Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,769

Sarhan

Sarhan /saɾˈhan/

“blond khan”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 2
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
S
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 Sarhan?

Sarhan

IPA /saɾˈhan/

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

What does the surname Sarhan mean?

Nişanyan Adlar explains the name, with a query, as “blond khan” and notes that it was the name of the Turkish emir who founded a principality around Manisa in the early 14th century, and later of the Ottoman province of Manisa (Saruhan). Its use as a girl’s name may suggest “fair-haired girl”.1

Grammar sarı + han; a shortened form of Saruhan.

That Sarhan goes back to sarı and han is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is Sarhan made of?

Sarhan is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: sar(ı) (sarı: fair, blond) + han (han: khan, ruler).

Sarhan + root sar(ı) sarı: fair, blond TURKIC sarı “yellow; fair-haired” root han han: khan, ruler TURKIC han “khan, ruler” Sarhan sar(ı) root sarı: fair, blond sarı TURKIC “yellow; fair-haired” han root han: khan, ruler han TURKIC “khan, ruler”
Sarhan: parts and root words
  • sarı Turkic — yellow; fair-haired1
  • han Turkic — khan, ruler1

How was the name Sarhan formed?

Sarhan was formed by joining sar(ı) (“sarı: fair, blond”) and han (“han: khan, ruler”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.3

Which surnames are related to Sarhan?

Sarhan Sarı Karahan İlhan Orhan Ayhan Sarıkaya Demirhan Sarıoğlu Erhan Sarıtaş Bayhan Özhan
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Sarı same root – –
02 Karahan same root – –
03 İlhan same root – –
04 Orhan same root – –
05 Ayhan same root – –
06 Sarıkaya same root – –
07 Demirhan same root – –
08 Sarıoğlu same root – –
09 Erhan same root – –
10 Sarıtaş same root – –
11 Bayhan same root – –
12 Özhan same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Sarhan?

  1. Mustafa Fevzi Sarhan politician 1875–1933

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

Is Sarhan also a first name?

Yes. Sarhan is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “blond khan”.

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

How is Sarhan written and pronounced abroad?

The name has no Turkish-specific letters and is written Sarhan abroad as well.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Sarhan accessed 9 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Sarhan

Q1

What does the surname Sarhan mean?

Nişanyan Adlar explains the name, with a query, as “blond khan” and notes that it was the name of the Turkish emir who founded a principality around Manisa in the early 14th century, and later of the Ottoman province of Manisa (Saruhan). Its use as a girl’s name may suggest “fair-haired girl”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Sarhan?

Sarhan is made up of two elements: sarı “yellow; fair-haired” (Turkic) and han “khan, ruler” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Sarhan?

Sar·han, 2 syllables; IPA: /saɾˈhan/.