Surname index·Letter

Surnames beginning with K

With 604 surnames, K is the second most frequent initial in this dictionary (12.5% of all entries). 6 of them are in the national top 30; the most common is Kaya, ranked 2nd with 899,722 people (TÜİK ADNKS 2025). Next come Kılıç (13th) and Kara (16th).

Surnames: 604; in this index
In the national top 30: 6¹; ADNKS 2025
Most common: Kaya; 899,722 people
Pages: 1 / 4

604 surnames in Turkish alphabetical order

Kaan khagan, sovereign
Kaba bulky, thickset
Kabaağaçlı of Kabaağaç, “big tree”
Kabaca fairly large, plump
Kabacaoğlu son of Kabaca (“biggish”)
Kabak squash, gourd
Kabakçı squash grower, squash seller
Kabakçıoğlu son of the squash-seller
Kabaklı with gourds
Kabasakal bushy-bearded
Kaçar Qajar, a historical Turkmen tribe
Kaçaroğlu son of Kaçar
Kaçmaz one who does not flee
Kadem good luck; foot, step
Kader fate, destiny
Kadı judge (kadi)
Kadıoğlu son of the judge
Kadiroğlu son of Kadir
Kafadar like-minded friend
Kaftancıoğlu son of the kaftan-maker
Kâğıtçı paper maker or seller
Kağıtçıbaşı head of the paper-makers
Kahraman hero
Kahramaner heroic man
Kahramanoğlu son of Kahraman (“hero”)
Kahveci coffee seller, coffee-house keeper
Kâhya steward, warden
Kahyaoğlu son of the steward
Kala fortress
Kalafat caulking; an Ottoman headdress
Kalafatoğlu son of Kalafat (caulking)
Kalay tin
Kalaycı tinsmith
Kalaycıoğlu son of the tinsmith
Kaldırım pavement, paved road
Kale fortress
Kaleci keeper of the kale; goalkeeper
Kalecik little fortress; town near Ankara
Kalecioğlu son of the fortress guard
Kaleli from the fortress
Kalelioğlu son of the one from Kale
Kalemcioğlu son of the pen-maker
Kalemli one who holds the pen
Kalemoğlu son of the pen (clerk)
Kalender carefree; wandering dervish
Kalenderli of the kalender (carefree one)
Kalfa journeyman
Kalın thick, dense
Kalkan shield; protector
Kalkancı shield maker
Kalman grandfather Muhammad; or Kálmán
Kalsın may he stay
Kalyon galleon
Kalyoncu galleon sailor, marine
Kalyoncuoğlu son of the galleon marine
Kamal the name Kemal; or ‘rampart’
Kamalıoğlu son of the dagger-bearer
Kaman Kaman, a district of Kırşehir; bow
Kamer moon
Kamhi connected with flour (Hebrew qemaḥ)
Kamiloğlu son of Kâmil
Kamu the public; all
Kan blood, lineage; khan
Kanan Canaan (form of Kenan)
Kanat wing
Kanatlı winged
Kanbir of one blood
Kanbur hunchback, hump
Kanca hook
Kandemir iron-blooded; iron khan
Kandil oil lamp
Kaner man of noble blood
Kaneti Canetti, from Cañete in Spain
Kanık content, satisfied with little
Kanlı bloody; hale and hearty
Kanlıgöz bloodshot eye
Kanmaz not easily fooled
Kansız bloodless, pale
Kansu the name Kanşav; Mamluk sultan Qansuh
Kantar steelyard
Kantarcı steelyard maker; market weigher
Kantarcıoğlu son of the weigher
Kantemir Khan Temir; iron-blooded
Kapacak one who will snatch
Kapanlı of the kapan (trap or public scale)
Kapanşahin the snatching hawk
Kapıkıran door-breaker
Kaplan tiger
Kapu door, gate (old form)
Kar snow
Kara black, dark; dark-haired #16
Karaağaç elm tree
Karaağaçlı place of elms
Karaali kara + Ali
Karaarslan black lion
Karaaslan black lion; mighty hero
Karaavcı black hunter
Karababa kara + baba: ‘great father’
Karabacak black-legged; nickname
Karabağ black garden; Karabakh
Karabaş black-headed; sheepdog
Karabay mighty, wealthy lord
Karabekir ‘black’ Bekir
Karabeyoğlu son of Karabey
Karabıyık black-moustached
Karaböcek black beetle
Karabudak black branch; a Dede Korkut hero
Karabulut dark cloud
Karaca roe deer; darkish
Karacabey Karacabey (district of Bursa)
Karacan strong-souled; dark darling
Karacaoğlu son of Karaca
Karaçam black pine
Karaçayır dark meadow
Karaçelik black steel
Karaçöl black desert, barren steppe
Karadağ black mountain
Karadağlı from Karadağ
Karadayı dark or stout uncle
Karademir black iron; iron-hard
Karademirli of Karademir, “black iron”
Karadeniz the Black Sea
Karadere dark stream
Karaderi black leather
Karadoğan black falcon
Karaduman black smoke
Karaer mighty warrior; dark man
Karagenç dark young man
Karagöz dark-eyed
Karagözlü black-eyed
Karagülle black cannonball
Karahan great, mighty khan
Karahasan “Dark Hasan”
Karahocagil Kara Hoca’s family
Karahüseyinoğlu son of Kara Hüseyin
Karaibrahimgil household of Kara İbrahim
Karaismailoğlu son of Kara İsmail
Karakaş black-browed
Karakaşlı black-browed
Karakaya black rock
Karakoç black ram
Karakoyun black sheep
Karakoyunlu with black sheep; a historical state
Karaköse former name of Ağrı; “dark beardless”
Karakulak caracal; formerly messenger
Karakullukçu attendant in the Janissary barracks
Karakurt black wolf
Karakuş golden eagle (lit. black bird)
Karaküçük dark little one
Karalar the black ones; the Kara family
Karaman Karaman (place name)

The letter K in Turkish surnames

K is one of the busiest initials of Turkish surnames. Before back vowels the Old Turkic k stayed: kara ‘black’, kaya ‘rock’, kurt ‘wolf’, koç ‘ram’, kılıç ‘sword’, hence Kaya, Kara, Kurt, Koç and Kılıç. Before front vowels it mostly became g (see G), though not always: kişi ‘person’ and keskin ‘sharp’ kept their k. Q and X, which are not letters of the Turkish alphabet, are filed under K in this index.

The surnames under this letter, in figures

The meanings are spread over 47 categories; the largest are “Surnames from nicknames” (44), “Appearance, body and strength” (44) and “Patronymic -oğlu surnames” (33). Turkic roots dominate (429 surnames, 72.6%); the rest come from Arabic (61), Persian (56), Greek (18), other languages (15), French (7), Armenian (2), Mongolic (2), Kurdish (1). On average they have 7.2 letters, longer than the dictionary average of 6.6. The longest is Karavelioğulları (16 letters), the shortest Kan, Kar and Kaş and others (3). In vowel harmony, names with only back vowels lead (389) over front-vowel names (75); 140 mix the two, usually a sign of a compound or a loan.

By number of letters

Sources

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