Turkish Names for Boys

Aydin

Turkish

"intelligent"

While it looks like a creative respelling of the ubiquitous Aidan, Aydin has Turkish roots and means "intelligent." While there will most certainly be issues with spelling, those attracted to the…

Abi

Hebrew

"father"

Short form of the Biblical name Abiah or Abijah, meaning "my father is God".

Adem

Adem is a masculine name with rich historical and cultural significance. It is the Turkish, Albanian, and Bosnian form of Adam, which comes from Hebrew origins meaning 'man' or 'earth.' In Islamic…

Ahmet

Turkish variation of Ahmad

"greatly praised"

Ahmet is known outside its native land largely thanks to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The original crazy celebrity baby namer Frank Zappa named one of his sons Ahmet, after the influential…

Attila

Hungarian

"little father"

English speaking countries may only associate this with the fifth-century Hun, but the name is still well-used in contemporary Hungary, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. Usually said to derive from the Gothic…

Deniz

Turkish

"sea"

A super popular nature name in its native Turkey, currently Top 50 for both boys and girls there.

Cemal

Cemal is a masculine name of Arabic origin, commonly used in Turkey and throughout the Middle East. Pronounced 'je-MAL' in Turkish, the name means 'beauty' or 'perfection' and is the Turkish form of…

Zeki

Turkish; Ethiopian, Amharic

"clever, intelligent; pure"

This mini name is more spunky than Zack or Zeke, but shares those well-loved sounds. In Ethiopia, Zeki means "pure", and is pronounced "zeh-KEE", with emphasis on the second syllable. With the rise…

Bayram

Turkish

"festival"

Though Bayram is not well known in the US, it's a name that easily crosses cultures because it sounds exactly like the English name Byram, a variation of Byron. Bayram is the Turkish word for…

Elif

Turkish and Arabic

"first letter in the alphabet, slender"

This is the Turkish form of Alif, the name of the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. Actor Natalie Portman gave another spelling to her son, Aleph. Elif can also mean "slender", from the Turkish…

Devrim

Turkish

"revolution"

This unusual, in the US at least, Turkish name has an attractive sound and a modern meaning. We can imagine it becoming much more widely known and used, the way the Irish Declan has over the past…

Tamerlaine

Turkic, Mongol

"iron"

Although Tamerlaine, especially with the addition of an i, feels more feminine than masculine these days and is occasionally used for girls, the original Tamerlane was a fierce Mongol warrior.

Emre

Turkish

"friend"

This Turkish name meaning "friend" should be very useable outside Turkey, given that it is pronounced just as it is spelled. Famous men named Emre include Emre Can, a chess grandmaster, and Emre…