Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,292

Okan

Okan /oˈkan/

“almighty; understanding”1

Letters / syllables
4 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
O
Contents§1–§11
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Spellings
  7. §7Notable people
  8. §8As a first name
  9. §9Sources
  10. §10Questions
  11. §11Related

How do you pronounce Okan?

Okan

IPA /oˈkan/

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

What does the surname Okan mean?

Okan is the form used in Türkiye of Ogan/Ugan, a Chagatai name meaning ‘almighty, God’; it became known through Turkist writing in the early twentieth century. During the language reform it was read sometimes in that sense and sometimes as ‘knowing, intelligent’. Today it is also explained as ‘that blood, that lineage’.1

Grammar Learned borrowing from Chagatai uġan; a doublet of Oğan.

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. Nişanyan Adlar and English Wiktionary link it to Chagatai Ogan/Ugan ‘almighty, God’.
  2. During the language reform it was interpreted as ‘knowing, intelligent’ (Nişanyan Adlar).
  3. In present use it is also associated with ‘that blood, that lineage’ (Nişanyan Adlar).

What is Okan made of?

Okan is a single Turkic root: Okan (from Chagatai Ogan/Ugan).

Okan root Okan from Chagatai Ogan/Ugan TURKIC uġan “Chagatai ‘almighty, God’” Okan Okan root from Chagatai Ogan/Ugan uġan TURKIC “Chagatai ‘almighty, God’”
Okan: parts and root words
  • uġan Turkic — Chagatai ‘almighty, God’1

How was the name Okan formed?

Okan is the word Okan (“from Chagatai Ogan/Ugan”), taken unchanged as a surname.

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.4

Which surnames are related to Okan?

Okan Okaner Alpuğan
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Okaner same root – –
02 Alpuğan same root – –

How else is Okan spelled?

Oganwithout Turkish letters

Who are some well-known people named Okan?

  1. Tanju Okan singer 1938–1996
  2. Şükrü Okan politician 1880–1957
  3. Onur Okan association football player 1984–
  4. Tunç Okan actor 1942–
  5. Gülistan Okan actor 1953–
  6. Hüsamettin Okan politician 1894–
  7. Orhan Okan actor 1969–
  8. Orhan Yalman Okan diplomat 1974–

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

Is Okan also a first name?

Yes. Okan is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “almighty; understanding”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Okan accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Okan 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 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Okan

Q1

What does the surname Okan mean?

Okan is the form used in Türkiye of Ogan/Ugan, a Chagatai name meaning ‘almighty, God’; it became known through Turkist writing in the early twentieth century. During the language reform it was read sometimes in that sense and sometimes as ‘knowing, intelligent’. Today it is also explained as ‘that blood, that lineage’.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Okan?

The root word of Okan is uġan (Turkic): “Chagatai ‘almighty, God’”. There are 4 competing views on where Okan comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Okan?

O·kan, 2 syllables; IPA: /oˈkan/.