Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,288

Topçubaşı

Topçubaşı /toptʃubaˈʃɯ/ ASCII Topcubasi

“chief of the artillery”3

Letters / syllables
9 / 4
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
T
Contents§1–§9
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Abroad
  7. §7Sources
  8. §8Questions
  9. §9Related

How do you pronounce Topçubaşı?

Topçubaşı

IPA /toptʃubaˈʃɯ/

The stress usually falls on syllable 4 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Topçubaşı mean?

In the Ottoman army this was the title of the commander of the artillery corps (Topçu Ocağı): topçu “gunner” plus başı “head of”, literally “chief of the gunners”.1,3

Grammar topçu + baş + -ı (possessive); the Ottoman title pattern “X-başı”.

Topçubaşı is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Topçubaşı made of?

Topçubaşı is Turkic in origin and breaks into 3 parts: top (top: ball; cannon) + -çu (occupational suffix) + başı (baş + possessive: “head of, chief of”).

Topçubaşı +++ root top top: ball; cannon TURKIC topçu “gunner, artilleryman” suffix -çu occupational suffix suffix başı baş + possessive: “headof, chief of” TURKIC baş “head; leader of a group” Topçubaşı top root top: ball; cannon topçu TURKIC “gunner, artilleryman” -çu suffix occupational suffix başı suffix baş + possessive: “head of, chief of” baş TURKIC “head; leader of a group”
Topçubaşı: parts and root words
  • topçu Turkic — gunner, artilleryman3
  • baş Turkic — head; leader of a group1

How was the name Topçubaşı formed?

Topçubaşı was formed by adding the suffix -çu (“occupational suffix”) to top (“top: ball; cannon”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.4

Which surnames are related to Topçubaşı?

Topçubaşı Akbaş Baş Topçu Subaşı Başer Kocabaş Topçuoğlu Erbaş Baştürk Demirbaş Başkan Başoğlu
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Akbaş same root – –
02 Baş same root – –
03 Topçu same root – –
04 Subaşı same root – –
05 Başer same root – –
06 Kocabaş same root – –
07 Topçuoğlu same root – –
08 Erbaş same root – –
09 Baştürk same root – –
10 Demirbaş same root – –
11 Başkan same root – –
12 Başoğlu same root – –

How is Topçubaşı written and pronounced abroad?

In foreign records it often appears as Topcubasi.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: baş accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: top accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: topçu accessed 9 November 2026
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Topçubaşı

Q1

What does the surname Topçubaşı mean?

In the Ottoman army this was the title of the commander of the artillery corps (Topçu Ocağı): topçu “gunner” plus başı “head of”, literally “chief of the gunners”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Topçubaşı?

Topçubaşı is made up of two elements: topçu “gunner, artilleryman” (Turkic) and baş “head; leader of a group” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Topçubaşı?

Top·çu·ba·şı, 4 syllables; IPA: /toptʃubaˈʃɯ/.