Surname index·Letter
Surnames beginning with S
With 303 surnames, S is the fifth most frequent initial in this dictionary (6.3% of all entries). None of them is in the national top 30 of TÜİK ADNKS 2025, so each is rarer than every name on that list.
- Surnames
- 303
- in this index
- In the national top 30
- 0
- ADNKS 2025
- Pages
- 1 / 2
303 surnames in Turkish alphabetical order
- Saat hour, clock; bliss (Saʿd)
- Saatçi watchmaker
- Saban plough
- Sabancı ploughman, plough-maker
- Sabuncu soapmaker
- Sabuncuoğlu son of the soapmaker
- Sabunyan of the Sabun (“soap”) family
- Saçan scattering, radiating
- Sadak quiver
- Sadık loyal, truthful
- Sadıklar the faithful; Sadık’s family
- Sadıkoğlu son of Sadık
- Sadi happy, fortunate
- Sadioğlu son of Sadi
- Sadri foremost, pioneer
- Safa serenity, delight
- Safer second month of the Islamic year
- Sâfi pure, clear
- Sağ alive, healthy, sound
- Sağdıç best man
- Sağduyu common sense
- Sağer sound, hale man
- Sağın correct, authentic
- Sağır deaf (old nickname)
- Sağıroğlu son of the man nicknamed Sağır
- Sağlam sound, sturdy, reliable
- Sağlamer sturdy, dependable man
- Sağlık health, well-being
- Sağman healthy; reliable person
- Sağtürk sound, hale Turk
- Sağyaşar lives in good health
- Sak watchful, alert
- Saka water carrier; goldfinch
- Sakal beard
- Sakallı bearded
- Sakallıoğlu son of the bearded one
- Sakaoğlu son of the water-carrier
- Sakarya the Sakarya river and province
- Sakçı watchman, guard
- Sakızcan sweet as mastic, dear
- Sakin calm, quiet
- Sala call recited from the minaret
- Salar commander, chief
- Salık advice; tidings
- Salım safe, sound (the name Salim)
- Salınmış swaying, stately
- Salih righteous, good
- Salihoğlu son of Salih
- Salkım bunch, cluster; wisteria
- Salman male name (Arabic Salmān)
- Saltık absolute; the historical name Saltuk
- Sam Shem (son of Noah); desert wind
- Saman straw
- Samancı straw seller
- Samat eternal, self-sufficient
- Samet the Self-Sufficient
- Sami lofty, exalted (male name)
- Samurçay Samur brook
- Sancak banner, standard
- Sancaklı from Sancak
- Sancaktar standard-bearer
- Sancaktutan standard-bearer
- Sancar short dagger; bird of prey
- Sandal sandalwood
- Sandalcı boatman
- Sander gain fame
- Sandıkçı chest-maker
- Sandıkkaya chest-shaped rock
- Saner renowned man
- Sanoğlu son of the renowned one
- Santırcıoğlu son of the santur player
- Sapmaz unswerving
- Saraç saddler, harness maker
- Saraçgil the saddler’s family
- Saraçoğlu son of the saddler
- Saran embracing, enfolding
- Sarban camel driver
- Sargın sincere, heartfelt, devoted
- Sarhan blond khan
- Sarı yellow; fair-haired
- Sarıalioğlu son of Sarı (fair) Ali
- Sarıbaş fair-headed, blond
- Sarıca yellowish
- Sarıdoğan yellow falcon
- Sarıer fair-haired man
- Sarıeroğlu son of the fair-haired man
- Sarıgül yellow rose
- Sarıkaya yellow rock
- Sarıoğlu son of the fair-haired one
- Sarısaltıkoğlu from the name Sarı Saltık
- Sarıtaş yellow stone
- Sarıtekin fair-haired prince
- Sarıyer district of Istanbul; ‘yellow place’
- Sarıyıldız yellow star
- Sarp steep, sheer; unyielding
- Sarper a tough, unyielding hero
- Sarraf money changer
- Sarvan warrior
- Satar one who sells; or Sattar
- Satıcı seller
- Satır cleaver; line of writing
- Sav thesis; word
- Savaş battle, struggle
- Savaşçı warrior
- Savaşır one who fights
- Savaşkan fighter, warlike
- Savaşkurt war wolf
- Savcı envoy; prosecutor
- Savran camel herder, caravan leader
- Savranbaşı head of Savran
- Say effort, labour
- Sayan one who respects
- Sayar respectful; one who reckons
- Saydam transparent; open, honest
- Saygı respect
- Saygılı respectful
- Saygın respected, esteemed
- Saygıner respected man
- Saygun the old Turkic title sagun
- Sayın esteemed, honourable
- Sayıner a man held in regard
- Sayman accountant, treasurer
- Saz saz (lute); reed
- Sazak strong wind; reed bed; myrtle
- Seba Sheba (Saba)
- Sebük beloved
- Sebüktekin beloved prince; Sebüktegin
- Seçer one who chooses, discerning
- Seçkin distinguished, select
- Sedat rightness, correctness
- Sedef mother-of-pearl
- Sefer journey; military campaign
- Seferinoğlu son of Sefer
- Sefil wretched, destitute
- Sekban dog keeper; Janissary soldier
- Seki stone bench; terrace
- Selamet well-being, safety
- Selcan soul lively as a torrent
- Selçuk eponymous ancestor of the Seljuks
- Selek generous
- Selen news, good tidings
- Selimoğlu son of Selim
- Selvi cypress
- Semerci packsaddle maker
- Semercioğlu son of the packsaddle maker
- Semiz plump, well-fed
- Sencer name of Sultan Sanjar; “piercer”
- Senem beautiful beloved
- Sepetçi basket maker
- Serbest free, independent
- Serçeler the sparrows
- Serdar commander-in-chief
The letter S in Turkish surnames
S is the plain [s]; Ş [ʃ] is a separate letter that follows it in the alphabet. Without Turkish characters both are typed s, so “Sahin” usually means Şahin. Native S-words are plentiful: sarı ‘yellow, blond’, su ‘water’, sevgi ‘love’, sağ ‘alive; right’. The surnames Sarı and Savaş ‘struggle, war’ come from such words, and Sönmez ‘unquenchable’ is a verb form, the negative aorist of sönmek ‘to go out’, built like Yılmaz.
The surnames under this letter, in figures
The meanings are spread over 44 categories; the largest are “Patronymic -oğlu surnames” (25), “Heart, joy and hope” (23) and “Virtue and integrity” (21). Turkic roots dominate (182 surnames, 61.1%); the rest come from Arabic (63), Persian (32), Greek (9), other languages (5), Kurdish (3), Mongolic (2), French (2). On average they have 6.5 letters, close to the dictionary average of 6.6. The longest are Sarısaltıkoğlu and Söylemezgiller (14 letters), the shortest Su (2). In vowel harmony, names with only back vowels lead (139) over front-vowel names (83); 81 mix the two, usually a sign of a compound or a loan.