Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,822

Sefer

Sefer /seˈfeɾ/

“journey; military campaign”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
front
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 Sefer?

Sefer

IPA /seˈfeɾ/

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

What does the surname Sefer mean?

Sefer means ‘journey’ and ‘military campaign, an army’s march against an enemy’; in everyday speech it also means ‘time, occasion’. The word is borrowed from Arabic safar ‘long march, journey’. Sefer is also a male given name.1

Sefer is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Sefer made of?

Sefer is a single Arabic root: sefer (sefer: journey; military campaign; time, occasion).

Sefer root sefer sefer: journey; militarycampaign; time, occasion ARABIC safar “long march, journey” Sefer sefer root sefer: journey; military campaign;time, occasion safar ARABIC “long march, journey”
Sefer: parts and root words
  • safar Arabic — long march, journey1

How was the name Sefer formed?

Sefer is the word sefer (“sefer: journey; military campaign; time, occasion”), 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 Sefer?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Seferinoğlu same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Sefer?

  1. Selim Sefer rugby league player

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

Is Sefer also a first name?

Yes. Sefer is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “journey; military campaign”.

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

How is Sefer written and pronounced abroad?

The spelling Sefer is usually kept unchanged in foreign records; every letter is pronounced.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: sefer accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: sefer 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 Sefer

Q1

What does the surname Sefer mean?

Sefer means ‘journey’ and ‘military campaign, an army’s march against an enemy’; in everyday speech it also means ‘time, occasion’. The word is borrowed from Arabic safar ‘long march, journey’. Sefer is also a male given name.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Sefer?

The root word of Sefer is safar (Arabic): “long march, journey”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Sefer?

Se·fer, 2 syllables; IPA: /seˈfeɾ/.