Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,068

Şeref

Şeref /ʃeˈɾef/ ASCII Seref

“honour, dignity”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
Ş
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 Şeref?

Şeref

IPA /ʃeˈɾef/

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

What does the surname Şeref mean?

Şeref, a word of Arabic origin and a common male name, means ‘honour, dignity, eminence’. According to Nişanyan, Arabic šaraf meant both ‘rising, prominence’ and ‘honour’, and in astronomy the culmination of a star.1

Şeref is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Şeref made of?

Şeref is a single Arabic root: şeref (honour, dignity).

Şeref root şeref honour, dignity ARABIC şeref “eminence; honour” Şeref şeref root honour, dignity şeref ARABIC “eminence; honour”
Şeref: parts and root words
  • şeref Arabic — eminence; honour1

How was the name Şeref formed?

Şeref is the word şeref (“honour, dignity”), 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 Şeref?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Şereftuğ same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Şeref?

  1. Abdurrahman Şeref politician 1853–1925

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

Is Şeref also a first name?

Yes. Şeref is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “honour, dignity”.

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

How is Şeref written and pronounced abroad?

In records outside Turkey the name usually appears as Seref: ş becomes s (German records sometimes sch).

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: şeref accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Şeref 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 Şeref

Q1

What does the surname Şeref mean?

Şeref, a word of Arabic origin and a common male name, means ‘honour, dignity, eminence’. According to Nişanyan, Arabic šaraf meant both ‘rising, prominence’ and ‘honour’, and in astronomy the culmination of a star.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Şeref?

The root word of Şeref is şeref (Arabic): “eminence; honour”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Şeref?

Şe·ref, 2 syllables; IPA: /ʃeˈɾef/.