Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,811

Zorba

Zorba /zoɾˈba/

“bully, tyrant”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
Z
Contents§1–§8
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6Sources
  7. §7Questions
  8. §8Related

How do you pronounce Zorba?

Zorba

IPA /zoɾˈba/

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

What does the surname Zorba mean?

Zorba means a bully or tyrant, someone who relies on force and leaves others no say. Nişanyan traces the word to Persian zōr-bāzū ‘strength of arm, physical force’, the same elements found in Turkish zor and pazu.1

Zorba is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Zorba made of?

Zorba is a single Persian root: zorba (zorba: bully, tyrant).

Zorba root zorba zorba: bully, tyrant PERSIAN zorba “strength of arm; one whouses force” Zorba zorba root zorba: bully, tyrant zorba PERSIAN “strength of arm; one who usesforce”
Zorba: parts and root words
  • zorba Persian — strength of arm; one who uses force1

How was the name Zorba formed?

Zorba is the word zorba (“zorba: bully, tyrant”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Who are some well-known people named Zorba?

  1. Süleyman Zorba politician 1993–

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: zorba accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: zorba 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

Common questions about Zorba

Q1

What does the surname Zorba mean?

Zorba means a bully or tyrant, someone who relies on force and leaves others no say. Nişanyan traces the word to Persian zōr-bāzū ‘strength of arm, physical force’, the same elements found in Turkish zor and pazu.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Zorba?

The root word of Zorba is zorba (Persian): “strength of arm; one who uses force”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Zorba?

Zor·ba, 2 syllables; IPA: /zoɾˈba/.