Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,280

Muhtar

Muhtar /muhˈtaɾ/

“chosen; village headman”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
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 Muhtar?

Muhtar

IPA /muhˈtaɾ/

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

What does the surname Muhtar mean?

Muhtar comes from Arabic mukhtār “chosen” and “one who chooses freely, autonomous”. From the 1830s the Ottoman state used the word for the elected heads of villages and urban quarters, and the village or neighbourhood headman is still called muhtar today. As a given name it is also one of the epithets of the Prophet Muhammad.1

Muhtar is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Muhtar made of?

Muhtar is a single root: muhtar (chosen; village or neighbourhood headman).

Muhtar root muhtar chosen; village orneighbourhood headman ARABIC muḫtār “chosen; autonomous” Muhtar muhtar root chosen; village or neighbourhoodheadman muḫtār ARABIC “chosen; autonomous”
Muhtar: parts and root words
  • muḫtār Arabic — chosen; autonomous1

How was the name Muhtar formed?

Muhtar belongs to the “plain noun” class of surnames.

Who are some well-known people named Muhtar?

  1. Mahmud Muhtar Paşa statesperson 1867–1935
  2. Reha Muhtar television presenter 1959–2026
  3. Mehmet Muhtar screenwriter 1925–1995
  4. Cemal Muhtar translator

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

Is Muhtar also a first name?

Yes. Muhtar is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “chosen; village headman”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: muhtar accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 nisanyanadlar.com nisanyanadlar.com: Muhtar accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Muhtar

Q1

What does the surname Muhtar mean?

Muhtar comes from Arabic mukhtār “chosen” and “one who chooses freely, autonomous”. From the 1830s the Ottoman state used the word for the elected heads of villages and urban quarters, and the village or neighbourhood headman is still called muhtar today. As a given name it is also one of the epithets of the Prophet Muhammad.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Muhtar?

The root word of Muhtar is muḫtār (Arabic): “chosen; autonomous”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Muhtar?

Muh·tar, 2 syllables; IPA: /muhˈtaɾ/.