Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,592

Pehlivan

Pehlivan /pehliˈvan/

“wrestler; strongman”1

Letters / syllables
8 / 3
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
P
Contents§1–§9
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7Sources
  8. §8Questions
  9. §9Related

How do you pronounce Pehlivan?

Pehlivan

IPA /pehliˈvan/

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

What does the surname Pehlivan mean?

Pehlivan means a wrestler and, more broadly, a tall, powerful man. The word comes from Persian pahlavān “hero, warrior”, and in Turkish it is above all the name for masters of oil wrestling.1

Pehlivan is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Pehlivan made of?

Pehlivan is a single root: pehlivan (pehlivan: wrestler; big, strong man).

Pehlivan root pehlivan pehlivan: wrestler; big,strong man PERSIAN pehlivan “wrestler; tall, powerfulman (Persian pahlavān…” Pehlivan pehlivan root pehlivan: wrestler; big, strong man pehlivan PERSIAN “wrestler; tall, powerful man(Persian pahlavān ‘hero,…’”
Pehlivan: parts and root words
  • pehlivan Persian — wrestler; tall, powerful man (Persian pahlavān “hero, warrior”)1

How was the name Pehlivan formed?

Pehlivan belongs to the “plain noun” class of surnames.

Which surnames are related to Pehlivan?

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

Who are some well-known people named Pehlivan?

  1. Yasin Pehlivan association football player 1989–
  2. Ferhat Pehlivan boxer 1988–
  3. Halil İbrahim Pehlivan association football player 1993–
  4. Barış Pehlivan writer 1983–
  5. Doruk Pehlivan handball player 1998–
  6. Kurtdereli Mehmet Pehlivan amateur wrestler 1864–1939
  7. Muhammed Pehlivan association football player 2000–
  8. Parti Pehlivan amateur wrestler 1868–1941

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: pehlivan accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikipedi: Pehlivan (soyadı) 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 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Pehlivan

Q1

What does the surname Pehlivan mean?

Pehlivan means a wrestler and, more broadly, a tall, powerful man. The word comes from Persian pahlavān “hero, warrior”, and in Turkish it is above all the name for masters of oil wrestling.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Pehlivan?

The root word of Pehlivan is pehlivan (Persian): ‘wrestler; tall, powerful man (Persian pahlavān “hero, warrior”)’.
Q3

How do you pronounce Pehlivan?

Peh·li·van, 3 syllables; IPA: /pehliˈvan/.