Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,372

Öktem

Öktem /øcˈtem/ ASCII Oktem

“strong, proud, fearless”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
Ö
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 Öktem?

Öktem

IPA /øcˈtem/

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

What does the surname Öktem mean?

Öktem is a male given name of Old Turkic origin, glossed in dictionaries as “strong, honourable, imposing, fearless”. It praises a proud, bold character.1

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

What is Öktem made of?

Öktem is a single Turkic root: öktem (öktem: strong, proud, fearless).

Öktem root öktem öktem: strong, proud,fearless TURKIC Öktem “male name: strong,honourable, imposing,…” Öktem öktem root öktem: strong, proud, fearless Öktem TURKIC “male name: strong, honourable,imposing, fearless”
Öktem: parts and root words
  • Öktem Turkic — male name: strong, honourable, imposing, fearless1

How was the name Öktem formed?

Öktem is the word öktem (“öktem: strong, proud, fearless”), 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 Öktem?

  1. Tankut Öktem painter 1939–2007
  2. Ali Haydar Öktem politician 1885–1951
  3. İmran Öktem judge 1904–1969
  4. Ferhunde Öktem psychologist 1950–
  5. Hulûsi Öktem musicologist 1892–1961
  6. Levent Öktem actor 1952–
  7. Volkan Öktem drummer 1970–
  8. Feyzi Öktem journalist 1942–2017

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

Is Öktem also a first name?

Yes. Öktem is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “strong, proud, fearless”.

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

How is Öktem written and pronounced abroad?

In databases without Turkish characters it usually appears as Oktem.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Öktem 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 Öktem

Q1

What does the surname Öktem mean?

Öktem is a male given name of Old Turkic origin, glossed in dictionaries as “strong, honourable, imposing, fearless”. It praises a proud, bold character.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Öktem?

The root word of Öktem is Öktem (Turkic): “male name: strong, honourable, imposing, fearless”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Öktem?

Ök·tem, 2 syllables; IPA: /øcˈtem/.