Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,233

Nadir

Nadir /naˈdiɾ/

“rare”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Adjective
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
N
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 Nadir?

Nadir

IPA /naˈdiɾ/

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

What does the surname Nadir mean?

Nadir means ‘rare, seldom found’ and comes from Arabic nādir; as a male given name it carries the sense ‘rare, precious’. The same form is the astronomical term for the point opposite the zenith. Nişanyan Adlar mentions the Iranian ruler Nadir Shah (1736–1747).1

Nadir is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Nadir made of?

Nadir is a single Arabic root: nadir (rare, seldom found).

Nadir root nadir rare, seldom found ARABIC nadir “rare, seldom found” Nadir nadir root rare, seldom found nadir ARABIC “rare, seldom found”
Nadir: parts and root words
  • nadir Arabic — rare, seldom found1

How was the name Nadir formed?

Nadir is the adjective nadir (“rare, seldom found”), 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 Nadir?

  1. Asil Nadir businessperson 1941–2025
  2. Cevat Nadir Bey writer 1909–1985

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

Is Nadir also a first name?

Yes. Nadir is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “rare”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: nadir accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Nadir accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: nadir 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 Nadir

Q1

What does the surname Nadir mean?

Nadir means ‘rare, seldom found’ and comes from Arabic nādir; as a male given name it carries the sense ‘rare, precious’. The same form is the astronomical term for the point opposite the zenith. Nişanyan Adlar mentions the Iranian ruler Nadir Shah (1736–1747).
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Nadir?

The root word of Nadir is nadir (Arabic): “rare, seldom found”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Nadir?

Na·dir, 2 syllables; IPA: /naˈdiɾ/.