Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,657

Yel

/jel/

“wind”1

Letters / syllables
3 / 1
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
Y
Contents§1–§11
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7As a first name
  8. §8Abroad
  9. §9Sources
  10. §10Questions
  11. §11Related

How do you pronounce Yel?

Yel

IPA /jel/

What does the surname Yel mean?

The old Turkish word yel “wind”, alive in yel değirmeni “windmill” and the idiom yel yeperek “in great haste”; it carries an image of speed and lightness.1

Yel is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Yel made of?

Yel is a single Turkic root: yel (yel: wind).

Yel root yel yel: wind TURKIC yel “wind” Yel yel root yel: wind yel TURKIC “wind”
Yel: parts and root words
  • yel Turkic — wind1

How was the name Yel formed?

Yel is the word yel (“yel: wind”), 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 Yel?

Yel Karayel Akyel Bozyel Tanyeli Tanyel Yeltan Dağyeli
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Karayel same root – –
02 Akyel same root – –
03 Bozyel same root – –
04 Tanyeli same root – –
05 Tanyel same root – –
06 Yeltan same root – –
07 Dağyeli same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Yel?

  1. Mustafa Yel politician 1968–
  2. Talha Yel association football player 2010–

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

Is Yel also a first name?

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

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

How is Yel written and pronounced abroad?

The name has no Turkish-specific letters and is written Yel abroad as well.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: yel accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: yel 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 Yel

Q1

What does the surname Yel mean?

The old Turkish word yel “wind”, alive in yel değirmeni “windmill” and the idiom yel yeperek “in great haste”; it carries an image of speed and lightness.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Yel?

The root word of Yel is yel (Turkic): “wind”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Yel?

Yel, 1 syllable; IPA: /jel/.