbulent, rushing’, and a Circassian explanation has also been proposed.
Q2

How do you pronounce Kuban?

Ku·ban, 2 syllables; IPA: /kuˈban/.