Surname index·Letter
Surnames beginning with M
124 of the dictionary’s 4,813 surnames begin with M (2.6%). None of them is in the national top 30 of TÜİK ADNKS 2025, so each is rarer than every name on that list.
- Surnames
- 124
- in this index
- In the national top 30
- 0
- ADNKS 2025
124 surnames in Turkish alphabetical order
- Macit glorious, noble
- Maden ore, mine; metal
- Madenci miner
- Mağden ore, metal
- Mahir skilful, adept
- Mahmud praised; male name
- Makbule accepted, welcome
- Makinacı machinist, mechanic
- Makinistoğlu son of the engine driver
- Mala trowel
- Malkoç raider chief; the Malkoçoğlu family name
- Mamat a form of Mehmet (praised)
- Mamur prosperous, thriving
- Manas Manas, hero of the Kyrgyz epic
- Manav greengrocer
- Manço buffalo calf
- Mandacı water-buffalo herder
- Manga squad of soldiers
- Manisa Manisa (Aegean province)
- Mansur aided to victory
- Mansuroğlu son of Mansur (“victorious”)
- Mantıcı maker or seller of mantı
- Manukyan of the family of Manuk
- Maral doe
- Marangoz carpenter
- Maraşlı from Maraş
- Mardin from Mardin (province)
- Marmara the Sea of Marmara
- Mataracı maker or seller of flasks
- Mavi blue
- Mavituna the blue Danube
- Mayhoş sweet-and-sour
- Mazak small, dwarfish; a gurnard
- Mazhar one favoured; place of manifestation
- Mehmet praised; Turkish form of Muhammad
- Melek angel
- Melekoğlu son of Melek
- Melen barren land (dialect)
- Memedoğlu son of Memed
- Memiş folk form of the name Mehmet
- Memişoğlu son of Memiş (Mehmet)
- Menderes the Meander river
- Menekşe violet
- Menemencioğlu son of the Menemenci
- Menemenlioğlu son of the man from Menemen
- Menevşe violet
- Mengi eternal, everlasting
- Mengü eternal, immortal
- Mengüç little Mengü; immortal
- Menteş an old Turkish male name
- Menteşe hinge; name of a principality
- Menteşoğlu son of Menteş
- Meral hind, female deer
- Mercan coral
- Mercimek lentil
- Merdan brave men; brave
- Mergen wise man; marksman
- Meriç the Maritsa river
- Mermer marble
- Mert valiant, true to his word
- Mertcan brave soul
- Merter honourable man
- Mertoğlu son of Mert
- Mesçi maker or seller of leather inner boots
- Mesutoğlu son of Mesut
- Meşe oak
- Mete name of the Xiongnu ruler Mete Han
- Metehan Mete Khan
- Metin firm, steadfast
- Mevsim season
- Mıhçıoğlu son of the nail-maker
- Mıngır soft ringing sound; mumble
- Mısır Egypt; maize
- Mısırlıoğlu son of the Egyptian
- Mısırlıyan son of the Egyptian
- Mızrak lance, spear
- Mızraklı spear-bearing
- Milli national
- Mimaroğlu son of the architect
- Miroğlu son of the lord
- Mirza title of nobility; son of an emir
- Miski musk-scented
- Mola rest, break
- Mollaoğlu son of the molla
- Mor purple
- Moral morale
- Moralı from the Morea
- Moralıoğlu son of the man from the Morea
- Morgül purple rose
- Morkaya purple rock
- Morkoç purple-dark ram
- Muğan the Mughan plain
- Muhiddin Arabic ‘reviver of the faith’
- Muhtar chosen; village headman
- Mumcu candle-maker, chandler
- Mumcuoğlu son of the candle maker
- Muradlı of Murad’s family
- Muradoğlu son of Murad
- Muradyan descendant of Murad
- Murat wish, desire (given name)
- Muratdağı Murat Mountain
- Muratoğlu son of Murat
- Mursal one who is sent, messenger
- Mursaloğlu son of Mursal (Mürsel)
- Musa Musa (Moses)
- Musaoğlu son of Musa
- Mustafa the chosen one (given name)
- Mustafaoğlu son of Mustafa
- Mutay moon of happiness
- Mutlu happy, fortunate
- Mutlucan happy soul
- Mutluer happy man
- Muvahhit monotheist
- Muz banana
- Müderisoğlu son of the medrese professor
- Müderrisoğlu son of the madrasa teacher
- Müftü mufti
- Müftügil the mufti’s household
- Müftüoğlu son of the mufti
- Müjde good news
- Müjdeci bringer of good news
- Müridoğlu son of the disciple
- Mürtezaoğlu son of Mürteza
- Müyesseroğlu son of Müyesser (“granted”)
The letter M in Turkish surnames
Native Turkic words rarely begin with m; most Turkish M-words are borrowed. Mehmet, Mustafa and Murat are Arabic names, mert ‘brave, manly’ comes from Persian mard ‘man’, and even mavi ‘blue’ is Arabic in origin (māʾī ‘watery’). Some native exceptions reflect an old alternation of b and m before a nasal: bengü and mengü ‘eternal’ are two forms of one word. Borrowed roots are therefore frequent among M-surnames.
The surnames under this letter, in figures
The meanings are spread over 33 categories; the largest are “Patronymic -oğlu surnames” (31), “Names of mountains, rivers and places” (8) and “Crafts: metal, wood, stone and leather” (7). Borrowed roots are in the majority here: Arabic (57), Persian (22), other languages (10), French (5), Greek (5), Armenian (2), Mongolic (2), against 18 Turkic. On average they have 6.9 letters, longer than the dictionary average of 6.6. The longest are Menemencioğlu and Menemenlioğlu (13 letters), the shortest Mor and Muz (3). In vowel harmony, names with only back vowels lead (57) over front-vowel names (29); 38 mix the two, usually a sign of a compound or a loan.