Turkish Names

Bright, fresh, and sunny, Ayla is a fashionable choice for girls. Reminiscent of other trending names such as Layla, Isla, and Ava, Ayla has recently found its place in the Top 100.

Alya is most familiar in the US in its much-more-complicated form Aaliyah, the spelling used by the later singer. The traditional name of the star system Theta Serpentis, Alya is also an established Muslim first name and a Turkish place-name. It may also be a Russian short form for Alexandra or any other Al- name.

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 Sahin, the director.

One of the most unusual flower names, Tulip is cute but tough to pull off as a first. It has some celebrity cred via Charlie Tamara Tulip, twin daughter of Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell. It derives from Persian dulband "turban", due to the distinctive shape of the flowers.

This Turkish name has some of today's most popular sounds, especially the -lin ending. However, it has a bit of traditional origin to set it apart from just being another trendy invention.

Stun-gunned by the fifth-century Hun, though still well-used in contemporary Hungary and Turkey. Some sources also suggest Turkish origins for the name.

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 of trending Zakai and similar names into the US charts, Zeki has potential.

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 phrase elif gibi, literally "shaped like Elif."

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 Turkish lineage can be assured of a smooth path to assimilation due to the current popularity of soundalike names. The name is spelled with an ı (dotless i) in Turkish.

Instead of the more obvious Aqua, Turquoise, or Blue, consider this offbeat Arabic name, brought into the American name pool by actress Fairuza Balk (named by her father for the color of her eyes). Since turquoise is the birthstone for December, Fairuza is one of the perfect names for December babies.

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

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

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 generation.

Form of Jasmine commonly used in Turkey.

Sema may have hit its peak in its native Turkey in the 1980s, but this simple distinctive name is new in the English-speaking world. Arabic variation Sama ranks in the British Top 1000.

Derya is a unisex name in its native Turkey, though even there it is far more popular for women than for men. It is related to the Persian name Daria, which also means sea.

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 music executive. Ahmad is a variation of Muhammad.

Nuray is one of the most popular girls' names in the Middle East though it's largely unknown and unused in the Western World. The meaning, related to the more familiar Noor, adds appeal.

Pretty and unusual.

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 name of two Mohammedan festivals, one that ends Ramadan and one that takes place 70 days later. Like Felix and Asher, Bayram is a name with a happy, uplifting meaning. It was in Turkey's Top 100 until 2003.