Surname index·Top 100
TÜİK · ADNKS 2025Turkish surnames and their meanings
Surnames became compulsory in Türkiye with Surname Law No. 2525 of 1934, and the Surname Regulation issued the same year asked that new surnames be taken from Turkish. That is why most common Turkish surnames are everyday Turkish words: a feature of nature, a metal, a trade or a personal quality.2,3
The list opens with the 30 most common surnames in TÜİK ADNKS 2025, followed by the 70 surnames with the most notable bearers in the dictionary, grouped by category. 84 of the 100 are Turkic in origin; the largest group is “Nature and landscape” (27). Every row links to the full entry with its sources.
What do the 30 most common surnames mean?
Nature and landscape: surnames and meanings
| No. | Surname | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Yalçın | sheer, steep, like a crag |
| 33 | Bulut | cloud |
| 42 | Taş | stone |
| 43 | Gül | rose |
| 49 | Ateş | fire |
| 51 | Işık | light |
| 55 | Karataş | black stone |
| 61 | Bayram | festival, feast day |
| 65 | Çiçek | flower |
| 68 | Duman | smoke; mist |
| 69 | Gök | sky; blue |
| 70 | Karakaya | black rock |
| 72 | Sönmez | unquenchable, never fading |
| 74 | Ay | moon |
| 78 | Çetinkaya | hard rock, unyielding crag |
| 81 | Aksu | clear water, white water |
| 86 | Deniz | sea |
| 88 | Gündüz | daytime |
| 89 | Karadağ | black mountain |
| 98 | Dağ | mountain |
Metals and objects: surnames and meanings
| No. | Surname | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 75 | Altun | gold |
| 76 | Bolat | steel |
| 77 | Çakmak | lighter; flint |
| 87 | Gümüş | silver |
Animals: surnames and meanings
| No. | Surname | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | Bozkurt | grey wolf |
| 41 | Kaplan | tiger |
| 53 | Ceylan | gazelle |
| 58 | Karaca | roe deer; darkish |
| 90 | Karakuş | golden eagle (lit. black bird) |
Colours and numbers: surnames and meanings
| No. | Surname | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Sarı | yellow; fair-haired |
Character, virtue and appearance: surnames and meanings
| No. | Surname | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Şen | cheerful, merry |
| 34 | Güler | smiling, laughing |
| 36 | Ünal | win fame |
| 37 | Keskin | sharp; keen-witted |
| 47 | Yüksel | rise, ascend |
| 48 | Uysal | docile, gentle-natured |
| 52 | Uzun | tall, long |
| 59 | Koçak | brave and generous |
| 62 | Coşkun | exuberant, enthusiastic |
| 64 | Çalışkan | hard-working, diligent |
| 71 | Mutlu | happy, fortunate |
| 73 | Yaşar | he who lives, long-lived |
| 82 | Keleş | brave, valiant; handsome |
| 93 | Yaman | formidable, capable, daring |
| 96 | Açıkgöz | shrewd, wide-awake |
| 99 | Dönmez | steadfast, true to his word |
| 100 | Güngör | may you see good days |
Society, kinship and values: surnames and meanings
| No. | Surname | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | Turan | historical homeland of the Turks |
| 91 | Şentürk | cheerful Turk |
Titles and nicknames: surnames and meanings
| No. | Surname | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | Köse | beardless |
| 46 | Tekin | prince (Old Turkic tegin) |
| 60 | Baş | head; leader |
| 85 | Çolak | one-armed, maimed arm (byname) |
| 92 | Uçar | flying; swift, nimble |
| 94 | Topal | lame (byname) |
War and heroism: surnames and meanings
| No. | Surname | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 56 | Kılınç | sword |
| 67 | Yiğit | brave young man, hero |
| 80 | Kahraman | hero |
| 83 | Akın | raid, onrush |
Occupational surnames: surnames and meanings
| No. | Surname | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 45 | Avcı | hunter |
| 50 | Çoban | shepherd |
| 54 | Demirci | blacksmith |
| 66 | Çiftçi | farmer |
| 79 | Ekinci | grain grower, farmer |
Lineage, place and name patterns: surnames and meanings
| No. | Surname | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | Özer | true man, genuine hero |
| 57 | Aksoy | of clean lineage |
| 63 | Aydemir | moon-bright and iron-strong |
| 84 | Alkan | red blood |
| 95 | Aras | the Aras river |
| 97 | Bingöl | a thousand lakes (place name) |
Where can I look further?
Sources
- 1Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK) · ADNKS, TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)
- 2T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr), Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)
- 3T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr), Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759)