Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,162

Ulu

Ulu /uˈɫu/

“great, lofty”2

Letters / syllables
3 / 2
Formation
Adjective
Vowel harmony
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Initial
U
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7As a first name
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Ulu?

Ulu

IPA /uˈɫu/

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

What does the surname Ulu mean?

Ulu is an old Turkic adjective meaning ‘great, lofty, venerable’, from Old Turkic uluğ. In phrases like ulu çınar ‘a mighty plane tree’ or ulu cami ‘great mosque’ it conveys both size and dignity. It is also a male given name.2

Ulu is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Ulu made of?

Ulu is a single root: ulu (great, lofty).

Ulu + root ulu great, lofty TURKIC ulu “great, lofty, sublime;Old Turkic uluğ” TURKIC Ulu “male given name” Ulu ulu root great, lofty ulu TURKIC “great, lofty, sublime; OldTurkic uluğ” Ulu TURKIC “male given name”
Ulu: parts and root words
  • ulu Turkic — great, lofty, sublime; Old Turkic uluğ2
  • Ulu Turkic — male given name2

How was the name Ulu formed?

Ulu belongs to the “adjective” class of surnames.

Which surnames are related to Ulu?

Ulu Ulusoy Uludağ Uluğ Ulutaş Uluçay Ulubay Ulukaya Ulutürk Uluocak Ulukan
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Ulusoy same root – –
02 Uludağ same root – –
03 Uluğ same root – –
04 Ulutaş same root – –
05 Uluçay same root – –
06 Ulubay same root – –
07 Ulukaya same root – –
08 Ulutürk same root – –
09 Uluocak same root – –
10 Ulukan same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Ulu?

  1. Doğukan Ulu volleyball player 1995–
  2. Murat Ulu association football player 1995–
  3. Ahmet Ulu researcher
  4. Bora Ulu association football player 2001–
  5. Ferhat Ulu researcher
  6. Mustafa Onur Ulu researcher
  7. Şahin Ulu researcher

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

Is Ulu also a first name?

Yes. Ulu is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “great, lofty”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Wiktionary: ulu accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Ulu 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 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Ulu

Q1

What does the surname Ulu mean?

Ulu is an old Turkic adjective meaning ‘great, lofty, venerable’, from Old Turkic uluğ. In phrases like ulu çınar ‘a mighty plane tree’ or ulu cami ‘great mosque’ it conveys both size and dignity. It is also a male given name.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Ulu?

The root word of Ulu is ulu (Turkic): “great, lofty, sublime; Old Turkic uluğ”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Ulu?

U·lu, 2 syllables; IPA: /uˈɫu/.