Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,604

Yankı

Yankı /janˈkɯ/ ASCII Yanki

“echo”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Suffixed
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 Yankı?

Yankı

IPA /janˈkɯ/

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

What does the surname Yankı mean?

Yankı is the echo, the second sound heard when a sound strikes a surface and returns; figuratively it also means the response an event awakens. According to Nişanyan it comes from Old Turkic yankı/yaŋku ‘echo’, from yan- ‘to come back’; Kashgari explains it as ‘the reflection of a voice in the mountains’.1

Yankı is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Yankı made of?

Yankı is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: yan- (yan- (old): to return) + -kı (+gU/-kı: noun-forming suffix).

Yankı + root yan- yan- (old): to return TURKIC yaŋku “echo” suffix -kı +gU/-kı: noun-formingsuffix Yankı yan- root yan- (old): to return yaŋku TURKIC “echo” -kı suffix +gU/-kı: noun-forming suffix
Yankı: parts and root words
  • yaŋku Turkic — echo1

How was the name Yankı formed?

Yankı was formed by adding the suffix -kı (“+gU/-kı: noun-forming suffix”) to yan- (“yan- (old): to return”).

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

Who are some well-known people named Yankı?

  1. Semiha Yankı film actor 1958–
  2. Safiye Yankı actor 1951–2013

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

Is Yankı also a first name?

Yes. Yankı is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “echo”.

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

How is Yankı written and pronounced abroad?

In foreign records the name often appears as Yanki.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: yankı accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Yankı 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 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Yankı

Q1

What does the surname Yankı mean?

Yankı is the echo, the second sound heard when a sound strikes a surface and returns; figuratively it also means the response an event awakens. According to Nişanyan it comes from Old Turkic yankı/yaŋku ‘echo’, from yan- ‘to come back’; Kashgari explains it as ‘the reflection of a voice in the mountains’.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Yankı?

The root word of Yankı is yaŋku (Turkic): “echo”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Yankı?

Yan·kı, 2 syllables; IPA: /janˈkɯ/.