Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,163

Merdan

Merdan /meɾˈdan/

“brave men; brave”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
M
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6As a first name
  7. §7Abroad
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Merdan?

Merdan

IPA /meɾˈdan/

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

What does the surname Merdan mean?

Merdan comes from Persian mardān, the plural of mard ‘man’: ‘men, brave men’. In Turkish it is used in the sense ‘brave, manly’ and as a male given name. Nişanyan traces mard back to Old Persian martiya- ‘mortal, human being’.1

That Merdan goes back to mardān is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is Merdan made of?

Merdan is a single Persian root: merdan (merdan: brave men; brave).

Merdan root merdan merdan: brave men; brave PERSIAN mardān “men, brave men; pluralof mard ‘man’” Merdan merdan root merdan: brave men; brave mardān PERSIAN “men, brave men; plural of mard‘man’”
Merdan: parts and root words
  • mardān Persian — men, brave men; plural of mard ‘man’1

How was the name Merdan formed?

Merdan is the word merdan (“merdan: brave men; brave”), taken unchanged as a surname.

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.3

Who are some well-known people named Merdan?

  1. Erdal Merdan actor 1949–2010

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

Is Merdan also a first name?

Yes. Merdan is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “brave men; brave”.

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

How is Merdan written and pronounced abroad?

The spelling Merdan is usually kept unchanged in foreign records; every letter is pronounced.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: merdan accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Merdan

Q1

What does the surname Merdan mean?

Merdan comes from Persian mardān, the plural of mard ‘man’: ‘men, brave men’. In Turkish it is used in the sense ‘brave, manly’ and as a male given name. Nişanyan traces mard back to Old Persian martiya- ‘mortal, human being’.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Merdan?

The root word of Merdan is mardān (Persian): “men, brave men; plural of mard ‘man’”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Merdan?

Mer·dan, 2 syllables; IPA: /meɾˈdan/.