Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,878

Ürek

Ürek /yˈɾek/ ASCII Urek

“heart; courage”2

Probable origin Ürek: root entries for yürek · How do we know?

Leading provinces Şırnak

Published: Last updated:

Province lists
11
province top-30s
Letters / syllables
4 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
Ü
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How do you pronounce Ürek?

Ürek

IPA /yˈɾek/

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

What does the surname Ürek mean?

Ürek is yürek “heart, soul, courage” without its initial y; this pronunciation is common in eastern Anatolian dialects and in Azerbaijani (ürək).2

That Ürek goes back to yürek is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is Ürek made of?

Ürek is a single Turkic root: ürek (ürek: y-less form of yürek “heart, courage”).

Ürek root ürek ürek: y-less form ofyürek “heart, courage” TURKIC yürek “heart; soul; courage” Ürek ürek root ürek: y-less form of yürek “heart,courage” yürek TURKIC “heart; soul; courage”
Ürek: parts and root words
  • yürek Turkic — heart; soul; courage2

How was the name Ürek formed?

Ürek is the word ürek (“ürek: y-less form of yürek “heart, courage””), 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 Ürek?

Ürek Akyürek Özyürek Yürekli Şenyürek Taşyürek Aslanyürek
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Akyürek same root – –
02 Özyürek same root – –
03 Yürekli same root – –
04 Şenyürek same root – –
05 Taşyürek same root – –
06 Aslanyürek same root – –
07 Arcayürek same root – –
08 Gençyürek same root – –
09 Korkmazyürek same root – –
10 Tokyürek same root – –

Where in Türkiye is Ürek most common?

Ürek is outside the national top 30, but it appears in the top-30 list of 1 province; its best rank is 30th in Şırnak.1

Hover or focus a province · ADNKS 2019
  • In the province top 30 1
  • Not listed
Ürek: rank by province, 2019 (TÜİK ADNKS, province top-30 lists)
Provinces with the most bearers
#ProvinceRankPeople
01Şırnak301,559

How is Ürek written and pronounced abroad?

In Ürek, ü is sometimes rendered ue, giving forms such as Urek.

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Ürek?

Gençyürek, Şenyürek and Tokyürek share gloss keywords with Ürek within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Ürek?

Read the root, formation and register information for Ürek alongside these guides: Turkish Surname Statistics: Surnames in Numbers and How to Pronounce and Spell Turkish Surnames.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS) accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: yürek accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Ürek 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
  5. 5 Natural Earth Natural Earth: Admin-1 boundaries accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Ürek

Q1

What does the surname Ürek mean?

Ürek is yürek “heart, soul, courage” without its initial y; this pronunciation is common in eastern Anatolian dialects and in Azerbaijani (ürək).
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Ürek?

The root word of Ürek is yürek (Turkic): “heart; soul; courage”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Ürek?

Ü·rek, 2 syllables; IPA: /yˈɾek/.