Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,539

Temel

Temel /teˈmel/

“foundation, basis”2

Established origin Temel: root entries for temel + themélion · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
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Initial
T
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How do you pronounce Temel?

Temel

IPA /teˈmel/

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

What does the surname Temel mean?

Temel is the foundation of a building, the part below ground that carries it, and figuratively the basis of anything. The word came into Turkish from Greek themélion ‘foundation’. It is also a well-known male given name, especially on the Black Sea coast.1,2

Temel is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Temel made of?

Temel is a single Greek root: temel (foundation; basis).

Temel + root temel foundation; basis GREEK temel “foundation of abuilding; basic,…” GREEK themélion “foundation (Greek)” Temel temel root foundation; basis temel GREEK “foundation of a building; basic,fundamental” themélion GREEK “foundation (Greek)”
Temel: parts and root words
  • temel Greek — foundation of a building; basic, fundamental2
  • themélion Greek — foundation (Greek)1

How was the name Temel formed?

Temel is the word temel (“foundation; basis”), 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 Temel?

Temel Temelli Artemel Temelkuran Temeltaş
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Temelli same root – –
02 Artemel same root – –
03 Temelkuran same root – –
04 Temeltaş same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Temel?

  1. Can Temel rower 1991–
  2. İsmail Metin Temel soldier 1958–
  3. Vefa Temel association football player 2002–
  4. Aydoğan Temel actor 1966–
  5. Cantuğ Temel association football player 1994–
  6. Fuat Temel athlete 1951–
  7. Selimcan Temel association football player 2000–
  8. Tayip Temel politician 1982–

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

Is Temel also a first name?

Yes. Temel is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “foundation, basis”.

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

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Temel?

Köksal, Özkök and Akkök share gloss keywords with Temel within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Temel?

Read the root, formation and register information for Temel alongside this guide: How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikipedi: Temel (anlam ayrımı) accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: temel 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 Temel

Q1

What does the surname Temel mean?

Temel is the foundation of a building, the part below ground that carries it, and figuratively the basis of anything. The word came into Turkish from Greek themélion ‘foundation’. It is also a well-known male given name, especially on the Black Sea coast.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Temel?

The root word of Temel is temel (Greek): “foundation of a building; basic, fundamental”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Temel?

Te·mel, 2 syllables; IPA: /teˈmel/.