Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,098

Tahir

Tahir /taˈhiɾ/

“pure, clean (given name)”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
T
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 Tahir?

Tahir

IPA /taˈhiɾ/

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

What does the surname Tahir mean?

Tahir is a male given name from Arabic ṭāhir, meaning “pure, clean, spotless”. As a surname it most likely goes back to the given name of a family elder adopted in 1934. The hero of the folk romance Tahir and Zühre also bears the name.1

What is Tahir made of?

Tahir is a single Arabic root: Tahir (Tahir: pure, clean (Arabic ṭāhir)).

Tahir root Tahir Tahir: pure, clean(Arabic ṭāhir) ARABIC Tahir “male given name; Arabicṭāhir ‘pure, clean’” Tahir Tahir root Tahir: pure, clean (Arabic ṭāhir) Tahir ARABIC “male given name; Arabic ṭāhir‘pure, clean’”
Tahir: parts and root words
  • Tahir Arabic — male given name; Arabic ṭāhir “pure, clean”1

How was the name Tahir formed?

Tahir is the word Tahir (“Tahir: pure, clean (Arabic ṭāhir)”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Who are some well-known people named Tahir?

  1. Kemal Tahir writer 1910–1973
  2. Bursalı Mehmet Tahir Bey politician 1861–1925
  3. Murat Tahir swimmer 1964–
  4. Mehmet Tahir publisher 1864–1909
  5. Menemenlizade Mehmed Tahir writer 1862–1903
  6. Mukim Tahir musician 1900–1946
  7. Yılmaz Tahir amateur wrestler 1971–
  8. Adnan Tahir researcher

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

Is Tahir also a first name?

Yes. Tahir is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “pure, clean (given name)”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Tahir accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 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 Tahir

Q1

What does the surname Tahir mean?

Tahir is a male given name from Arabic ṭāhir, meaning “pure, clean, spotless”. As a surname it most likely goes back to the given name of a family elder adopted in 1934. The hero of the folk romance Tahir and Zühre also bears the name.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Tahir?

The root word of Tahir is Tahir (Arabic): ‘male given name; Arabic ṭāhir “pure, clean”’.
Q3

How do you pronounce Tahir?

Ta·hir, 2 syllables; IPA: /taˈhiɾ/.