Surname index·Length
9-letter surnames
236 of the dictionary’s 3,450 surnames have exactly 9 letters (6.8%), the sixth most common length. None of them is in the national top 30 of TÜİK ADNKS 2025, so each is rarer than every name on that list.
- Surnames
- 236
- in this index
- In the national top 30
- 0
- ADNKS 2025
- Pages
- 1 / 2
236 surnames in Turkish alphabetical order
- Abacıoğlu son of the aba-cloth maker
- Abalıoğlu son of the cloak-wearer
- Abbasoğlu son of Abbas
- Ahmetoğlu son of Ahmet
- Akkoyunlu of the white sheep; historical name
- Aksakallı white-bearded
- Aldıkaçtı ‘took it and ran’
- Alparslan heroic lion
- Altındere golden brook
- Altınışık golden light
- Altınkaya golden rock
- Altınoluk town in Edremit
- Altınordu the Golden Horde
- Altıoklar the six arrows
- Altunışık golden light
- Altunkaya golden rock
- Altunoluk golden gutter
- Antalyalı from Antalya
- Arcayürek pure-hearted
- Ardıçoğlu son of Ardıç (juniper)
- Arslantaş lion stone
- Aslanoğlu son of Aslan (“lion”)
- Aslantürk lion-like Turk
- Aydınoğlu son of Aydın
- Ayvazoğlu son of Ayvaz, the steward
- Bağrıaçık open-breasted
- Balcıoğlu son of the honey seller
- Bayrakdar flag-bearer
- Bayraktar standard-bearer
- Becerikli skilful, capable
- Bekaroğlu son of the bachelor
- Bekiroğlu son of Bekir
- Benlioğlu son of the one with a mole
- Beşiroğlu son of Beşir
- Beyazoğlu white + son of
- Bildirici one who announces
- Borazancı bugler
- Boyacıyan of the dyer’s family
- Bozarslan grey lion
- Bölükbaşı company commander
- Bulutoğlu son of Bulut (‘cloud’)
- Büyükaşık the great minstrel
- Büyükburç great tower; great sign
- Büyükkaya big rock
- Ceritoğlu son of Cerit
- Cevizoğlu son of Ceviz (walnut)
- Cezayirli from Algiers / Algeria
- Çakıroğlu son of Çakır (“grey-eyed”)
- Çamkerten pine-notcher
- Çapanoğlu son of Çapan
- Çavuşoğlu son of the sergeant
- Çelikyurt homeland of steel
- Çetinkaya hard rock, unyielding crag
- Çiçekoğlu son of Çiçek; flower
- Çiftpınar twin spring
- Çobanoğlu son of the shepherd
- Çolakoğlu son of Çolak (nickname)
- Çulhaoğlu son of the weaver
- Danişmend scholar, learned man
- Davutoğlu son of Davut (David)
- Delibalta reckless axeman
- Deliorman region on the Lower Danube; ‘wild forest’
- Demiralay iron regiment
- Demirboğa iron bull
- Demirkaya iron rock
- Demiroğlu son of Demir (“iron”)
- Doğramacı joiner
- Dumanoğlu son of Duman
- Durakoğlu son of Durak
- Eğribayat a place name in Konya
- Emirtekin emir and prince
- Erdemoğlu son of Erdem
- Ergenekon a valley of epic legend
- Esendağlı from Esendağ
- Fazlıoğlu son of Fazlı
- Feyzioğlu son of Feyzi
- Gençerler young heroes
- Gökyıldız star of the sky
- Gözübüyük big-eyed
- Güçbilmez knows no hardship
- Gümüşdere silver brook
- Gümüşpala silver scimitar
- Gürkaynak abundant, gushing spring
- Güvenışık trust + light
- Güvenilir trustworthy
- Hamzaoğlu son of Hamza
- Hatipoğlu son of the preacher
- Hekimoğlu son of the physician
- İslamoğlu son of İslam
- İslimyeli from İslimye (Sliven)
- Kabasakal bushy-bearded
- Kadiroğlu son of Kadir
- Kahyaoğlu son of the steward
- Kamiloğlu son of Kâmil
- Karaaslan black lion; mighty hero
- Karabacak black-legged; nickname
- Karabekir ‘black’ Bekir
- Karabıyık black-moustached
- Karaböcek black beetle
- Karabudak black branch; a Dede Korkut hero
- Karabulut dark cloud
- Karadağlı from Karadağ
- Karademir black iron; iron-hard
- Karadeniz the Black Sea
- Karadoğan black falcon
- Karaduman black smoke
- Karagülle black cannonball
- Karahasan “Dark Hasan”
- Karakaşlı black-browed
- Karakoyun black sheep
- Karaküçük dark little one
- Karamanlı from Karaman
- Karaoğlan dark-haired lad
- Karapınar Karapınar (place): “black spring”
- Karasakal black beard
- Karasapan black sling
- Karaşahin black hawk
- Karatekin mighty prince
What does a 9-letter surname look like?
Nine-letter surnames are mostly two-word compounds, such as Karabulut ‘dark cloud’, Çetinkaya, Yeşilyurt ‘green homeland’ and Karadeniz ‘Black Sea’, or -oğlu names on a five-letter base: Hatipoğlu ‘son of the preacher’, Terzioğlu ‘son of the tailor’, Osmanoğlu. Bayraktar ‘standard-bearer’ is one of the few single words of this length, a hybrid of Turkish bayrak ‘flag’ and the Persian suffix -dār ‘holder’.
Surnames of this length, in figures
The meanings are spread over 43 categories; the largest are “Patronymic -oğlu surnames” (43), “Surnames from nicknames” (23) and “Mountains, rocks and stones” (20). Turkic roots dominate (156 surnames, 66.7%); the rest come from Arabic (51), Persian (16), Greek (6), other languages (2), Mongolic (1), French (1), Armenian (1). By syllables, most have 4 syllables (191); 43 have 3 syllables and 2 have 5 syllables. The most frequent initials are K (57), A (25) and Y (23). In vowel harmony, names with only back vowels lead (111) over front-vowel names (20); 105 mix the two, usually a sign of a compound or a loan.