Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,448

Özçeri

Özçeri /œztʃeˈɾi/ ASCII Ozceri

“true soldier”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 3
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
Ö
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7Abroad
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Özçeri?

Özçeri

IPA /œztʃeˈɾi/

The stress usually falls on syllable 3 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Özçeri mean?

Çeri is an old Turkic word for “army, soldiery”, preserved in yeniçeri, “new troops” (the Janissaries). Combined with öz it gives “true soldier, our own army”.1,2

Grammar Compound öz + çeri.

That Özçeri goes back to öz and çeri is probable rather than proven: the dictionaries cited agree on it.

What is Özçeri made of?

Özçeri is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: öz- (öz: own; pure, genuine) + çeri (çeri: army, soldiery).

Özçeri + root öz- öz: own; pure, genuine TURKIC öz “own; pure, genuine” root çeri çeri: army, soldiery TURKIC çeri “army, soldiers (as inyeniçeri)” Özçeri öz- root öz: own; pure, genuine öz TURKIC “own; pure, genuine” çeri root çeri: army, soldiery çeri TURKIC “army, soldiers (as in yeniçeri)”
Özçeri: parts and root words
  • öz Turkic — own; pure, genuine1
  • çeri Turkic — army, soldiers (as in yeniçeri)2

How was the name Özçeri formed?

Özçeri was formed by joining öz- (“öz: own; pure, genuine”) and çeri (“çeri: army, soldiery”).

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

Which surnames are related to Özçeri?

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

Who are some well-known people named Özçeri?

  1. Tugay Özçeri diplomat 1939–2003

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

How is Özçeri written and pronounced abroad?

In foreign records the name often appears as Ozceri: ç becomes c or ch; ö may appear as o or oe.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: öz accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: çeri accessed 9 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

Common questions about Özçeri

Q1

What does the surname Özçeri mean?

Çeri is an old Turkic word for “army, soldiery”, preserved in yeniçeri, “new troops” (the Janissaries). Combined with öz it gives “true soldier, our own army”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Özçeri?

Özçeri is made up of two elements: öz “own; pure, genuine” (Turkic) and çeri “army, soldiers (as in yeniçeri)” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Özçeri?

Öz·çe·ri, 3 syllables; IPA: /œztʃeˈɾi/.