Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

Surname index·Letter

Surnames beginning with A

More surnames in this dictionary begin with A than with any other letter: 731, or 15.2% of all entries. 5 of them are in the national top 30; the most common is Aydın, ranked 9th with 581,387 people (TÜİK ADNKS 2025). Next come Arslan (11th) and Aslan (14th).

Surnames
731
in this index
In the national top 30
51
ADNKS 2025
Most common
Aydın
581,387 people
Pages
1 / 4

731 surnames in Turkish alphabetical order

  1. Aba coarse woollen cloak
  2. Abacı maker of aba cloth
  3. Abacıoğlu son of the aba-cloth maker
  4. Abadan prosperous, flourishing
  5. Abak effigy, or abacus
  6. Abalı one who wears a woollen cloak
  7. Abalıoğlu son of the cloak-wearer
  8. Abanoz ebony
  9. Abaoğlu aba (woollen cloak) + -oğlu
  10. Abasıyanık lovesick, “whose cloak is burnt”
  11. Abay elder brother; insight
  12. Abbas stern-looking; lion (given name)
  13. Abbaslı of Abbas’s family
  14. Abbasoğlu son of Abbas
  15. Abdal wandering dervish
  16. Abdil colloquial form of Abdül- names
  17. Abdioğlu son of Abdi
  18. Abdullah servant of God (male name)
  19. Abitoğlu son of Abit (“worshipper”)
  20. Abla elder sister
  21. Ablak round-faced
  22. Acar bold, vigorous, capable #28
  23. Acarbay bold lord
  24. Acaroğlu son of Acar (‘bold’)
  25. Acartürk bold Turk
  26. Acemoğlu son of Acem
  27. Acemyan Acem + -yan (family suffix)
  28. Acer a form of the name Hacer
  29. Acun world, universe
  30. Acuner man of the world
  31. Açan opening, blossoming
  32. Açık open, clear; frank
  33. Açıkalın open-browed, honest
  34. Açıkbaş bare-headed
  35. Açıkel open hand, generous
  36. Açıkgöz shrewd, wide-awake
  37. Açıksöz frank, outspoken
  38. Açılan opening, blossoming
  39. Ada island
  40. Adak vow, votive offering
  41. Adal take a name, win renown
  42. Adalı islander
  43. Adam human being; a decent man
  44. Adanır devoted, self-giving
  45. Adanur island of light
  46. Adar one who dedicates; March
  47. Adatepe island hill
  48. Aday candidate
  49. Ademi human
  50. Ademoğlu human being; son of Adam
  51. Adıbelli well-known, of known name
  52. Adıgüzel whose name is beautiful
  53. Adıvar renowned, famous
  54. Adıyaman from Adıyaman (province)
  55. Adil just, fair
  56. Adiloğlu son of Adil
  57. Adnan male name; “settler”
  58. Afacan clever and mischievous
  59. Afşar Oghuz tribal name; nimble
  60. Afşarlar the Afşars (an Oghuz tribe name)
  61. Afyoncu opium-poppy grower or seller
  62. Agirdag massive mountain
  63. Ağa agha; elder brother, man of standing
  64. Ağacık dear agha
  65. Ağaç tree
  66. Ağaoğlu son of the ağa
  67. Ağar it rises; it dawns
  68. Ağbaba elder + father
  69. Ağca whitish, pale
  70. Ağcaoğlu son of Ağca (“whitish, fair”)
  71. Ağçay white stream
  72. Ağgül white rose
  73. Ağım instep
  74. Ağırbaş dignified, sedate
  75. Ağırman grave, dignified
  76. Ahıskalı from Ahıska
  77. Ahlatçı wild-pear gatherer or seller
  78. Ahmed most praised
  79. Ahmet most praised
  80. Ahmetoğlu son of Ahmet
  81. Ahsen most beautiful, finest
  82. Ahunbay scholar-lord
  83. Ak white; pure
  84. Aka elder brother
  85. Akad clean name; white horse; Akkad
  86. Akakçe bright silver coin
  87. Akalan white clearing
  88. Akalın honourable, “white-browed”
  89. Akan flowing
  90. Akar flowing
  91. Akarca small stream; hot spring
  92. Akarcalı from Akarca (“little stream”)
  93. Akardere flowing stream
  94. Akarnur flowing light
  95. Akarslan white lion
  96. Akarsu running water, stream
  97. Akat white horse
  98. Akata venerable ancestor
  99. Akatlı rider on a white horse
  100. Akay white, bright moon
  101. Akaydın white and bright
