Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,878

Seyhun

Seyhun /sejˈhun/

“the Syr Darya river”2

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

How do you pronounce Seyhun?

Seyhun

IPA /sejˈhun/

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

What does the surname Seyhun mean?

Seyhun comes from Sayḥūn, the Arabic name of the Syr Darya, one of the great rivers of Central Asia. In Turkish it is also used as a man’s name.2

That Seyhun goes back to Seyhun is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is Seyhun made of?

Seyhun is a single Arabic root: Seyhun (Seyhun: the Syr Darya river of Central Asia).

Seyhun root Seyhun Seyhun: the Syr Daryariver of Central Asia ARABIC Seyhun “Arabic name of the SyrDarya (Sayḥūn)” Seyhun Seyhun root Seyhun: the Syr Darya river of CentralAsia Seyhun ARABIC “Arabic name of the Syr Darya(Sayḥūn)”
Seyhun: parts and root words
  • Seyhun Arabic — Arabic name of the Syr Darya (Sayḥūn)2

How was the name Seyhun formed?

Seyhun is the word Seyhun (“Seyhun: the Syr Darya river of Central Asia”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Is Seyhun also a first name?

Yes. Seyhun is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “the Syr Darya river”.

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

How is Seyhun written and pronounced abroad?

The name has no Turkish-specific letters and is written Seyhun abroad as well; y is a consonant as in “yes”.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Wikipedia: Syr Darya accessed 9 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Seyhun accessed 9 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 Seyhun

Q1

What does the surname Seyhun mean?

Seyhun comes from Sayḥūn, the Arabic name of the Syr Darya, one of the great rivers of Central Asia. In Turkish it is also used as a man’s name.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Seyhun?

The root word of Seyhun is Seyhun (Arabic): “Arabic name of the Syr Darya (Sayḥūn)”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Seyhun?

Sey·hun, 2 syllables; IPA: /sejˈhun/.