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Turkish names: 130+ girl, boy and unisex names with meanings

140 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest

Turkish names include Asel (honey), Alparslan (brave lion) and Bilge (wise), and most are everyday Turkish words or Turkish forms of Arabic and Persian names. Turkish has no grammatical gender, and many names made from plain Turkish words are used for boys and girls alike.

Below are 130+ Turkish girl, boy and unisex names with meanings and pronunciation: popular Turkish girl names, classic and pretty Turkish female names, popular and classic Turkish boy names, boy names with bold meanings, unisex names and names from nature. We keep Turkish letters such as ç, ş, ğ and ı, as Turkish families write them.

Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks

  • Esin

    Inspiration; Turkish. Say eh-SEEN

  • Feride

    Unique, precious; Turkish form of the Arabic Farida

  • Tuğrul

    A mythical bird of prey; Turkish. Say too-ROOL

  • Mehmet

    Praised; Turkish form of Muhammad. Say meh-MET

  • Barış

    Peace; Turkish. Say bah-RUSH

  • Alya

    Sky, heaven; from Arabic. Turkey's top girls' name in 2025. Say AHL-yah

Find a Turkish name on this page

Narrow 140 names by how common they were for US babies in 2025, by section, length or first letter, or search the meanings.

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Classic Turkish female names

Names worn by mothers and grandmothers, from Ottoman-era classics to 20th-century favorites.

  1. Ayşe 8 in 2025: Alive, living; Turkish form of Aisha. Say EYE-sheh
  2. Fatma 11 in 2025: One who abstains; Turkish form of Fatima. Say FAHT-mah
  3. Hülya Under 5 in 2025: Daydream; Turkish. Say HOOL-yah
  4. Sevinç Under 5 in 2025: Joy; Turkish. Say seh-VEENCH
  5. Neşe Under 5 in 2025: Joy, happiness; Turkish. Say neh-SHEH
  6. Funda Under 5 in 2025: Heather; Turkish. Say FOON-dah
  7. Gönül Under 5 in 2025: Heart; Turkish. Say guh-NOOL
  8. Özlem 8 in 2025: Yearning, longing; Turkish. Say uhz-LEM
  9. Nermin Under 5 in 2025: Soft, gentle; from Persian. Say ner-MEEN
  10. Songül Under 5 in 2025: Last rose; Turkish. Say son-GOOL
  11. Nurten Under 5 in 2025: Radiant skin; Turkish. Say noor-TEN
  12. Serap Under 5 in 2025: Mirage; Turkish, from Arabic. Say seh-RAHP
  13. Şükran Under 5 in 2025: Gratitude, thankfulness; Turkish, from Arabic. Say shoo-KRAHN
  14. Feride Under 5 in 2025: Unique, precious; Turkish form of the Arabic Farida
  15. Esin Under 5 in 2025: Inspiration; Turkish. Say eh-SEEN
  16. Ezgi Under 5 in 2025: Melody; Turkish. Say ez-GEE

Pretty Turkish girl names

Soft sounds and sweet meanings, from smiles and kisses to sky blue.

  1. Hande 5 in 2025: Smile, laughter; from Persian. Say hahn-DEH
  2. Gizem Under 5 in 2025: Mystery; Turkish. Say gee-ZEM
  3. Buse Under 5 in 2025: Kiss; from Persian. Say boo-SEH
  4. Burcu Under 5 in 2025: Fragrant, sweet smelling; Turkish. Say boor-JOO
  5. Cemre Under 5 in 2025: Folk name for the warmth that ends winter; Turkish. Say jem-REH
  6. Ebru Under 5 in 2025: Paper marbling, a Turkish art; Turkish. Say eb-ROO
  7. Çağla Under 5 in 2025: Green almonds; Turkish. Say chah-LAH
  8. Cansu Under 5 in 2025: Soul and water; Turkish. Say jahn-SOO
  9. Dilara 31 in 2025: Adorning the heart; from Persian. Say dee-lah-RAH
  10. Nazlı 64 in 2025: Coy, delicate; Turkish. Say nahz-LUH
  11. Özge Under 5 in 2025: Other, different; Turkish. Say uhz-GEH
  12. Begüm Under 5 in 2025: Lady; feminine of the Turkic title beg. Say beh-GOOM
  13. Gamze Under 5 in 2025: Dimple; Turkish. Say gahm-ZEH
  14. Merve Under 5 in 2025: Pebbles, flint; a hill near Mecca. Say mer-VEH
  15. Esma 24 in 2025: Supreme, exalted; Turkish form of the Arabic Asma
  16. Ceren Under 5 in 2025: Gazelle; Turkish, probably from Mongolian. Say jeh-REN
  17. Yaren 8 in 2025: Close friend; Turkish, from Persian. Say yah-REN
  18. İrem Under 5 in 2025: Iram, a lost city named in the Quran. Say ee-REM
  19. Melis 13 in 2025: Bee; Turkish form of the Greek Melissa. Say meh-LEES

Classic Turkish male names

Familiar names from Ottoman sultans to 20th-century favorites.

