Welcome to our list of the 50 most popular Turkish names for boys. Each name has a short explanation of its meaning along with a cool fact about the name.
This list is perfect for:
- Parents looking for a Turkish name for their baby
- People who want to change their name via deed poll
- People who want to find out which are the most popular Turkish names
***If you like this article be sure to check out our list of 50 most popular:
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So without further interruption here is the list of the 50 most popular Turkish names for boys.
Turkish Names for Boys
- Baris: Baris pertains to "peace".
- Cafer: This is a version of 'Jafar'.
- Deniz: The meaning of this unisex name is "sea".
- Ediz: Ediz is a Turkish word for "high".
- Ekin: A unisex name, Ekin translates to "harvest" or "culture".
- Emre: The meaning of Emre is unclear, but it could be "brother", "friend", or "poet".
- Eser: This beautiful unisex name pertains to "achievement".
- Göker: Defined as "man of the sky".
- Gökhan: The 'khan' in this name stands for "leader", and Gökhan means "leader of the sky".
- Ilker: Similarly, Ilker denotes being a "first man", an excellent name choice for your first-born son.
- Kıvanç: This expresses "pride" and "joy".
- Koray: Koray translates to "ember moon".
- Nazar: In Turkish, Nazar symbolizes the "eye stone" that keeps evil forces and spirits away.
- Oğuzhan: This name is perfect for families that have an appreciation for Turkish history and traditions. Oğuzhan means "leader" and "ruler", and its origins are traced back to a society in ancient Turkey that was called 'Oğuz'.
- Okan: Meaning "archer".
- Onur: This represents "honor"
- Oz: An eloquent name, Oz is a Turkish word that refers to a "bard" or "poet".
- Ozgur: This unisex name signifies that your son is "free".
- Semih: Naming your baby boy Semih expresses that they are a "generous" person.
- Temel: A simple and, at the same time, deeply-illustrative name, Temel is defined as "basic" and "fundamental".
- Tolga: In Turkish, Tolga translates to "helmet".
- Uğur: Uğur conveys that your son is a "good omen".
- Umut: This name is suitable for both boys and girls. It means "hope".
- Utku: Meaning "victory".
- Yağmur: A Turkish word for "rain".
- Yamaç: A befitting choice for outdoors enthusiasts, the meaning of Yamaç is "mountainside".
- Yiğit: This name signifies that you have a "brave" baby boy.
Originally-Arabic Turkish Names for Boys
The geographic proximity between modern-day Turkey and the Arab world and their common religion (Islam) have allowed the two regions to influence each other throughout the centuries.
As a result, Turks regularly give their children Turkish forms of first names that have Arabic roots.
- Abdülaziz: Abdülaziz is a version of the Arabic name 'Abdulaziz', where 'Abdul' means "the worshiper of" and 'Aziz' translates to "the dear and beloved one" (i.e. God).
- Abdülhamit: In the same vein, this name expresses that your son is a devout worshiper of "the one who is benignant and praiseworthy" (a reference to God).
- Abdülkerim: In Arabic, 'Karim' means "the kind one", and it is one of God's many names in Islam. 'Kerim' is its Turkish variation.
- Adil: Meaning a fair and just person.
- Ahmet: Ahmet (the Arabic equivalent of which is 'Ahmed') pertains to a "praiseworthy" individual.
- Ali: Ali is one of the most popular names in the Islamic world, especially because it was held by the Prophet Mohammed's cousin.
- Baha: Another word for "glory".
- Bilal: This refers to something that's "wet" or "moist". Bilal was the first name of one of the Prophet's Mohammed's companions.
- Cemal: Meaning "beauty".
- Faruk: Faruk conveys that your son is a person who is capable of differentiating between right and wrong.
- Halim: In Arabic, Halim translates to "patient" or "tolerant".
- Harun: Although this name was initially prevalent among Arabs, Harun is the Arabic form of 'Aaron'.
- Kemal: Kemal represents being "wholesome". It also has historical gravity since the man who founded modern-day Turkey was named 'Mustafa Kemal Atatürk'.
- Mahir: An Arabic word for "skilled".
- Mehmet: Mehmet is the Turkish version of 'Mohammed'.
- Mesud/Mesut: Meaning "lucky", Mesud and Mesut are variations of 'Masud'.
- Nezih: In Arabic, 'Nazih' pertains to an "honest" and "virtuous" person. Nezih is the Turkish format of this name.
- Recep: This is derived from 'Rajab', which is defined as "respect" in Arabic.
- Şakir: Meaning "thankful".
- Sami: Sami is a name that indicates that your baby boy is "elevated" and "supreme".
- Sultan: This globally-common name has Arabic roots. It means "ruler".
- Ümran: The Turkish version of 'Imran', an Arabic name.
- Zeki: This refers to an "intelligent" child, and it comes from the Arabic term 'Zaki'.
- Ziya: This name stems from the word 'Di'yaa', which pertains to a "light" or "glow".
Turkish Names for Boys Derived from Other Cultures
Lastly, but certainly not least, are the following Turkish first names that were influenced by Persian, Mongolian, Russian, and other regional languages:
- Adem: As the name suggests, 'Adem' is the Turkish format of 'Adam'.
- Bahadır: This name, meanwhile, is originally Persian. It is used to describe a person who is a "hero" or "warrior".
- Cagatay: Cagatay was the name of the son of Genghis Khan, the aggressive and historically-renowned Mongolian conqueror.
- Can: Can, which comes from the Persian word 'Jan', pertains to "life" or the "soul", in addition to being synonymous with "darling" and "sweetheart".
- Danyal: This is the Turkish variation of the Anglicized Hebrew name 'Daniel'.
- Emin: Emin is related to the Armenian term for "honest", and it combines Turkish, Bosnian, and Azerbaijani linguistic elements.
- Emir: Emir is a hybrid Turkish and Bosnian name that goes back to the Arabic word for prince ('Amir').
- Ilkin: In both Turkish and Azerbaijani, Ilkin indicates that someone is "first".
- İlyas: İlyas is the Turkish equivalent of 'Elijah'.
- Poyraz: This originally-Greek name translates to "north" in Turkish.
- Ruşen: A unisex name, the meaning of Ruşen is "light" or "bright", and it can be traced back to the Persian, Indian, and Nepali languages.
- Rüstem: Another Turkish name with Persian roots, Rüstem has two connotations: "Strong/brave" and "to grow".
- Serdar: This a reference to a "chief" or "leader". Serdar is a Turkish name that blends Pashto, Persian, and Urdu linguistic components.
- Talat: Talat is the Turkish and Urdu version of 'Tal'at', which represents the word "sight" in Arabic.
- Timur: The original form of Timur is 'Temür', and it means "iron". Different variants of this name are used in Turkish, Chechen, Kazakh, Mongolian, Russian, Tartar, and Uzbek.
- Ural: Ural pertains to the 'Ural Mountains', and it includes aspects from both the Turkish and Bashkir languages.
- Yakup: This is the equivalent of 'Jacob'.
To give a conclusion in a few words, parents who have different linguistic, cultural, and historical preferences are all bound to find some great potential Turkish first-names for their baby boy in this list.
