Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,436

Zeki

Zeki /zeˈci/

“intelligent, clever”3

Letters / syllables
4 / 2
Formation
Adjective
Vowel harmony
front
Initial
Z
Contents§1–§9
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6As a first name
  7. §7Sources
  8. §8Questions
  9. §9Related

How do you pronounce Zeki?

Zeki

IPA /zeˈci/

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

What does the surname Zeki mean?

Zeki means ‘intelligent, quick to understand’; Nişanyan derives the adjective from Arabic ḏakī ‘bright, sharp-minded’. As a male given name, however, Nişanyan’s dictionary of names gives the sense ‘clean, pure’, which rests on a different Arabic root.3

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. The adjective zeki: Arabic ḏakī ‘sharp-minded’ (Nişanyan).
  2. The given name Zeki: ‘clean, pure’ (Nişanyan Adlar).

Zeki is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Zeki made of?

Zeki is a single root: zeki (intelligent; pure).

Zeki + root zeki intelligent; pure ARABIC zeki “intelligent, clever” ARABIC Zeki “male name: clean, pure” Zeki zeki root intelligent; pure zeki ARABIC “intelligent, clever” Zeki ARABIC “male name: clean, pure”
Zeki: parts and root words
  • zeki Arabic — intelligent, clever3
  • Zeki Arabic — male name: clean, pure3

How was the name Zeki formed?

Zeki belongs to the “adjective” class of surnames.

Who are some well-known people named Zeki?

  1. Ahmet Zeki Şengil statesperson 1962–
  2. Yasemin Zeki figure skater 2003–
  3. Semir Zeki author 1940–

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

Is Zeki also a first name?

Yes. Zeki is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “intelligent, clever”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: zeki accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 nisanyanadlar.com nisanyanadlar.com: Zeki accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: zeki accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Zeki

Q1

What does the surname Zeki mean?

Zeki means ‘intelligent, quick to understand’; Nişanyan derives the adjective from Arabic ḏakī ‘bright, sharp-minded’. As a male given name, however, Nişanyan’s dictionary of names gives the sense ‘clean, pure’, which rests on a different Arabic root.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Zeki?

The root word of Zeki is zeki (Arabic): “intelligent, clever”. There are 3 competing views on where Zeki comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Zeki?

Ze·ki, 2 syllables; IPA: /zeˈci/.