  102. Akbaba vulture
  103. Akbağ white bond, or white vineyard
  104. Akbal white honey
  105. Akbalık chub (freshwater fish)
  106. Akbar greatest
  107. Akbaş white-headed
  108. Akbaşlı white-headed
  109. Akbaşoğulları sons of Akbaş (‘white head’)
  110. Akbay pure and noble man
  111. Akbayır white slope
  112. Akbayrak white banner
  113. Akbayram bright festival
  114. Akbaytogan white, wealthy falcon
  115. Akbel white pass
  116. Akbıyık white moustache
  117. Akboğa white bull
  118. Akbudak white branch
  119. Akbuğa white bull (old form)
  120. Akbuğday white wheat
  121. Akbulak white spring
  122. Akbulat bright steel
  123. Akbulut white cloud
  124. Akbunar clear spring
  125. Akburak white Burak
  126. Akcan white dear, pure soul
  127. Akcebe white armour
  128. Akça whitish; silver coin
  129. Akçadağ whitish mountain; town in Malatya
  130. Akçakaya whitish rock
  131. Akçakın white spark, or white raid
  132. Akçal white-speckled; white rocky hill
  133. Akçalı moneyed; whitish
  134. Akçam white pine
  135. Akçaoğlu son of Akça
  136. Akçatepe the pale hill
  137. Akçay white stream
  138. Akçayöz essence of the clear stream
  139. Akçelik bright steel
  140. Akçıl whitish, faded
  141. Akçiçek white flower
  142. Akçöl white steppe
  143. Akçura benevolent spirit
  144. Akdağ white mountain
  145. Akdarı white millet
  146. Akdaş white stone
  147. Akdemir bright iron
  148. Akdeniz the Mediterranean
  149. Akdik pure and upright
  150. Akdiş white-toothed
  151. Akdoğan white falcon; born pure
  152. Akduman white mist
  153. Akdur stay pure
  154. Akdülger ak + carpenter
  155. Akel clean hand; bright land
  156. Aker white hero, honest man
  157. Akgöl white lake
  158. Akgönül pure-hearted
  159. Akgöz white eye
  160. Akgüç pure strength
  161. Akgül white rose
  162. Akgün bright, happy day
  163. Akgündoğdu a bright day has dawned
  164. Akgündüz bright daytime
  165. Akhan white lord
  166. Akı elder brother (dialect); given name
  167. Akıcı flowing, fluent
  168. Akıl reason, intellect
  169. Akıllı intelligent, sensible
  170. Akın raid, onrush
  171. Akınay moon of the raid
  172. Akıncı raider, frontier cavalryman
  173. Akıncıoğlu son of the raider
  174. Akınlı raider
  175. Akınoğlu son of Akın (“raid”)
  176. Akınözü heart of the raid
  177. Akış flow, flowing
  178. Akışık white light, clear radiance
  179. Akkale white castle
  180. Akkan of pure lineage; white khan
  181. Akkanat white wing
  182. Akkartal white eagle
  183. Akkaş white-browed

The letter A in Turkish surnames

A is the back unrounded vowel [a]. It is one of the most frequent first letters of Turkish surnames, because so many short native words begin with it: ak ‘white, pure’, al ‘red’, alp ‘brave, hero’, ay ‘moon’ and arslan, the older form of aslan ‘lion’. They return as first elements in compounds such as Akyüz, Alpaslan and Aykut, and on their own in Arslan and Aslan. Loanwords written with a circumflex (â) are filed under plain A in this index.

The surnames under this letter, in figures

The meanings are spread over 47 categories; the largest are “Built from Turkic name elements” (74), “Patronymic -oğlu surnames” (47) and “Virtue and integrity” (39). Turkic roots dominate (538 surnames, 75.0%); the rest come from Arabic (77), Persian (62), other languages (14), Greek (13), Mongolic (7), Armenian (4), French (2). On average they have 6.3 letters, shorter than the dictionary average of 6.6. The longest is Akbaşoğulları (13 letters), the shortest Ak, Al and Ar and others (2). In vowel harmony, names with only back vowels lead (530) over front-vowel names (0); 201 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)