  1. Murat 8 in 2025: Wish, desire; Turkish form of the Arabic Murad. Say moo-RAHT
  2. Hakan 10 in 2025: Emperor, ruler; Turkish. Say hah-KAHN
  3. Kemal 5 in 2025: Perfection; Turkish form of the Arabic Kamal. Say keh-MAHL
  4. Osman 181 in 2025: Baby bustard, a bird; Arabic. Founder of the Ottoman dynasty
  5. Selim 50 in 2025: Safe, sound; Turkish form of the Arabic Salim. Say seh-LEEM
  6. Levent Under 5 in 2025: Tall and handsome; originally an Ottoman marine. Say leh-VENT
  7. Bülent Under 5 in 2025: High, mighty; from Persian. Say boo-LENT
  8. Erdem 9 in 2025: Virtue; Turkish. Say er-DEM
  9. Onur Under 5 in 2025: Honor; Turkish, from the French honneur. Say oh-NOOR
  10. Barış 7 in 2025: Peace; Turkish. Say bah-RUSH
  11. Uğur Under 5 in 2025: Luck, good fortune; Turkish. Say oo-OOR
  12. Volkan Under 5 in 2025: Volcano; Turkish. Say vol-KAHN
  13. Tolga Under 5 in 2025: Helmet; Turkish. Say tol-GAH
  14. Yavuz 5 in 2025: Stern, grim; Turkish. The nickname of Sultan Selim I
  15. Sinan 29 in 2025: Spearhead; Arabic. Borne by the great Ottoman architect

Turkish boy names with bold meanings

Khans, storms, archers and heroes: names with a little thunder in them.

  1. Kağan 5 in 2025: King, ruler; the old Turkic title khagan. Say kah-AHN
  2. Tuğrul Under 5 in 2025: A mythical bird of prey; Turkish. Say too-ROOL
  3. Ertuğrul Under 5 in 2025: Hero and mythical bird of prey; father of Osman I
  4. Alper Under 5 in 2025: Brave hero; Turkish. Say al-PER
  5. Serkan Under 5 in 2025: Leader, chief; Turkish. Say ser-KAHN
  6. Ozan 17 in 2025: Bard, poet; Turkish. Say oh-ZAHN
  7. Tayfun Under 5 in 2025: Typhoon; Turkish. Say tie-FOON
  8. Okan Under 5 in 2025: Archer; Turkish. Say oh-KAHN
  9. Ufuk Under 5 in 2025: Horizon; Turkish, from Arabic. Say oo-FOOK, stress on the end
  10. Kıvanç 5 in 2025: Pleasure, joy; Turkish. Say kuh-VAHNCH
  11. Engin Under 5 in 2025: Vast; Turkish. Say en-GEEN
  12. Cenk Under 5 in 2025: Battle, war; Turkish, from Persian. Say JENK
  13. Ender 93 in 2025: Very rare; Turkish. Say en-DER
  14. Taylan 22 in 2025: Tall; Turkish. Say tie-LAHN
  15. Yıldırım Under 5 in 2025: Lightning; the nickname of Sultan Bayezid I. Say yuhl-duh-RUHM

Unisex Turkish names

Turkish has no grammatical gender, and many names made from plain words are given to both boys and girls.

