Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,951

Su

/su/

“water”1

Letters / syllables
2 / 1
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
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 Su?

Su

IPA /su/

What does the surname Su mean?

Su is water, the colourless, odourless liquid on which life depends; Old Turkic had it as sub. In Turkish culture it stands for purity, abundance and clarity, as in the blessing “be as precious as water”. It is a popular girls’ name today and is also used as a surname.1

Su is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Su made of?

Su is a single Turkic root: su (water).

Su root su water TURKIC su “water; Old Turkic sub” Su su root water su TURKIC “water; Old Turkic sub”
Su: parts and root words
  • su Turkic — water; Old Turkic sub1

How was the name Su formed?

Su is the word su (“water”), taken unchanged as a surname.

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.5

Who are some well-known people named Su?

  1. Ruhi Su singer 1912–1985
  2. Ali İhsan Su bureaucrat 1959–
  3. Mükerrem Kâmil Su novelist 1906–1984
  4. Nihan Su association football player 1981–
  5. İsmet Su politician 1959–
  6. Ali Su politician 1944–
  7. Kamil Su historian 1909–1984
  8. Nihat Su politician 1917–1970

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

Is Su also a first name?

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

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: su accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: su accessed 9 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Su accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Su

Q1

What does the surname Su mean?

Su is water, the colourless, odourless liquid on which life depends; Old Turkic had it as sub. In Turkish culture it stands for purity, abundance and clarity, as in the blessing “be as precious as water”. It is a popular girls’ name today and is also used as a surname.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Su?

The root word of Su is su (Turkic): “water; Old Turkic sub”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Su?

Su, 1 syllable; IPA: /su/.