Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 5,166

Zaim

Zaim /zaˈim/

“leader; holder of a land grant”1

Established origin Zaim: root entries for zaʿīm · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
4 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
Z
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How do you pronounce Zaim?

Zaim

IPA /zaˈim/

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

What does the surname Zaim mean?

Zaim comes from Arabic zaʿīm “guarantor, one who takes charge, leader”. In Ottoman usage it generally meant a lord or administrator, and in particular the holder of a zeamet, a large military land grant.1

Zaim is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Zaim made of?

Zaim is a single Arabic root: zaim (chief; holder of a zeamet).

Zaim root zaim chief; holder of a zeamet ARABIC zaʿīm “guarantor, one who takescharge, leader” Zaim zaim root chief; holder of a zeamet zaʿīm ARABIC “guarantor, one who takes charge,leader”
Zaim: parts and root words
  • zaʿīm Arabic — guarantor, one who takes charge, leader1

How was the name Zaim formed?

Zaim is the word zaim (“chief; holder of a zeamet”), 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 Zaim?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Zaimoğlu same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Zaim?

  1. Sabahattin Zaim social scientist 1926–2007
  2. Ahmet Zaim politician 1927–1982
  3. Mehmed Zaim historian
  4. Turgut Zaim painter 1906–1974

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

Is Zaim also a first name?

Yes. Zaim is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “leader; holder of a land grant”.

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

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Zaim?

Zaimoğlu, Ağa and Arabacıbaşı share gloss keywords with Zaim within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Zaim?

Read the root, formation and register information for Zaim alongside this guide: How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: zaim accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Zaim 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 Zaim

Q1

What does the surname Zaim mean?

Zaim comes from Arabic zaʿīm “guarantor, one who takes charge, leader”. In Ottoman usage it generally meant a lord or administrator, and in particular the holder of a zeamet, a large military land grant.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Zaim?

The root word of Zaim is zaʿīm (Arabic): “guarantor, one who takes charge, leader”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Zaim?

Za·im, 2 syllables; IPA: /zaˈim/.