Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,598

Pekel

Pekel /peˈcel/

“firm hand; strong land”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
1934 coinage
Vowel harmony
front
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 Pekel?

Pekel

IPA /peˈcel/

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

What does the surname Pekel mean?

Pek, “firm, solid, durable”, joins el. Since el means both “hand” and “people, homeland”, the name is understood as “firm hand” or “strong homeland”. It follows the pattern of surnames ending in -el, such as Gürel and Yücel.1

Grammar Compound: pek + el.

That Pekel goes back to pek and el is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is Pekel made of?

Pekel breaks into 2 parts: pek (pek: firm, strong, durable) + el (el: hand; people, land).

Pekel + root pek pek: firm, strong,durable TURKIC pek “hard, firm; strong,durable; as adverb very” root el el: hand; people, land TURKIC el “hand; people; homeland” Pekel pek root pek: firm, strong, durable pek TURKIC “hard, firm; strong, durable; asadverb very” el root el: hand; people, land el TURKIC “hand; people; homeland”
Pekel: parts and root words
  • pek Turkic — hard, firm; strong, durable; as adverb very1
  • el Turkic — hand; people; homeland1

How was the name Pekel formed?

Pekel belongs to the “1934 coinage” class of surnames (pek + el).

Which surnames are related to Pekel?

Pekel Peker Pekcan Pektaş Pekin Pekşen Pek Pekdemir Pekkan
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Peker same root – –
02 Pekcan same root – –
03 Pektaş same root – –
04 Pekin same root – –
05 Pekşen same root – –
06 Pek same root – –
07 Pekdemir same root – –
08 Pekkan same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Pekel?

  1. Melike Pekel association football player 1995–
  2. Birol Pekel association football player 1938–2004
  3. Ali Galip Pekel politician 1890–1949
  4. Ekrem Pekel politician 1885–1957
  5. Sedat Pekel statesperson 1948–
  6. İhsan Pekel bureaucrat 1930–
  7. Gökhan Pekel researcher

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: pek accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Pekel 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 Pekel

Q1

What does the surname Pekel mean?

Pek, “firm, solid, durable”, joins el. Since el means both “hand” and “people, homeland”, the name is understood as “firm hand” or “strong homeland”. It follows the pattern of surnames ending in -el, such as Gürel and Yücel.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Pekel?

The root word of Pekel is pek (Turkic): “hard, firm; strong, durable; as adverb very”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Pekel?

Pe·kel, 2 syllables; IPA: /peˈcel/.