Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,568

Orhon

Orhon /oɾˈhon/

“the Orkhon River”1

Established origin Orhon: root entries for Orhon · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
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Initial
O
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How do you pronounce Orhon?

Orhon

IPA /oɾˈhon/

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

What does the surname Orhon mean?

Orhon is the name of a river in Mongolia. Three inscribed stones erected on its banks between 732 and 735 are the oldest firmly dated texts in Turkish; Vasily Radlov first published them in 1889, and the Danish Turkologist Vilhelm Thomsen deciphered them in 1893. Orhon is also used today as a male given name and a surname.1

Grammar Proper name taken from a river name.

What is Orhon made of?

Orhon is a single root: Orhon (a river in Mongolia).

Orhon root Orhon a river in Mongolia UNKNOWN Orhon “name of a river inMongolia; male name…” Orhon Orhon root a river in Mongolia Orhon UNKNOWN “name of a river in Mongolia;male name (Orhun)”
Orhon: parts and root words
  • Orhon unknown — name of a river in Mongolia; male name (Orhun)1

How was the name Orhon formed?

Orhon is the word Orhon (“a river in Mongolia”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

How else is Orhon spelled?

Orhunspelling

Who are some well-known people named Orhon?

  1. Orhan Seyfi Orhon politician 1890–1972
  2. Mübin Orhon painter 1924–1981
  3. Burçin Orhon actor 1962–
  4. Zihni Orhon politician 1883–1955
  5. Cüneyd Orhon musician 1926–2006
  6. Derin Orhon civil engineer 1942–
  7. Ekrem Orhon politician 1911–1983
  8. Mahmut Orhon politician 1946–

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

Is Orhon also a first name?

Yes. Orhon is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “the Orkhon River”.

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

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Orhon?

Orhun, Ceyhan and Orhunöz share gloss keywords with Orhon within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Orhon?

Read the root, formation and register information for Orhon alongside this guide: How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Orhon accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Orhon 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 Orhon

Q1

What does the surname Orhon mean?

Orhon is the name of a river in Mongolia. Three inscribed stones erected on its banks between 732 and 735 are the oldest firmly dated texts in Turkish; Vasily Radlov first published them in 1889, and the Danish Turkologist Vilhelm Thomsen deciphered them in 1893. Orhon is also used today as a male given name and a surname.
Q2

How do you pronounce Orhon?

Or·hon, 2 syllables; IPA: /oɾˈhon/.