  1. Bilge Under 5 in 2025: Wise; Turkish, the title of an 8th-century Turkic khan
  2. Özgür Under 5 in 2025: Free; Turkish. Say uhz-GOOR
  3. Görkem Under 5 in 2025: Splendor, glory; Turkish. Say guhr-KEM
  4. Elçin Under 5 in 2025: Envoy, messenger; Turkish. Say el-CHEEN
  5. Esen Under 5 in 2025: The wind; Turkish. Say eh-SEN
  6. Eser Under 5 in 2025: Work, achievement; Turkish. Say eh-SER
  7. Kayra 37 in 2025: Kindness, favor; Turkish, from Arabic khayr, goodness. Say kai-RAH
  8. Tutku Under 5 in 2025: Passion; Turkish. Say toot-KOO
  9. Burçin Under 5 in 2025: Hind, doe; Turkish. Say boor-CHEEN
  10. Ömür Under 5 in 2025: Life, lifetime; Turkish, from Arabic. Say uh-MOOR
  11. Şan 13 in 2025: Fame, glory; Turkish. Say SHAHN
  12. Cihan Under 5 in 2025: World; Turkish form of the Persian Jahan. Say jee-HAHN
  13. Elvan Under 5 in 2025: Colors; Turkish. Say el-VAHN
  14. Sabah 7 in 2025: Morning; from Arabic, for girls and boys. Say sah-BAH
  15. Yüksel Under 5 in 2025: Rise; Turkish. Say yook-SEL
  16. Hürrem 7 in 2025: Happy, cheerful; Persian. The wife of Suleiman the Magnificent

Turkish names from nature

Spring flowers, orchard trees, birds and gems from the Turkish countryside.

  1. Kardelen Under 5 in 2025: Snowdrop flower; Turkish. Say kar-deh-LEN
  2. Çiğdem Under 5 in 2025: Crocus; Turkish. Say chee-DEM
  3. Müge Under 5 in 2025: Lily of the valley; Turkish. Say moo-GEH
  4. Yonca Under 5 in 2025: Clover; Turkish. Say yon-JAH
  5. Kiraz Under 5 in 2025: Cherry; Turkish, from Greek. Say kee-RAHZ
  6. Selvi Under 5 in 2025: Cypress tree; Turkish. Say sel-VEE
  7. Başak Under 5 in 2025: Ear of wheat; Turkish. Say bah-SHAHK
  8. Gonca Under 5 in 2025: Flower bud; Turkish, from Persian. Say gon-JAH
  9. Pelin Under 5 in 2025: Wormwood, a silvery herb; Turkish. Say peh-LEEN
  10. Ceylan Under 5 in 2025: Gazelle; Turkish, from Persian. Say jay-LAHN
  11. Kelebek Under 5 in 2025: Butterfly; Turkish. Say keh-leh-BEK
  12. Suna Under 5 in 2025: Shelduck, a bright-colored duck; Turkish. Say soo-NAH
  13. Mercan Under 5 in 2025: Coral; Turkish, from Arabic. Say mer-JAHN
  14. Yeşim Under 5 in 2025: Jade; Turkish. Say yeh-SHEEM
  15. Elmas Under 5 in 2025: Diamond; Turkish, from Persian. Say el-MAHS
  16. Çağlar Under 5 in 2025: Waterfall, cascade; Turkish. Say chah-LAR
  17. Turgay Under 5 in 2025: Skylark; Turkish. Say toor-GUY
  18. Toygar Under 5 in 2025: Lark; Turkish. Say toy-GAR

How to pick the right name

Learn the Turkish letters

C sounds like j, so Ceren is jeh-REN. Ç is ch, ş is sh, ğ is silent and lengthens the vowel, and ı is a short uh. Ö and ü are said as in German; our respellings use uh and oo for them, which is close but not exact.

Decide on the dots

Outside Turkey, many families drop the special letters, writing Ipek for İpek or Baris for Barış. Choose one spelling for documents and stick with it.

Use the meaning

Most Turkish names are plain words, like Masal (fairy tale) or Poyraz (north wind). Pick a word you would be happy to explain at every introduction.

Try a double name

Turkish families often give two names, written as two words, such as Ömer Asaf or Asel Lina, and the law allows up to three. Pair a classic with a modern name for a combination that feels personal.

Turkish names: 140 ideas from Nomezo

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Turkish names, checked: Turkey's 2025 favorites, the rules on a Turkish birth certificate, and which names travel to the US

By The Nomezo Editors · Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research names

Alya was Turkey's most popular girls' name in 2025, jumping from No. 16 the year before, and Alparslan led the boys again, as in 2024. Double names are mainstream too: Ömer Asaf was No. 7 for boys, and the law allows up to three given names.

Turkish names are rare in the US, which suits families who want a name that is normal in Turkey but unusual in America. The finder above narrows the names by section, length or US popularity, and the tags show each name's 2025 US rank or count.

  1. Step 1Start with the favoritesAlya, Defne and Gökçe led in 2025.
  2. Step 2Know the rulesUp to three names; no Q, W or X.
  3. Step 3Check the USYusuf is No. 450; Gökçe had fewer than 5.
  4. Step 4Narrow the listBy section, length or rarity.

