Turkish Words Used as Popular Names

In many cultures, names carry deep meanings, stories, or even family traditions. My first name, Halit, means eternity.

In Turkish, sometimes a common noun becomes a popular name. For example, my last name, Demir, is also the everyday word for iron. That’s why, if you’re learning Turkish, recognizing these overlapping words can give you an extra advantage. You’ll spot them in TV shows, books, and even in daily conversations.

In this post, I’ve prepared a list of the most common Turkish personal names that also work as everyday words. They’re names you’ll likely encounter quite often, so learning them will feel both useful and fun.

As always, ladies first:

• Gül rose

• Çiçek flower

• Çiğdem crocus

• Lale /la:le/ tulip

• Nergis daffodil

• Nilüfer water lily

• Yaprak leaf

• Yasemin /ya:semin/ jasmine

• Demet bunch (flowers/roses etc)

• Buket bouquet (arrangement of flowers)

• Nehir river

• Irmak river

• Su water

• Derin deep

• Toprak (unisex) soil

• Pınar spring (water)

• Yağmur rain

• Damla drop

• Deniz (unisex) sea

• Derya /derya:/ sea

• Ada island

• Doğa (unisex) nature

• İnci pearl

• Yıldız star

• Hilâl crescent

• Güneş (unisex) sun

• Sema /sema:/ sky

• Bahar spring (season)

• Eylül September

• Nisan /ni:san/ April

• Duygu emotion

• Sevgi love

• Sevinç joy

• Neşe joy

• Mutlu happy

• Hayat life

• Simge symbol

• Işık (unisex) light (n)

• Rüya /rüya:/ dream

• Melek angel

• Dilek wish

• Emel aim

• Gaye /ga:ye/ aim

• Ümit (unisex) hope

• Arzu desire

• Gizem mystery

• Özlem longing

• Öykü story

• İpek silk

• Ela /el:a/ hazel (colour)

• Hediye gift

• Kiraz cherry

• Şirin cute

• Uğur (unisex) luck

I’ll prepare the list of male names in another post.