Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,894

Pehlivanlı

Pehlivanlı /pehlivanˈɫɯ/ ASCII Pehlivanli

“wrestler + -lı”1

Probable origin Pehlivanlı: root entries for pehlivan · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
10 / 4
Formation
Suffixed
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
P
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How do you pronounce Pehlivanlı?

Pehlivanlı

IPA /pehlivanˈɫɯ/

The stress usually falls on syllable 4 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Pehlivanlı mean?

Formed from pehlivan ‘wrestler; big, strong man’ with the suffix -lı. Pehlivan comes from Persian pahlavân. Pehlivanlı also occurs as a village name in Anatolia, so the suffix may express belonging to a place or to a person.1

Grammar pehlivan + -lı.

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

What is Pehlivanlı made of?

Pehlivanlı is Persian in origin and breaks into 2 parts: pehlivan (wrestler; strongman) + -lı (suffix ‘having, of’).

Pehlivanlı + root pehlivan wrestler; strongman PERSIAN pehlivan “wrestler; big, strongperson” suffix -lı suffix ‘having, of’ Pehlivanlı pehlivan root wrestler; strongman pehlivan PERSIAN “wrestler; big, strong person” -lı suffix suffix ‘having, of’
Pehlivanlı: parts and root words
  • pehlivan Persian — wrestler; big, strong person1

How was the name Pehlivanlı formed?

Pehlivanlı was formed by adding the suffix -lı (“suffix ‘having, of’”) to pehlivan (“wrestler; strongman”).

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

Which surnames are related to Pehlivanlı?

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

Who are some well-known people named Pehlivanlı?

  1. Fikri Pehlivanlı politician 1929–
  2. İhsan Pehlivanlı politician 1885–1961
  3. Esra Pehlivanlı psychologist

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

How is Pehlivanlı written and pronounced abroad?

Without Turkish letters the name is usually written Pehlivanli in English-language records.

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Pehlivanlı?

Pehlivan, Pehlivanoğlu and Altınbilek share gloss keywords with Pehlivanlı within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Pehlivanlı?

Read the root, formation and register information for Pehlivanlı alongside these guides: How Turkish Surnames Are Formed: Roots and Suffixes and How to Pronounce and Spell Turkish Surnames.

Where do these facts come from?

All sources accessed 8 November 2026

  1. 1 Wikimedia Wiktionary: pehlivan
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: pehlivan
  3. 3 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)

Common questions about Pehlivanlı

Q1

What does the surname Pehlivanlı mean?

Formed from pehlivan ‘wrestler; big, strong man’ with the suffix -lı. Pehlivan comes from Persian pahlavân. Pehlivanlı also occurs as a village name in Anatolia, so the suffix may express belonging to a place or to a person.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Pehlivanlı?

The root word of Pehlivanlı is pehlivan (Persian): “wrestler; big, strong person”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Pehlivanlı?

Peh·li·van·lı, 4 syllables; IPA: /pehlivanˈɫɯ/.