100 Most Common Turkish Names and How to Pronounce Them: Your Ultimate Guide

If you're reading this, chances are you've probably stumbled over a Turkish name like Hüseyin or Ömer at least once—and you're not alone. Turkish names, with their unique characters, might seem a bit intimidating at first to English speakers. But here at NameShouts, we believe that pronouncing a name the way it’s meant to be said is not only a mark of respect but also a gateway to understanding their vibrant culture and rich history.

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A Glimpse into Turkish Culture

Turkish is spoken by about 90 million people worldwide—from Turkey and Cyprus to communities in Germany, the United States, and beyond. This language carries centuries of cultural influence, blending Turkic, Arabic, and Persian elements into every syllable. 

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The Turkish Alphabet & Phonetics

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While the special characters like Ç, Ş, Ö, Ü, Ğ, and the intriguing duality of the two "i"s (the dotted i and the dotless ı) might seem challenging, striking a balance between over-pronunciation and authenticity is easier than you think.
In the same way that Turkish has letters not found in English, there are also English letters that have no equivalent in Turkish. For example, there is no Q, W, or X.

In this guide, we present 100 of the most common Turkish names along with handy phonetic cues and native audio pronunciations. Whether you're trying to impress a new friend a new colleague or client, navigate cultural nuances, or simply enrich your linguistic skills, our aim is to help you feel confident and natural with every Turkish name you encounter. Welcome to your ultimate guide to Turkish name pronunciation!

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Pronunciation Guide

Luckily for you, many of the sounds in Turkish are pronounced the exact same as they are in English! A few examples include letters: B, D, S, & Z. 

Here's a short guide to help you with Turkish letters and their sounds that differ from English:

• There are 2 ‘s’ sounds, ‘c’ sounds and ‘j’ sounds. 
• The ğ sound is silent but lengthens a preceding vowel
• There are no diphthongs! But each vowel in a combination is pronounced individually.
• The ‘r’ sound is often a rolled ‘r’ and when found at the end of a word, sometimes has a soft ‘sh’ sound following it.

Ç  –  Pronounced like the "ch" sound in English, as in "chat".  çay: is pronounced "chai".

C  –  What looks like a regular English ‘C’ is pronounced like a ‘J’ in Turkish. ceyhan: is pronounced jay-hahn

Ş  –  Pronounced like the "sh" sound in English, as in "shine".  şeker: is pronounced "sheh-ker".

Ö  –  This sound doesn’t exist in English, but it’s similar to the "eu" sound in the French word "leur". It’s made by rounding the lips while saying the "e" sound.  göl: is          pronounced like "gurl" (with rounded lips).

Ü  –  Similar to the French "u". To make the sound, say "ee" but round your lips.  gün: is pronounced "goon" but with rounded lips.

Ğ  –  This letter is called "yumuşak ge" and it’s usually silent or acts or can lengthen the preceding vowel sound.  dağ: is pronounced "dah" with a long "a" sound.

ı  –  This sound doesn’t exist in English. To pronounce it, make a sound between an "i" and an "uh" with slightly rounded lips. kıta: is pronounced "kuh-tah" (with the first        vowel sounding like a soft "uh"). 

J  –  The Turkish J is pronounced like the “zh” sound in English “leisure”. jale: is pronounced “zhah-leh”. 

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These tips will certainly help you to learn how to pronounce Turkish names!

The Curated List: 100 Most Common Turkish Names

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1. Abdullah  –  ahb-dool-lah
2. Ada  –  ah-dah
3. Ahmet  –  ah-met
4. Ahsen  –  ah-sen
5. Ali  –  ah-lee
6. Ali Asaf  –  ah-lee ah-sahf
7. Alparslan  –  ahl-par-slahn
8. Alperen  –  ahl-peh-rahn
9. Alya  –  ah-lee-ah
10. Aras  –  ah-rahs
11. Arya  –  ah-ree-ah
12. Asel  –  ah-sehl
13. Aslan  –  ahs-lahn
14. Asya  –  ah-syah
15. Atlas  –  aht-lahs
16. Ayaz  –  ah-yahz
17. Aybars  –  ai-bahrs
18. Ayse  –  ai-sheh
19. Aysima  –  ai-see-mah
20. Azra  –  ahz-rah
21. Berat  –  beh-raht
22. Beren  –  beh-ren
23. Buğlem  –  boo-lehm
24. Burak  –  boo-rahk
25. Çınar  –  chuh-narsh
26. Defne  –  dehf-neh
27. Deniz  –  deh-neez
28. Doğa  –  doh-rah
29. Doruk  –  doh-rook
30. Duru  –  doo-roo
31. Ebrar  –  eh-brarsh
32. Ecrin  –  eh-jrin
33. Efnan  –  ef-nahn
34. Ege  –  eh-geh
35. Ela  –  eh-lah
36. Elif – eh-leef
37. Elisa  –  eh-lee-sah
38. Eliz  –  eh-leez
39. Emirhan  –  eh-meer-hahn
40. Enes  –  eh-nes
41. Eren  –  eh-rahn
42. Erva  –  ehr-vah
43. Eslem  –  es-lahm
44. Eylül  –  ey-lool
45. Eymen  –  ey-mahn
46. Fatma – faht-mah
47. Funda  –  foon-dah
48. Furkan  –  foor-kahn
49. Gökçe  –  gyohk-cheh
50. Göktuğ  –  gyohk-too
51. Güneş  –  goo-nesh
52. Hamza  –  hahm-zah
53. Hasan  –  hah-sahn
54. Hiranur  –  hee-rah-noor
55. Hüseyin – hoo-seh-yeen
56. İbrahim  –  ee-brah-heem
57. İkra  –  ee-krah
58. İnci  –  een-jih
59. İpek  –  ee-pehk
60. İsmail  –  ees-mah-eel
61. Kaan  –  kahn
62. Kerem  –  keh-rehm
63. Kumsal  –  koom-sahl
64. Kuzey  –  koo-zay
65. Lina  –  lee-nah
66. Masal  –  mah-sahl
67. Mehmet  –  meh-met
68. Melisa  –  meh-lee-sah
69. Mert  –  mehrt
70. Meryem  –  mehr-yehm
71. Metehan  –  meh-tahn
72. Mihra  –  meeh-rah
73. Mira  –  mee-rah
74. Miraç  –  mee-rahch
75. Miran  –  mee-rahn
76. Miray  –  mee-rai
77. Muhammed  –  moo-hah-mehd
78. Muhammed Ali  –  moo-hah-mehd ah-lee
79. Muhammed Emin  –  moo-hah-mehd eh-meen
80. Mustafa  –  moos-tah-fah
81. Nazlı  –  nahz-luh
82. Nehir  –  neh-heer
83. Ömer  –  oh-mehr
84. Ömer Asaf  –  oh-mehr ah-sahf
85. Öykü  –  uy-kuh
86. Poyraz  –  poy-rahz
87. Reyhan  –  ray-hahn
88. Sare  –  sah-reh
89. Selma  –  sehl-mah
90. Tuncay  –  toon-jai
91. Umay  –  oo-mai
92. Umut  –  oo-moot
93. Yağız  –  yuhz
94. Yiğit  –  yee-it
95. Yunus Emre  –  yoo-noos em-reh
96. Yüsra  –  yoos-rah
97. Yusuf  –  yoo-soof
98. Zehra  –  zeh-rah
99. Zeynep  –  zey-nep
100. Zümra  –  zoom-rah

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NameShouts is a free name pronunciation platform and we help individuals and organizations learn how to pronounce names properly.If you’re interested in learning more, get in touch with us at contact@nameshouts.com.