Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,635

Roman

Roman /ɾoˈman/

“novel; a male name”3

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
R
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6As a first name
  7. §7Abroad
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Roman?

Roman

IPA /ɾoˈman/

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

What does the surname Roman mean?

Roman meets several separate origins in Turkish. In literature a roman is a novel, a long work of fiction; according to Nişanyan’s dictionary it is borrowed from French roman. Wiktionary notes that the name used for the Roma people comes instead from Romani rromano; Nişanyan Adlar adds that Roman is a common male name in the former Soviet republics, from Latin Romanus.3

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. French roman, “novel” (Nişanyan).
  2. The male name Roman, from Latin Romanus (Nişanyan Adlar).
  3. The people’s name Roman, from Romani rromano (Wiktionary).

Roman is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Roman made of?

Roman is a single root: roman (novel).

Roman + root roman novel FRENCH roman “French roman, ‘novel’” OTHER Roman “Romani rromano” Roman roman root novel roman FRENCH “French roman, ‘novel’” Roman OTHER “Romani rromano”
Roman: parts and root words
  • roman French — French roman, “novel”3
  • Roman Other — Romani rromano3

How was the name Roman formed?

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

Who are some well-known people named Roman?

  1. Rafet El Roman actor 1968–
  2. Nancy Roman astronomer 1925–2018
  3. Petre Roman politician 1946–
  4. Ruth Roman actor 1922–1999
  5. Johan Helmich Roman composer 1694–1758
  6. Goku Román association football player 1993–
  7. Sonja Roman athletics competitor 1979–
  8. Lisa Roman rower 1989–

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

Is Roman also a first name?

Yes. Roman is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “novel; a male name”.

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

How is Roman written and pronounced abroad?

Roman uses only letters shared with English, so the spelling stays the same abroad.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: roman accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Roman accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 nisanyanadlar.com nisanyanadlar.com: Roman accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Roman

Q1

What does the surname Roman mean?

Roman meets several separate origins in Turkish. In literature a roman is a novel, a long work of fiction; according to Nişanyan’s dictionary it is borrowed from French roman. Wiktionary notes that the name used for the Roma people comes instead from Romani rromano; Nişanyan Adlar adds that Roman is a common male name in the former Soviet republics, from Latin Romanus.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Roman?

The root word of Roman is roman (European): ‘French roman, “novel”’. There are 4 competing views on where Roman comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Roman?

Ro·man, 2 syllables; IPA: /ɾoˈman/.