Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,644

Pekşen

Pekşen /pekˈʃen/ ASCII Peksen

“very cheerful”2

Letters / syllables
6 / 2
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
P
Contents§1–§11
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7As a first name
  8. §8Abroad
  9. §9Sources
  10. §10Questions
  11. §11Related

How do you pronounce Pekşen?

Pekşen

IPA /pekˈʃen/

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

What does the surname Pekşen mean?

Pekşen combines pek ‘very’ and şen ‘cheerful’, read as ‘very cheerful’. Since pek also means ‘firm, sturdy’, a reading ‘sturdy and cheerful’ is possible too. Şen is traced to Armenian šen ‘inhabited, prosperous’, with Nişanyan also allowing a direct loan from Middle Persian šēn; pek is Turkic.1,2

Grammar pek + şen: adverb + adjective.

The origin of Pekşen is disputed; the debate concerns the shared root, and the views are set out under Şen.

What is Pekşen made of?

Pekşen combines Turkic and Armenian elements in 2 parts: pek (very; firm, solid) + şen (cheerful, merry).

Pekşen + root pek very; firm, solid TURKIC pek “very; firm, solid” root şen cheerful, merry ARMENIAN şen “cheerful, merry” Pekşen pek root very; firm, solid pek TURKIC “very; firm, solid” şen root cheerful, merry şen ARMENIAN “cheerful, merry”
Pekşen: parts and root words
  • pek Turkic — very; firm, solid2
  • şen Armenian — cheerful, merry1

How was the name Pekşen formed?

Pekşen was formed by joining pek (“very; firm, solid”) and şen (“cheerful, merry”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.6

Which surnames are related to Pekşen?

Pekşen Şen Şener Şentürk Şenol Şengül Şenel Peker Şensoy Şenocak Şengün Pekcan Pektaş
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Şen same root – –
02 Şener same root – –
03 Şentürk same root – –
04 Şenol same root – –
05 Şengül same root – –
06 Şenel same root – –
07 Peker same root – –
08 Şensoy same root – –
09 Şenocak same root – –
10 Şengün same root – –
11 Pekcan same root – –
12 Pektaş same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Pekşen?

  1. Haluk Pekşen politician 1961–2022
  2. Caner Pekşen volleyball player 1987–
  3. Halil İbrahim Pekşen association football player 1992–
  4. Yalçın Pekşen journalist 1940–
  5. Kutay Pekşen association football player 1999–
  6. Yıldız Pekşen researcher
  7. Çağhan Pekşen researcher

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

Is Pekşen also a first name?

Yes. Pekşen is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “very cheerful”.

Pekşen as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →

How is Pekşen written and pronounced abroad?

Outside Turkey the name is often written Peksen.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: şen accessed 9 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: pek accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: şen accessed 9 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Wiktionary: شن accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Pekşen

Q1

What does the surname Pekşen mean?

Pekşen combines pek ‘very’ and şen ‘cheerful’, read as ‘very cheerful’. Since pek also means ‘firm, sturdy’, a reading ‘sturdy and cheerful’ is possible too. Şen is traced to Armenian šen ‘inhabited, prosperous’, with Nişanyan also allowing a direct loan from Middle Persian šēn; pek is Turkic.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Pekşen?

Pekşen is made up of two elements: pek “very; firm, solid” (Turkic) and şen “cheerful, merry” (Armenian). There are 3 competing views on where Pekşen comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Pekşen?

Pek·şen, 2 syllables; IPA: /pekˈʃen/.