SURNAMENo. 6
ADNKS 2025Şahin
“hawk, buzzard”3
- CategoryBirds of prey
- OriginPersian
- FormPlain noun
#6 The 6th most common surname in Türkiye 688,214 peopleTÜİK ADNKS 20251
- Letters / syllables
- 5 / 2
- Formation
- Plain noun
Contents§1–§18
How do you pronounce Şahin?
The stress usually falls on syllable 2 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.
What does the surname Şahin mean?
The şahin is a medium-sized bird of prey of the hawk family, living in mountains and woodland; English renders it as buzzard or hawk. The word comes from Persian and is connected with şāh, “king”. As a name it stands for the bird’s keen eye, courage and agility.3,5
Şahin is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.
How was the name Şahin formed?
Şahin belongs to the “plain noun” class of surnames.
Which surnames are related to Şahin?
| # | Surname | Relation | Rank | People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Şahiner | same root | – | – |
| 02 | Şahinkaya | same root | – | – |
| 03 | Şahinoğlu | same root | – | – |
| 04 | Özşahin | same root | – | – |
| 05 | Şahinbaş | same root | – | – |
| 06 | Küçükşahin | same root | – | – |
| 07 | Şahinler | same root | – | – |
| 08 | Erşahin | same root | – | – |
| 09 | Karaşahin | same root | – | – |
| 10 | Şahintürk | same root | – | – |
How else is Şahin spelled?
- Şahanspelling
How many people in Türkiye are called Şahin?
Şahin is the sixth most common surname, 8,866 behind Yıldız and 21,491 ahead of Yıldırım.1
Bearers by year
| 2018 | 660,634 |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 667,161 |
| 2020 | 672,026 |
| 2021 | 676,707 |
| 2022 | 680,655 |
| 2023 | 683,206 |
| 2024 | 685,727 |
| 2025 | 688,214 |
Şahin gained 27,580 bearers between 2018 and 2025, yet its share slipped from 8.06 to 7.99 per 1,000 people, because the population grew faster. Its absolute gain is the seventh largest in the top 10. It has held 6th place every year since 2018.1,2
How has Şahin ranked over the years?
| Year | Rank | People | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 688,214 | +2,487 | [1] |
| 2024 | 6 | 685,727 | +2,521 | [1] |
| 2023 | 6 | 683,206 | +2,551 | [1] |
| 2022 | 6 | 680,655 | +3,948 | [1] |
| 2021 | 6 | 676,707 | +4,681 | [1] |
| 2020 | 6 | 672,026 | +4,865 | [1] |
| 2019 | 6 | 667,161 | +6,527 | [1] |
| 2018 | 6 | 660,634 | – | [1] |
Where in Türkiye is Şahin most common?
Şahin tops the list only in Amasya, Çorum, Malatya and Yozgat, but is in the top three in 19 provinces.1
- Most common surname (#1) 4
- In the top three (#2–3) 15
- In the province top 30 53
- Not listed
| # | Province | Rank | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Istanbul | 5 | 130,005 |
| 02 | Ankara | 2 | 62,512 |
| 03 | Izmir | 9 | 25,449 |
| 04 | Bursa | 8 | 24,489 |
| 05 | Antalya | 5 | 23,478 |
| 06 | Gaziantep | 11 | 22,597 |
Provinces where it is #1 4
- Amasya
- Çorum
- Malatya
- Yozgat
How often would you meet a Şahin?
In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect about 8 Şahins.
In a class of 30, the chance that at least one pupil is a Şahin is about 21%.
688,214 ÷ 86,092,168 × 1,000 ≈ 8.0 1,2
The calculation divides bearers by the 2025 ADNKS population; a real school or class will differ by region.
How does Şahin compare with similar surnames?
Surnames in the “Birds of prey” category and the Şahin family:
For every Doğan there are about 1.4 Şahins.
How many people are called Mehmet Şahin?
These are estimates that assume given names and surnames are independent. In reality, families and regions do not choose names independently, so read them as orders of magnitude.
| # | Full name | Estimated people |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Mehmet Şahin | ≈10,167estimate |
| 02 | Fatma Şahin | ≈9,210estimate |
| 03 | Mustafa Şahin | ≈8,455estimate |
| 04 | Ayşe Şahin | ≈7,249estimate |
| 05 | Ahmet Şahin | ≈6,852estimate |
Who are some well-known people named Şahin?
- Nuri Şahin association football player 1988–
- Uğur Şahin researcher 1965–
- Ebru Şahin actor 1994–
- Sıla Şahin actor 1985–
- Ramazan Şahin amateur wrestler 1983–
- Fatma Şahin politician 1966–
- Mehmet Ali Şahin politician 1950–
- Selçuk Şahin association football player 1981–
People surnamed Şahin as recorded in Wikidata, ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions.
Is Şahin also a first name?
Yes. Şahin is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “hawk, buzzard”.
Şahin as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →
How is Şahin written and pronounced abroad?
In passports and records outside Turkey Şahin is usually written Sahin.
Where do these facts come from?
- 1 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)
- 2 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK ADNKS: Cinsiyete göre nüfus, Türkiye ve 81 il
- 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: şahin
- 4 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: şahin
- 5 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Şahin
- 6 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
- 7 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı — En çok kullanılan isimler (ADNKS)
- 8 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)
- 9 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759)
- 10 Natural Earth Natural Earth: Admin-1 boundaries
- 11 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com)
Common questions about Şahin
- Q1
What does the surname Şahin mean?
- The şahin is a medium-sized bird of prey of the hawk family, living in mountains and woodland; English renders it as buzzard or hawk. The word comes from Persian and is connected with şāh, “king”. As a name it stands for the bird’s keen eye, courage and agility.
- Q2
How many people in Türkiye have the surname Şahin?
- 688,214 people, according to TÜİK ADNKS 2025, which places it at number 6 in Türkiye.
- Q3
In which provinces is Şahin the most common surname?
- In the TÜİK ADNKS 2025 province lists it ranks first in Amasya, Çorum, Malatya and Yozgat.
- Q4
What is the origin of the surname Şahin?
- The root word of Şahin is şāhīn (Persian): ‘royal falcon, hawk; related to şāh “king”’.
- Q5
How do you pronounce Şahin?
- Şa·hin, 2 syllables; IPA: /ʃaˈhin/.