Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,824

Sefil

Sefil /seˈfil/

“wretched, destitute”1

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

How do you pronounce Sefil?

Sefil

IPA /seˈfil/

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

What does the surname Sefil mean?

Sefil means wretched, destitute, miserable in Turkish. According to Nişanyan it comes from Arabic safīl ‘low, base’. Nişanyan Adlar notes that as a name in the Van area it reflects the first element of the name Seyfülmülûk, and that a folk poet known as Sefil Dede composed hymns.1

Sefil is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Sefil made of?

Sefil is a single Arabic root: sefil (wretched, destitute).

Sefil root sefil wretched, destitute ARABIC sefil “low, base; Arabic safīl” Sefil sefil root wretched, destitute sefil ARABIC “low, base; Arabic safīl”
Sefil: parts and root words
  • sefil Arabic — low, base; Arabic safīl1

How was the name Sefil formed?

Sefil is the adjective sefil (“wretched, destitute”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Who are some well-known people named Sefil?

  1. Ali Sami Sefil actor 2013–
  2. Fatih Sefil researcher
  3. Serkan Sefil association football player 1999–

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

Is Sefil also a first name?

Yes. Sefil is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “wretched, destitute”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: sefil accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Sefil 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 Sefil

Q1

What does the surname Sefil mean?

Sefil means wretched, destitute, miserable in Turkish. According to Nişanyan it comes from Arabic safīl ‘low, base’. Nişanyan Adlar notes that as a name in the Van area it reflects the first element of the name Seyfülmülûk, and that a folk poet known as Sefil Dede composed hymns.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Sefil?

The root word of Sefil is sefil (Arabic): “low, base; Arabic safīl”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Sefil?

Se·fil, 2 syllables; IPA: /seˈfil/.