Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,242

Menderes

Menderes /menˈdeɾes/

“the Meander river”3

Letters / syllables
8 / 3
Formation
Place name
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
M
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 Menderes?

Menderes

IPA /menˈdeɾes/

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

What does the surname Menderes mean?

Menderes is the name of the Büyük Menderes, the river that winds through western Anatolia. Its ancient name Maiandros is recorded in Greek from before the seventh century BC; because of its looping course the word became the geographical term menderes in Turkish and meander in English. A district of Izmir also bears the name.1,3

Grammar Proper name from a river name; Greek Maíandros.

What is Menderes made of?

Menderes is a single root: Menderes (the river Büyük Menderes).

Menderes + root Menderes the river Büyük Menderes GREEK Menderes “the ancient riverMaiandros; district of…” GREEK maíandros “winding course, meander” Menderes Menderes root the river Büyük Menderes Menderes GREEK “the ancient river Maiandros;district of Izmir” maíandros GREEK “winding course, meander”
Menderes: parts and root words
  • Menderes Greek — the ancient river Maiandros; district of Izmir3
  • maíandros Greek — winding course, meander1

How was the name Menderes formed?

Menderes belongs to the “place name” class of surnames.

According to Nişanyan Adlar, Adnan Menderes took his surname from this river.3

Who are some well-known people named Menderes?

  1. Adnan Menderes politician 1899–1961
  2. Meral Menderes opera singer 1933–2011
  3. Aydın Menderes politician 1946–2011
  4. Berrin Menderes housewife 1905–1994
  5. Ethem Menderes politician 1899–1992
  6. Mutlu Menderes politician 1937–1978
  7. Yüksel Menderes politician 1930–1972
  8. Çağlayan Menderes association football player 1999–

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

Is Menderes also a first name?

Yes. Menderes is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “the Meander river”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Menderes accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: menderes accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 nisanyanadlar.com nisanyanadlar.com: Menderes 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 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Menderes

Q1

What does the surname Menderes mean?

Menderes is the name of the Büyük Menderes, the river that winds through western Anatolia. Its ancient name Maiandros is recorded in Greek from before the seventh century BC; because of its looping course the word became the geographical term menderes in Turkish and meander in English. A district of Izmir also bears the name.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Menderes?

The root word of Menderes is Menderes (Greek): “the ancient river Maiandros; district of Izmir”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Menderes?

Men·de·res, 3 syllables; IPA: /menˈdeɾes/.