Turkey's top baby names in 2025

  • A TV bump. Alya was No. 16 in 2024 (Behind the Name, from TÜİK). Milliyet links its rise to Alya, the lead character of the TV series Uzak Şehir, though the birth data alone cannot prove the cause.
  • Older favorites still dominate. Among all children under 18, the most common names are Zeynep, Elif and Ecrin for girls and Yusuf, Mustafa and Ömer for boys (TÜİK).
Most registered names for babies born in Turkey in 2025
RankGirlsBoys
1Alya, 8,953Alparslan, 7,651
2Defne, 7,873Göktuğ, 6,109
3Gökçe, 7,692Metehan, 5,492
4Zeynep, 6,338Yusuf, 4,708
5Asel, 5,977Kerem, 4,154
6Umay, 5,728Miran, 3,877
7Asya, 5,165Ömer Asaf, 3,792

Source: Turkey's Interior Ministry, reported by Milliyet on January 19, 2026. The statistics institute TÜİK's own figures, published in April, are slightly lower (Alya 8,751, Alparslan 7,527) with the same top three.

The rules on a Turkish birth certificate

  • No more than three names. A child's name is registered as at most three names, written in full with no abbreviations (Law 5490, article 15).
  • Two-part names are written as two words. Ömer Asaf (No. 5), Ali Asaf (No. 16) and Muhammed Ali (No. 20) were all top-20 boys' names in 2024 (Behind the Name), and many people go by the name just before their surname (Wikipedia).
  • Turkish letters only. Birth certificates use only the Turkish alphabet, which has no Q, W or X, so a name with one of those letters must be respelled (Wikipedia). Abroad the problem flips: ç, ş, ğ, ı and İ are often dropped.
  • Surnames since 1935. The Surname Law of June 21, 1934 made surnames compulsory from January 1, 1935. The ending -oğlu (son of) was allowed, but foreign endings such as -yan, -ov, -viç, -pulos and -zade were not, and a separate law reserved Atatürk for Mustafa Kemal alone (Wikipedia)). Surnames pass from the father and are the same for men and women (Wikipedia).

Turkish names in the US

Names on this page with the most US babies, 2025
NameUS babies, 2025Trend
Yusuf698 boys (No. 450)Its most yet
Hamza556 boys (No. 541)Near its 2024 peak
Emir546 boys (No. 551)Its most yet
Eren270 boysDown slightly from 2024
Osman181 boysDown from 231 in 2022
Alya167 girlsDown from 190 in 2021
Ela135 girlsDown from 150 in 2018
Elif101 girlsDown from 115 in 2024

Source: US Social Security Administration, births 1880 to 2025. Some of these, like Hamza and Emir, are also used by Arab and South Asian families. Gökçe, Göktuğ and many others went to fewer than 5 US babies, too few to be published.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular Turkish girl name?

Alya topped Turkey's girls' list in 2025, ahead of Defne and Gökçe, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). Defne was first in 2024. Among all children under 18, Zeynep, Elif and Ecrin are the most common girls' names.

What is the most popular Turkish boy name?

Alparslan was Turkey's top boys' name in 2024 and again in 2025, when Göktuğ and Metehan came next, in TÜİK figures. Among all children under 18, Yusuf, Mustafa and Ömer are the most common boys' names.

Are Turkish names gendered?

Most are, but not because of grammar: Turkish has no grammatical gender, and many names made from plain Turkish words, such as Bilge (wise), Özgür (free), Görkem and Deniz, are used for both. Others are mainly for one gender, like Ayşe for girls or Murat for boys.

Why are Zeynep and Defne not on this list?

Zeynep, Ecrin, Selin and Tuana have uncertain meanings, so we left them out. Defne (laurel), Deniz (sea) and many Ay- moon names appear on our plant names, ocean names and names that mean moon lists.

What are Turkish female names that mean beautiful?

Güzel means beautiful, and names with gül (rose) or nur (light) carry the same feeling. Dilara (adorning the heart), Nazlı (delicate) and Gökçe (sky blue) are pretty Turkish female names.

How many names can a baby have in Turkey?

Up to three. Turkey's civil registration law says a child's name is written as no more than three names, in full and without abbreviations. Two-name combinations such as Ömer Asaf are written as two words.

Which letters can't be used in a Turkish name?

Q, W and X, which are not in the Turkish alphabet. Only Turkish letters may appear on a Turkish birth certificate, so foreign names with those letters have to be respelled.

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