Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,219

Teoman

Teoman /teoˈman/

“the Xiongnu ruler Teoman; chief”2

Letters / syllables
6 / 3
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 Teoman?

Teoman

IPA /teoˈman/

The stress usually falls on syllable 3 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Teoman mean?

Teoman is the Turkish form of the name of the Xiongnu (Asian Hun) ruler written 頭曼 (Touman) in Chinese sources, known as the father of Mete Han. Dictionaries gloss the name as “chief, leader”. What the name was in the ruler’s own language, and what it meant, is debated; some scholars connect it with tümen “ten thousand”.2

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. Dictionary view: taken from the Chinese transcription 頭曼, “chief, leader” (Wiktionary).
  2. Another view links the original name with Turkic tümen “ten thousand, large army unit”.

What is Teoman made of?

Teoman is a single root: Teoman (Turkish form of the name of the Xiongnu ruler Touman).

Teoman root Teoman Turkish form of the nameof the Xiongnu ruler… OTHER Teoman “name written 頭曼 (Touman)in Chinese sources;…” Teoman Teoman root Turkish form of the name of theXiongnu ruler Touman Teoman OTHER “name written 頭曼 (Touman) inChinese sources; chief, leader”
Teoman: parts and root words
  • Teoman Other — name written 頭曼 (Touman) in Chinese sources; chief, leader2

How was the name Teoman formed?

Teoman is the word Teoman (“Turkish form of the name of the Xiongnu ruler Touman”), 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 Teoman?

  1. Serhat Teoman actor 1983–
  2. Üner Teoman Ulupınar athletics competitor 1932–2024
  3. Nuri Teoman politician 1907–1992
  4. Ali Teoman writer 1962–2011
  5. Funda Teoman basketball official 1984–
  6. Mehmet Teoman songwriter 1944–
  7. Seyfi Teoman screenwriter 1977–2012
  8. Attila Teoman researcher

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

Is Teoman also a first name?

Yes. Teoman is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “the Xiongnu ruler Teoman; chief”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikipedi: Teoman (anlam ayrımı) accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Teoman accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Teoman 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 Teoman

Q1

What does the surname Teoman mean?

Teoman is the Turkish form of the name of the Xiongnu (Asian Hun) ruler written 頭曼 (Touman) in Chinese sources, known as the father of Mete Han. Dictionaries gloss the name as “chief, leader”. What the name was in the ruler’s own language, and what it meant, is debated; some scholars connect it with tümen “ten thousand”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Teoman?

The root word of Teoman is Teoman (another language): “name written 頭曼 (Touman) in Chinese sources; chief, leader”. There are 3 competing views on where Teoman comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Teoman?

Te·o·man, 3 syllables; IPA: /teoˈman/.