Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,469

Özek

Özek /øˈzek/ ASCII Ozek

“centre, core; cart pole”1

Letters / syllables
4 / 2
Formation
Suffixed
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 Özek?

Özek

IPA /øˈzek/

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

What does the surname Özek mean?

In dialect özek means the centre or inner part of something and also the long wooden pole joining the front and rear axles of a cart. Nişanyan traces it to Old Turkic özek ‘little core, spinal cord’, built on öz ‘inner part, core’. In both senses it is the image of a central, load-bearing part.1

Grammar öz plus -ek.

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

Özek is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Özek made of?

Özek is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: öz (core, inner part) + -ek (noun-forming suffix).

Özek ++ root öz core, inner part TURKIC özek “centre of a thing; longpole joining a cart’s…” suffix -ek noun-forming suffix TURKIC özek “Old Turkic ‘little core,spinal cord’” Özek öz root core, inner part özek TURKIC “centre of a thing; long polejoining a cart’s axles” -ek suffix noun-forming suffix özek TURKIC “Old Turkic ‘little core, spinalcord’”
Özek: parts and root words
  • özek Turkic — centre of a thing; long pole joining a cart’s axles1
  • özek Turkic — Old Turkic ‘little core, spinal cord’1

How was the name Özek formed?

Özek was formed by adding the suffix -ek (“noun-forming suffix”) to öz (“core, inner part”).

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

Which surnames are related to Özek?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Özekler same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Özek?

  1. Ahmet İlhan Özek association football player 1988–
  2. Çetin Özek writer 1934–2008
  3. Cengiz Özek puppeteer 1964–
  4. Ahmet Besim Özek politician 1882–1965
  5. Ali Özek university teacher 1932–2021
  6. Turhan Özek singer 1937–1990
  7. Ceren Özek researcher
  8. Gülmira Özek researcher

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

How is Özek written and pronounced abroad?

Records outside Türkiye that lack Turkish characters normally show it as Ozek.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: özek accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: özek 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

Common questions about Özek

Q1

What does the surname Özek mean?

In dialect özek means the centre or inner part of something and also the long wooden pole joining the front and rear axles of a cart. Nişanyan traces it to Old Turkic özek ‘little core, spinal cord’, built on öz ‘inner part, core’. In both senses it is the image of a central, load-bearing part.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Özek?

The root word of Özek is özek (Turkic): “centre of a thing; long pole joining a cart’s axles”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Özek?

Ö·zek, 2 syllables; IPA: /øˈzek/.