Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

Surname index·Length

8-letter surnames

398 of the dictionary’s 3,450 surnames have exactly 8 letters (11.5%), the fourth most common length. Only one of them is in the national top 30: Yıldırım, ranked 7th with 666,723 people (TÜİK ADNKS 2025).

Surnames
398
in this index
In the national top 30
11
ADNKS 2025
Most common
Yıldırım
666,723 people
Pages
1 / 2

398 surnames in Turkish alphabetical order

  1. Abdioğlu son of Abdi
  2. Abdullah servant of God (male name)
  3. Acaroğlu son of Acar (‘bold’)
  4. Acartürk bold Turk
  5. Acemoğlu son of Acem
  6. Açıkalın open-browed, honest
  7. Ademoğlu human being; son of Adam
  8. Adıbelli well-known, of known name
  9. Adıgüzel whose name is beautiful
  10. Adıyaman from Adıyaman (province)
  11. Adiloğlu son of Adil
  12. Ahıskalı from Ahıska
  13. Akbayrak white banner
  14. Akbayram bright festival
  15. Akçakaya whitish rock
  16. Akçaoğlu son of Akça
  17. Akçatepe the pale hill
  18. Akdülger ak + carpenter
  19. Akgündüz bright daytime
  20. Akkaynak clear spring
  21. Akkerman White Fortress (the city of Akkerman)
  22. Aksungur white gyrfalcon
  23. Akyıldız bright white star
  24. Alanyalı from Alanya
  25. Alayoğlu son of Alay (regiment)
  26. Albayrak the red flag
  27. Albayram red + festival
  28. Aldırmaz unperturbed, heedless
  29. Alimoğlu son of Alim
  30. Alnıaçık open-browed, honest
  31. Alpaslan lion-hearted hero
  32. Alpaydın brave and radiant
  33. Alpaykut heroic and blessed as the moon
  34. Alpdoğan born brave
  35. Alptekin heroic prince
  36. Altınbaş a melon variety; golden head
  37. Altındağ golden mountain; a district of Ankara
  38. Altındal golden branch
  39. Altınova golden plain; a district of Yalova
  40. Altınörs golden anvil
  41. Altınsoy golden lineage
  42. Altıntaş golden stone
  43. Altıntop golden ball
  44. Altunbaş golden head
  45. Altunbay rich in gold
  46. Altundağ golden mountain
  47. Altuntaş golden stone
  48. Amasyalı from Amasya
  49. Ankaralı from Ankara
  50. Arıboğan bee-strangler
  51. Arıkoğlu son of Arık
  52. Asiltürk noble Turk
  53. Aslantaş lion stone
  54. Aşkenazi of Ashkenaz
  55. Atamtürk my ancestor, a Turk
  56. Atasağun physician, shaman
  57. Atasayar who honours the ancestors
  58. Ataseven one who loves his forefathers
  59. Atasever who loves his ancestors
  60. Avcıoğlu son of the hunter
  61. Ayanoğlu son of the notable
  62. Aydınalp radiant hero
  63. Aydınlar the enlightened ones
  64. Aydınlık light, brightness
  65. Aydoğmuş born like the moon
  66. Aykutalp blessed, moon-bright hero
  67. Ayyıldız crescent and star
  68. Azizoğlu son of Aziz
  69. Babaoğlu son of the elder (baba)
  70. Bademsoy almond lineage
  71. Bahçıvan gardener
  72. Bahtiyar happy, fortunate
  73. Baransel rain torrent; wealthy
  74. Bardakçı maker or seller of jugs and cups
  75. Başpınar head spring, source
  76. Başyiğit chief of the brave
  77. Baturalp valiant hero
  78. Baydemir rich, strong iron
  79. Bayındır Oghuz tribe name; prosperous
  80. Bayrakçı flag-bearer
  81. Bayraklı with a flag
  82. Baytekin wealthy, noble prince
  83. Bedirhan lord full moon
  84. Bengütaş eternal stone
  85. Benhabib son of Habib
  86. Beşpınar five springs
  87. Bilgehan wise ruler
  88. Bilginer learned man
  89. Bostancı market gardener; palace guard
  90. Bozdemir grey iron
  91. Bozdoğan merlin (falcon); a mace
  92. Bozgeyik grey deer
  93. Böcekler the insects
  94. Buğdaycı wheat dealer
  95. Bulgurlu of bulgur; from Bulgurlu
  96. Buyrukçu bearer or executor of orders
  97. Canbolat steel-souled
  98. Canbulat steel soul
  99. Candemir iron-souled, enduring
  100. Canpolat soul of steel
  101. Cansever one who loves life and people
  102. Cantekin dear prince
  103. Cihangir world-conqueror
  104. Civaoğlu son of Civa (‘mercury’)
  105. Coşkuner exuberant man
  106. Çağlayan cascade, small waterfall
  107. Çağlıyan cascade, rushing water
  108. Çakmakçı maker of fire strikers and gunlocks
  109. Çakmaklı flintlock gun
  110. Çalıkuşu bush bird, a songbird
  111. Çalışkan hard-working, diligent
  112. Çamkıran pine-breaker
  113. Çamlıbel pine-covered pass
  114. Çaylıgil the Çaylı family; by the stream
