Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,330

Orhan

Orhan /oɾˈhan/

“old male name with -han”3

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

How do you pronounce Orhan?

Orhan

IPA /oɾˈhan/

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

What does the surname Orhan mean?

Orhan is an old Turkish male given name ending in -han, best known as the name of Orhan Gazi, the second Ottoman ruler. The meaning of the first element is not settled in the sources; the name remains widely used today.3

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

What is Orhan made of?

Orhan is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: Or (first element) + han (han: khan, ruler).

Orhan + root Or first element TURKIC han “khan, ruler” suffix han han: khan, ruler Orhan Or root first element han TURKIC “khan, ruler” han suffix han: khan, ruler
Orhan: parts and root words
  • han Turkic — khan, ruler3

How was the name Orhan formed?

Orhan was formed by adding the suffix han (“han: khan, ruler”) to Or (“first element”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.5

Which surnames are related to Orhan?

Orhan Karahan İlhan Ayhan Demirhan Erhan Bayhan Özhan Yıldızhan Gökhan Beyhan Atlıhan Kayahan
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Karahan same root – –
02 İlhan same root – –
03 Ayhan same root – –
04 Demirhan same root – –
05 Erhan same root – –
06 Bayhan same root – –
07 Özhan same root – –
08 Yıldızhan same root – –
09 Gökhan same root – –
10 Beyhan same root – –
11 Atlıhan same root – –
12 Kayahan same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Orhan?

  1. Mahmut Orhan record producer 1993–
  2. Gülşen Orhan politician 1970–
  3. Yılmaz Orhan association football player 1955–
  4. Çekdar Orhan association football player 1998–
  5. Sevcan Orhan musician 1982–
  6. Tuna Orhan actor 1966–
  7. Ahmet Orhan statesperson 1956–
  8. Burhan Orhan statesperson

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

Is Orhan also a first name?

Yes. Orhan is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “old male name with -han”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: han2 accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Orhan accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: han 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 Orhan

Q1

What does the surname Orhan mean?

Orhan is an old Turkish male given name ending in -han, best known as the name of Orhan Gazi, the second Ottoman ruler. The meaning of the first element is not settled in the sources; the name remains widely used today.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Orhan?

The root word of Orhan is han (Turkic): “khan, ruler”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Orhan?

Or·han, 2 syllables; IPA: /oɾˈhan/.