Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,332

Orhun

Orhun /oɾˈhun/

“the Orkhon river”1

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

How do you pronounce Orhun?

Orhun

IPA /oɾˈhun/

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

What does the surname Orhun mean?

Orhun is the Turkish name of the Orkhon, a river in Mongolia. The Göktürk inscriptions raised in its valley in the 8th century are known as the Orkhon inscriptions and rank among the oldest known Turkic texts. Through this association it became a male given name and from there a surname.1

Grammar A river name used without suffix.

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

What is Orhun made of?

Orhun is a single root: Orhun (the Orkhon river in Mongolia).

Orhun root Orhun the Orkhon river inMongolia UNKNOWN Orhun “a river in Mongolia;male given name” Orhun Orhun root the Orkhon river in Mongolia Orhun UNKNOWN “a river in Mongolia; male givenname”
Orhun: parts and root words
  • Orhun unknown — a river in Mongolia; male given name1

How was the name Orhun formed?

Orhun comes from a place name: Orhun (“the Orkhon river in Mongolia”).

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

How else is Orhun spelled?

Orhonspelling

Who are some well-known people named Orhun?

  1. Deniz Orhun cookbook writer 1974–
  2. Hayri Orhun statesperson
  3. Emre Orhun visual artist 1976–
  4. Günseli Orhun researcher
  5. Yeşim Orhun researcher
  6. Ömer Orhun researcher

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

Is Orhun also a first name?

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

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Orhun accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wikipedia: Orkhon inscriptions accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Orhun 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 Orhun

Q1

What does the surname Orhun mean?

Orhun is the Turkish name of the Orkhon, a river in Mongolia. The Göktürk inscriptions raised in its valley in the 8th century are known as the Orkhon inscriptions and rank among the oldest known Turkic texts. Through this association it became a male given name and from there a surname.
Q2

How do you pronounce Orhun?

Or·hun, 2 syllables; IPA: /oɾˈhun/.