Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,634

Pehlivanoğlu

Pehlivanoğlu /pehlivanoːˈɫu/ ASCII Pehlivanoglu

“son of the wrestler”1

Letters / syllables
12 / 5
Formation
Patronymic
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 Pehlivanoğlu?

Pehlivanoğlu

IPA /pehlivanoːˈɫu/

The stress usually falls on syllable 5 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Pehlivanoğlu mean?

It means “son of the wrestler”. In Turkish a pehlivan is a wrestler and, figuratively, a tall, strong person; the word comes from Persian pahlavān “hero, champion, warrior”. In the tradition of oil wrestling the title of başpehlivan, “chief wrestler”, is among the most respected.1

Grammar pehlivan + -oğlu

What is Pehlivanoğlu made of?

Pehlivanoğlu is Persian in origin and breaks into 2 parts: pehlivan (wrestler; strongman) + -oğlu (son of).

Pehlivanoğlu + root pehlivan wrestler; strongman PERSIAN pehlivan “wrestler; tall, strongperson; Persian…” suffix -oğlu son of Pehlivanoğlu pehlivan root wrestler; strongman pehlivan PERSIAN “wrestler; tall, strong person;Persian pahlavān ‘hero, warrior’” -oğlu suffix son of
Pehlivanoğlu: parts and root words
  • pehlivan Persian — wrestler; tall, strong person; Persian pahlavān “hero, warrior”1

How was the name Pehlivanoğlu formed?

Pehlivanoğlu was formed by adding -oğlu, “son of”, to pehlivan (“wrestler; strongman”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.3

Which surnames are related to Pehlivanoğlu?

Pehlivanoğlu Pehlivan Pehlivanlı
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 Pehlivanlı same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Pehlivanoğlu?

  1. Cavit Şadi Pehlivanoğlu politician 1927–2015
  2. Mustafa Pehlivanoğlu criminal 1958–1980
  3. Dilara Pehlivanoğlu association football referee
  4. Reşit Hilmi Pehlivanoğlu poet 1840–1910
  5. Serdar Pehlivanoğlu film director 1969–
  6. Özdemir Pehlivanoğlu statesperson 1938–
  7. Burçin Pehlivanoğlu researcher
  8. Elif Pehlivanoğlu-Mantas researcher

People surnamed Pehlivanoğlu 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 Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Pehlivanoğlu

Q1

What does the surname Pehlivanoğlu mean?

It means “son of the wrestler”. In Turkish a pehlivan is a wrestler and, figuratively, a tall, strong person; the word comes from Persian pahlavān “hero, champion, warrior”. In the tradition of oil wrestling the title of başpehlivan, “chief wrestler”, is among the most respected.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Pehlivanoğlu?

The root word of Pehlivanoğlu is pehlivan (Persian): ‘wrestler; tall, strong person; Persian pahlavān “hero, warrior”’.
Q3

How do you pronounce Pehlivanoğlu?

Peh·li·va·noğ·lu, 5 syllables; IPA: /pehlivanoːˈɫu/.