67 Turkish Boy Names With Meaning​ (some from Quran)

Turkish has about 80 million people as native speakers. It has been influenced by languages like Persian and Arabic. I have hand-picked 67 unique Turkish boy names and their meanings are also included.

List Of 67 Unique Turkish Boy Names With Meaning:

Mert

It means “the one who tells the truth” or trustworthy.” Professional auto racing driver Mert Aytuğ bears this name. “Mert” is also everyday slang for ”a really handsome guy.”

Özgür

Free, independent. The word did not exist before the 1930s.

Harun

Harun (“warrior lion”) is mentioned 20 times in the Quran as Prophet Harun (Aaron) who is the older brother of the Prophet Mūsā (Moses).

Sinan

It means “point of a spear” or ”spearhead.” Mimar Sinan was the Ottoman architect who built the Süleymaniye and Selimiye mosques.

Orhan

In 2006 Orhan Pamuk received the Nobel Prize in Literature. He is the first Turkish writer to do it. It means ”great ruler”. Orhan I was the second Ottoman ruler and moved his capital to Bursa in the 1320s.

Ömer

It is the Turkish form of Omar and means ”flourishing.” In Hebrew Omer is “bundle of crops” and is also that American short form of Slovenian Omerzel.

Mustafa

Mustafa (“the one chosen among the people” or “the chosen one”) is one of the names of the Prophet Muhammad. M. Kemal Atatürk was the founder of the Turkish Republic.

İlkay

It is meaning “new moon” and is made of the element “İlk” (first) and “ay” (moon). İlkay Gündoğan won the treble with Manchester City in 2023.

Altan

Altan (“red dawn”) is connected with the word “Altın” that is comparable to Mongolian “altan.” In 1578 Altan Khan handed the title Dalai Lama to Sonam Gyatso.

Evren

Evren (”cosmos” or “universe”) is the name of a gigantic snake-like dragon from Turkic myths. Kenan Evren was the general who became Turkey’s 7th president.

Serkan

Serkan combines the elements ”ser” (that means ”head”) and ”kan” (blood).

Kaya

Kaya is symbolizing “rock” or “cliff.”

Alpay

”Moon knight” or “moon warrior.”

Deniz

Deniz (“sea”) is also used for girls.

Cahit

Cahit comes from the Arabic Jahid (“effort”).

Berke

In Mongolian, it means “hard” or ”difficult.” Berke Khan was a Mongol military commander and a grandson of Genghis Khan.

Semir

It is the Turkish variant of the Arabic Samir (”companion in evening talk”).

Mehmet

The Turkish spelling of Muhammad. Mehmed II took Constantinople in 1453 at age 21.

Murat

Arabic murād is the root of Murat and means ”wish” or ”a thing desired.”

Ahsen

It is pronounced as AH-sen and means “most beautiful.” Ahsanu al-khāliqīn is in Surah Al-Mu’minun (23:14).

READ MORE: 40 Spanish Names For Boys Like Lorenzo

Kaan

Kaan (“King of Kings”) also has Mongolian roots.

Osman

Osman is a form of the Arabic Uthman (”dragon” or “baby bustard”).

Hasan

Hasan is popular in the Muslim world and is meaning ‘beautiful’ or ‘handsome.’ Hassan is a spelling variation. Hasan and Hüseyin are the Prophet Muhammad’s two grandsons.

Barlas

Barlas (“warrior” or “hero”) is also the name of musician Barlas Erinç. The Barlas was the Turco-Mongol tribe Timur came from.

Mertcan

”Trustworthy.”

Fazıl

”Superior” or ”scholar” and has origins in the Arabic fāḍil.

Turan

Turan means “land of the Turks” and is a historical region in Central Asia. The original Turanians were an Iranian tribe. It is the mythic land that is opposing Iran in the Persian epic Shahnameh.

Daghan

Daghan (‘lord of the mountains’ or ‘mountain’) is a title of leadership or nobility.

