Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,737

Salih

Salih /saˈlih/

“righteous, good”1

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

How do you pronounce Salih?

Salih

IPA /saˈlih/

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

What does the surname Salih mean?

Salih is a male name from Arabic ṣāliḥ ‘righteous, good, fit’; in Turkish the word is also an adjective meaning ‘suitable, valid’. In the Qur’an Salih is the prophet sent to the people of Thamud.1

What is Salih made of?

Salih is a single Arabic root: Salih (Salih: Arabic ‘righteous, good, fit’).

Salih root Salih Salih: Arabic ‘righteous,good, fit’ ARABIC ṣāliḥ “righteous, good;suitable” Salih Salih root Salih: Arabic ‘righteous, good, fit’ ṣāliḥ ARABIC “righteous, good; suitable”
Salih: parts and root words
  • ṣāliḥ Arabic — righteous, good; suitable1

How was the name Salih formed?

Salih is the word Salih (“Salih: Arabic ‘righteous, good, fit’”), taken unchanged as a surname.

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.4

Which surnames are related to Salih?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Salihoğlu same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Salih?

  1. Zeynep N. Salih researcher

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

Is Salih also a first name?

Yes. Salih is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “righteous, good”.

2018–2022

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Salih accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: salih 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 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Salih

Q1

What does the surname Salih mean?

Salih is a male name from Arabic ṣāliḥ ‘righteous, good, fit’; in Turkish the word is also an adjective meaning ‘suitable, valid’. In the Qur’an Salih is the prophet sent to the people of Thamud.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Salih?

The root word of Salih is ṣāliḥ (Arabic): “righteous, good; suitable”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Salih?

Sa·lih, 2 syllables; IPA: /saˈlih/.