  115. Çelikbaş steel-headed
  116. Çelikkan steel-blooded
  117. Çelikkol arm of steel
  118. Çelikler the Çelik family; steels
  119. Çelikten of steel
  120. Çilingir locksmith
  121. Çölgeçen one who crosses the desert
  122. Çukurova plain in Adana (place name)
  123. Dağdelen mountain-piercer, mighty
  124. Dağlarca like the mountains
  125. Dağtekin a prince firm as a mountain
  126. Dalkılıç with drawn sword
  127. Daltaban barefoot
  128. Danışman adviser, scholar
  129. Danışmaz one who asks no advice
  130. Daşdemir firm as stone and iron
  131. Dayıoğlu son of the maternal uncle
  132. Dedeoğlu son of Dede (grandfather)
  133. Defterli having a register
  134. Deliktaş holed stone
  135. Demiralp iron hero
  136. Demirbağ iron bond
  137. Demirbaş fixture; permanent figure
  138. Demirbay iron lord
  139. Demircan iron-strong soul
  140. Demirdağ iron mountain
  141. Demirhan khan of iron
  142. Demirkan of iron blood
  143. Demirkol iron arm, strong-armed
  144. Demirörs iron anvil
  145. Demirsoy of iron-strong lineage
  146. Demirtaş iron stone, unbreakable
  147. Denizeri seaman, sailor
  148. Dilligil the family of Dilli, the eloquent
  149. Dinleten one whose word is heeded
  150. Doğançay falcon stream
  151. Doğanlar falcons; the Doğans
  152. Doğrusöz truthful
  153. Doğruyol the right path
  154. Ebüzziya father of light
  155. Ekşioğlu son of the one called Ekşi (sour)
  156. Emiroğlu son of the emir
  157. Erdoğmuş a hero is born
  158. Erdönmez the man who never turns back
  159. Erenerol saint + be brave
  160. Erenkaya rock of the saints
  161. Erenoğlu son of Eren
  162. Ertuğrul hero-falcon; name of Ertuğrul Gazi
  163. Eryılmaz undaunted hero
  164. Eryüksel rise, brave one!
  165. Erzincan a province in eastern Anatolia
  166. Esentürk sound and well Turk
  167. Eyüboğlu son of Eyüp (Job)
  168. Eyüpoğlu son of Eyüp (Job)
  169. Fındıklı place of hazelnuts; a district of Rize
  170. Gençoğlu son of Genç (“young”)
  171. Gençtürk young Turk
  172. Gerçeker a true man
  173. Girişken enterprising
  174. Girişmen enterprising
  175. Gökbakar one who looks at the sky
  176. Gökbulut cloud in the sky
  177. Gökdemir blue iron; sky iron
  178. Gökoğlan sky boy
  179. Gönültaş heart-stone; kindred spirit
  180. Gözüaçık alert, wide awake
  181. Gülbahar spring rose
  182. Güldemir rose and iron
  183. Güldüren one who makes others laugh
  184. Güleçyüz smiling face
  185. Gülersoy cheerful lineage
  186. Güleryüz smiling face
  187. Gülpınar rose spring
  188. Gülselam a greeting of roses
  189. Gülşeren yellow rose
  190. Gültekin from Kül Tegin, Göktürk prince
  191. Gümrükçü customs officer
  192. Gümüşdağ silver mountain
  193. Günaltay sun + Altai (mountain)
  194. Günaydın good morning; bright day
  195. Gündoğan rising sun
  196. Gündoğdu “the sun has risen”
  197. Güngören one who sees good days
  198. Güntekin sun prince
  199. Gürayman Güray + -man

What does an 8-letter surname look like?

Eight letters are typical of compounds of two full words: Karakaya ‘black rock’, Gündoğdu ‘the sun rose’, Altıntaş ‘gold stone’, Demirtaş. This is also where -oğlu names multiply, on a four-letter base: Hacıoğlu ‘son of the pilgrim’, Kadıoğlu ‘son of the judge’, İmamoğlu. Single words this long are fewer: loans such as Kahraman and Pehlivan from Persian, and derivatives such as Çalışkan ‘hard-working’ (çalış- + -kan).

Surnames of this length, in figures

The meanings are spread over 47 categories; the largest are “Patronymic -oğlu surnames” (34), “Mountains, rocks and stones” (31) and “Built from Turkic name elements” (26). Turkic roots dominate (300 surnames, 75.9%); the rest come from Persian (39), Arabic (38), Greek (10), other languages (5), French (1), Mongolic (1), Armenian (1). By syllables, most have 3 syllables (305); 92 have 4 syllables and 1 have 2 syllables. The most frequent initials are A (68), K (58) and G (32). In vowel harmony, names with only back vowels lead (172) over front-vowel names (60); 166 mix the two, usually a sign of a compound or a loan.

By number of letters

Sources

  1. 1Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK) · ADNKS, TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)