Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,569

Yahya

Yahya /jahˈja/

“John the Baptist”1

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

How do you pronounce Yahya?

Yahya

IPA /jahˈja/

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

What does the surname Yahya mean?

Yahya is a prophet’s name, Arabic Yaḥyā, and a common male given name. According to Nişanyan Adlar, of the two Johns of the New Testament, John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, is called Yaḥyā in Arabic, while the apostle and evangelist is Yuḥannā.1

What is Yahya made of?

Yahya is a single Arabic root: Yahya (a prophet’s name).

Yahya root Yahya a prophet’s name ARABIC Yahya “the prophet John theBaptist” Yahya Yahya root a prophet’s name Yahya ARABIC “the prophet John the Baptist”
Yahya: parts and root words
  • Yahya Arabic — the prophet John the Baptist1

How was the name Yahya formed?

Yahya is the word Yahya (“a prophet’s name”), taken unchanged as a surname.

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.3

Who are some well-known people named Yahya?

  1. Gülçin Yahya Kaçar musician 1966–

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

Is Yahya also a first name?

Yes. Yahya is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “John the Baptist”.

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

How is Yahya written and pronounced abroad?

The spelling Yahya is kept abroad; y is the consonant of English yes.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Yahya accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Yahya

Q1

What does the surname Yahya mean?

Yahya is a prophet’s name, Arabic Yaḥyā, and a common male given name. According to Nişanyan Adlar, of the two Johns of the New Testament, John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, is called Yaḥyā in Arabic, while the apostle and evangelist is Yuḥannā.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Yahya?

The root word of Yahya is Yahya (Arabic): “the prophet John the Baptist”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Yahya?

Yah·ya, 2 syllables; IPA: /jahˈja/.