SURNAMEEntry 4,536
Telli
“adorned with tinsel”1
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How do you pronounce Telli?
The stress usually falls on syllable 2 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.
What does the surname Telli mean?
Telli means ‘having strings or threads, decorated with tinsel’; a telli gelin is a bride with shining bridal tinsel in her hair. The telli turna, the crane with a tuft of feathers on its head, is also a common image in folk songs. The name is given to both women and men; there are neighbourhoods called Telli in Erzurum and Gaziantep. The origin of tel is not settled; Nişanyan suggests it may be a loan from Armenian tel ‘thread, gold thread’.1,2
Grammar tel plus the possessive suffix -li.
That Telli goes back to telli and tel is probable rather than proven: the dictionaries cited agree on it.
Telli is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.
How was the name Telli formed?
Telli was formed by adding the suffix -li (“suffix of possession”) to tel (“wire, thread; bridal tinsel”).
Which surnames are related to Telli?
| # | Surname | Relation | Rank | People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Tellioğlu | same root | – | – |
Who are some well-known people named Telli?
- Ahmet Telli writer 1946–2026
- Ali Vasıf Telli politician 1873–1936
- Yamaç Telli pianist 1988–
- Abdullah Telli association football player
- Murat Telli researcher
- Onur Telli researcher
- Pınar Telli researcher
- Tuğba Telli researcher
People surnamed Telli as recorded in Wikidata, ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions.
Is Telli also a first name?
Yes. Telli is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “adorned with tinsel”.
Telli as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →
Which surnames have a meaning similar to Telli?
Boysan, Demirbilek and Demirkıran share gloss keywords with Telli within the same primary category.
- Boysantall, handsome young man
- Demirbilekiron wrist, strong
- Demirkıraniron-breaker, very strong
- İncekaraslim and dark
- İncemanslender, slight
- Kaytankaşeyebrows thin as a cord
- Kısashort
- Kısaparmakshort finger
Which guides add context to Telli?
Read the root, formation and register information for Telli alongside these guides: How Turkish Surnames Are Formed: Roots and Suffixes and How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.
Where do these facts come from?
- 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Telli
- 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: tel
- 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: telli
- 4 Wikimedia Wiktionary: telli
- 5 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
- 6 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)
- 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com)
Common questions about Telli
- Q1
What does the surname Telli mean?
- Telli means ‘having strings or threads, decorated with tinsel’; a telli gelin is a bride with shining bridal tinsel in her hair. The telli turna, the crane with a tuft of feathers on its head, is also a common image in folk songs. The name is given to both women and men; there are neighbourhoods called Telli in Erzurum and Gaziantep. The origin of tel is not settled; Nişanyan suggests it may be a loan from Armenian tel ‘thread, gold thread’.
- Q2
How do you pronounce Telli?
- Tel·li, 2 syllables; IPA: /telˈli/.