Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,833

Selvi

Selvi /selˈvi/

“cypress”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
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 Selvi?

Selvi

IPA /selˈvi/

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

What does the surname Selvi mean?

Selvi is the widespread popular form of servi, the cypress; the word comes from Persian sarv. Slender, tall and evergreen, the tree stands in classical poetry for the beloved’s graceful stature: selvi boylu, “cypress-tall”. A village near Biga, Çanakkale, also bears the name.1,2

Selvi is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Selvi made of?

Selvi is a single Persian root: selvi (selvi: cypress).

Selvi + root selvi selvi: cypress PERSIAN selvi “cypress tree” PERSIAN servi “Persian sarv: theslender evergreen…” Selvi selvi root selvi: cypress selvi PERSIAN “cypress tree” servi PERSIAN “Persian sarv: the slenderevergreen cypress”
Selvi: parts and root words
  • selvi Persian — cypress tree1
  • servi Persian — Persian sarv: the slender evergreen cypress2

How was the name Selvi formed?

Selvi is the word selvi (“selvi: cypress”), 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 Selvi?

  1. Abdulkadir Selvi columnist 1964–
  2. Murat Selvi association football player 1982–
  3. Ömer Selvi politician 1976–
  4. Alperen Selvi association football player 2001–
  5. Bahar Selvi actor 1983–
  6. Bedrettin Selvi botanist 2002–
  7. Cevdet Selvi politician 1943–2026
  8. Latif Selvi statesperson 1963–

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

Is Selvi also a first name?

Yes. Selvi is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “cypress”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: selvi accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: servi 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 Selvi

Q1

What does the surname Selvi mean?

Selvi is the widespread popular form of servi, the cypress; the word comes from Persian sarv. Slender, tall and evergreen, the tree stands in classical poetry for the beloved’s graceful stature: selvi boylu, “cypress-tall”. A village near Biga, Çanakkale, also bears the name.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Selvi?

The root word of Selvi is selvi (Persian): “cypress tree”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Selvi?

Sel·vi, 2 syllables; IPA: /selˈvi/.