Poyraz

It comes from the Greek βορεάς, boreas (”north wind”). It exploded in popularity after the crime drama Poyraz Karayel. It is connected to Boreas who is the Greek god of the cold north wind.

Timur

Timur is a cognate of the Turkish Demir (”iron”) and is popular in post-Soviet states.

Egemen

Egemen means “sovereign” or ”master.”

Atilla

”Little father” or ”noble.”

Ertugrul

Ertugrul (”brave man”) was the father of Osman I who founded the Ottoman Empire. Tuğrul is a mythical bird of prey.

Doruk

”Summit” or ”peak.”

Halil

Halil is equivalent to the Arabic Khalil that means ”friend.”

Emirhan

”Prince ruler.”

Hakim

”Ruler” or ”judge.” al-Hakim is one of the ninety-nine Names of God.

Göktürk

Göktürk (”celestial Turk”). The Göktürks were a Turkic people who originated from the Ashina clan.

Yiğit

”Valiant” or ”brave.” The ğ is silent, so it is pronounced as yee-EET.

Uğur

Good omen, luck arriving. Uğur Şahin co-founded BioNTech.

Levent

It is from the Ottoman Turkish word levend and means ”naval soldier.” Levent is also Istanbul’s main business-and-banking district.

Ahmet

Ahmet has roots in the Arabic Ahmad (“highly praised”).

Emre

”Friend” or ”lover.” In Persian, it is symbolizing ”fellow” or “companion.”

Onur

Onur comes from Latin “honōrem.”

Tarkan

It is a Turkic military title long before anyone used it as a first name. Tarkan is pronounced as TAR-kan.

Yavuz

”Resolute” or ”ferocious.” In 1914 the Ottoman navy captured the German battlecruiser Goeben and renamed it Yavuz.

Selim

It means ”whole” or ”unharmed” and comes from Arabic salīm. Selim III composed music in the Ottoman classical tradition.

Cem

Cem is connected to Jamshid, the Persian king.

Cengiz

Cengiz is the Turkish form of Genghis that is from the Mongolian Chinggis (”sea”).

Burak

Burak has origins in the Buraq, a creature that transported the Prophet on the night journey. It means ”lightning.”

Kerem

Kerem from Arabic karam abd is meaning ”kindness” or ”generosity.”

Demir

”Iron.” Süleyman Demirel was president from 1993 to 2000 as well as the leader of the Justice Party.

Arda

Arda River rises in the Bulgarian Rhodope Mountains and flows into the Evros. It is meaning ”scepter.”

Bora

”Tempest” or ”storm.”

Efe

Efe was the title of the zeybek fighters of the Aegean hills. Shortest name on this list and I think that is its main selling point.

Aziz

From Arabic ʿazīz it means ”dear” or ”mighty”; in modern Turkish it also means saint.

Bülent

Bülent Ecevit held the office of prime minister four separate times. It comes from bülend that is from the Persian boland (”tall” or ”high”).

Nâzım

“One who brings order”.

Erdem

”Merit” or ”virtue”. Erdem Moralıoğlu runs a London fashion label that he founded in 2005.

Ozan

”Bard” or ”poet.”

Oktay

Oktay is composed of ok (means ”arrow”) and tay (”colt”).

Yusuf

It is the Turkish variant of Joseph that itself comes from the Hebrew Yosef (“God will increase”). Surah Yusuf is the 12th chapter of the Quran.

Tolga

”Protection” or ”war helmet.” In 2017 Tolga Sarıtaş won the Golden Butterfly Awards for his performance in Söz.

Ferhat

It comes from the Persian Farhad (”happy”).

Baran

Baran means rain and has origins in Persian and is used heavily in Kurdish.

Çağrı

”Invitation” or ”a call.” Çağrı Bey founded the Seljuk Empire with his brother Tuğrul.

Yaşar

“One who lives.”