Below is some inspiration if you are interested in Turkish baby names. Each one includes its meaning as well. You can also take a look at the history and naming practices of Turkish first names, to get a better idea of your heritage if you have Turkish roots.

History of Turkish First Names

There are a few important terms when learning more about Turkish names. Given names are referred to as “ad” while surnames are referred to as “soyadi.” Parents typically choose one or two given names for their little ones and they always have one surname. Married women can choose to carry only their husband’s surname or also include their maiden name.

When it comes to first names, there isn’t much to the history. The Constitution of Turkey’s only restriction is that the given name must include only letters in the Turkish alphabet. This excludes the letters Q, W, and X.

Naming Traditions

Many Turkish names are very unique and aren’t very common. When choosing a name, some parents opt for one of Arabic origin or religious reasons. Turkish people who have that second given name or middle name sometimes go by both their first and middle names. Contrary to Wester Naming Conventions, the order of names is very different. In documents it will be either middle name, first name, then surname, or surname, middle name, then first name.

Turkish Boy Names

1. Ahmed - This is the Muslim spelling of “Ahmad.” It means “to praise” in Arabic.
2. Ahmet - A variation of “Ahmed” that is Arabic for “praised one.”
3. Alp - Also a surname, this name means “hero.”
4. Altan - This boy’s name is “golden” in Mongolian and “red dawn” in Turkic.
5. Arslan - This Turkish name is Arabic for “lion hero.”
6. Aslan - This is a Turkish and Iranian family name that is derived from the Turkish word “arsaelan” which means “lion.”
7. Baris - This is an Albanian occupational name for a shepherd.
8. Burak - This name is derived from the Slavic word for “beet.”
9. Demir - This name of Turkish origin means “of iron.”
10. Deniz - This is a Spanish variant of the Greek name “Dennis” which means “fine wine lover.”
11. Efe - This is a unique name that means “older brother.”
12. Emin - This is a Muslim name that is used for “one who is trustworthy.”
13. Emir - This name is derived from the Arabic title that means “local king.”
14. Emre - This name is Turkish for “friend” or “comrade.”
15. Galip - This Muslim boy's name means “winner.”
16. Hakan - This name means “highborn” in Scandinavian.
17. Halil - This name of Turkish origin means “honorable friend.”
18. Kaan - “Kaan” is also a surname, this name of Turkic origin means “ruler” or “king of kings.”
19. Levent - This name means “rising” in Latin and “being” in Hungarian.
20. Mehmet - In Arabic, this boy’s name means “praised one.”
21. Murat - This is a popular Turkish name that is derived from the Arabic name “Murad.” It means “desired.”
22. Suleyman - This name means “man of peace” in Arabic.

Turkish Girl Names

1. Aylin - This girl’s name is Turkish for “halo.”
2. Aysun - In Turkish, this name means “face is as beautiful as the moon.”
3. Beste - In Turkish, this female name means “melody.”
4. Damla - This name means “drop of water” in Turkish.
5. Defne - This is the Turkish form of “Daphne” It means “laurel tree.”
6. Dilara - This name comes from the Persian word “dil” which means “heart.” It is derived from “delik” in Turkish which means “desire.”
7. Ece - This name is shared with the Turkic earth goddess. It means “queen.”
8. Elif - This is a popular girl’s name in Turkey and it means “thin” or “slender.”
9. Emel - This name means “wish” in Turkish.
10. Emine - The meaning of this name is “one who you can trust” in Arabic and is a common girl’s name in Turkey.
11. Fatma - This Turkish name means “one who is beautiful like the stars.”
12. Gul - This name means “rose” in Turkish and Persian.
13. Handan - This name is Turkish for “full of joy.”
14. Irmak - This name is Turkish for “river.”
15. Kari - In Greek, this name means Pure. In Turkish, it means “flows like water.”
16. Kelebek - This is the Turkish word for “butterfly.”
17. Leyla - This name is derived from the Arabic word “layl” which means “night. “Leyla” means “a very dark night.”
18. Miray - In Turkish, this name means “shining like the moon.”
19. Sefika - This name means “compassionate” in Turkish.
20. Semra - In Arabic, “Semra'“ means “brunette'“ or dark-skinned beauty.”
21. Yara - In Persian, this name means “strength” or “courage.”
22. Zehra - This name means “blossoms” in Turkish.

Turkish Unisex Names

1. Akara - This Turkish gender-neutral name means “chief deity.”
2. Ali - This name is of Arabic origin and it means “high” or “exalted.”
3. Aydin - This is the Turkic form of “Aiden” and it means “enlightened and bright.”
4. Cemre - More commonly used for baby girls, “Cemre” means “ember” in the Turkish language.
5. Derya - This Turkish name is derived from the Persian name “Darya” which means “sea.”
6. Evrin - This is the Turkish word for “universe” or “cosmos.”
7. Gunesh - This name is of Turkish origin means “the sun.”
8. Kiral - This is a Muslim name of Turkish origin that means “supreme chief.”
9. Ugur - More commonly used for baby boys, “Ugur” means “luck” or “good omen” in Turkish.
10. Yildiz - This name means “star” in the Turkish language.