Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,571

Yakar

Yakar /jaˈkaɾ/

“one who kindles”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
From a verb
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
Y
Contents§1–§9
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7Sources
  8. §8Questions
  9. §9Related

How do you pronounce Yakar?

Yakar

IPA /jaˈkaɾ/

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

What does the surname Yakar mean?

Yakar is the aorist of yakmak ‘to light, to set alight’: ‘he lights, he kindles’. The name carries the image of someone who lights the fire or the hearth; yakmak is also used for lighting a lamp and for composing a lament (türkü yakmak).1

Grammar yak- + -ar: aorist.

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

What is Yakar made of?

Yakar is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: yak- (yakmak: to set alight) + -ar (aorist).

Yakar + root yak- yakmak: to set alight TURKIC yakmak “to light, to set on fire” suffix -ar aorist Yakar yak- root yakmak: to set alight yakmak TURKIC “to light, to set on fire” -ar suffix aorist
Yakar: parts and root words
  • yakmak Turkic — to light, to set on fire1

How was the name Yakar formed?

Yakar was formed by adding the suffix -ar (“aorist”) to the verb stem yak- (“yakmak: to set alight”).

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

Which surnames are related to Yakar?

Yakar Yakan Hiçyakmazer
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Yakan same root – –
02 Hiçyakmazer same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Yakar?

  1. Jak Yakar university teacher 1943–
  2. Suzan Yakar Rutkay actor 1911–1992
  3. Anıl Yakar researcher
  4. Fatih Yakar researcher
  5. Mehmet Yakar basketball player 2003–
  6. Serdar Yakar journalist 1965–

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: yakmak accessed 9 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

Common questions about Yakar

Q1

What does the surname Yakar mean?

Yakar is the aorist of yakmak ‘to light, to set alight’: ‘he lights, he kindles’. The name carries the image of someone who lights the fire or the hearth; yakmak is also used for lighting a lamp and for composing a lament (türkü yakmak).
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Yakar?

The root word of Yakar is yakmak (Turkic): “to light, to set on fire”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Yakar?

Ya·kar, 2 syllables; IPA: /jaˈkaɾ/.