How to read Türkiye's official name statistics

Where do Türkiye's official name statistics come from?

TÜİK is the Turkish Statistical Institute. Its name statistics draw on the Address Based Population Registration System, known as ADNKS. These figures are not a visitor survey or a count of searches on TurkiyeNames. The site identifies official figures with TÜİK, the year, and the geographic level. Start at name statistics and read the table's population coverage. A name can occupy different positions in different tables without any contradiction: newborns, the whole population, and individual provinces answer different questions.

What should you check before reading a name ranking?

• Year

  A 2018 table and a 2025 table describe different periods. This particularly matters for newborn names, where choices change over time. If a screenshot omits the year, locate the original heading before sharing it as the current ranking.

• Newborns or the whole population

  A baby-name list concerns births in the specified year. A whole-population list includes living registered people across age groups at the reference period. Their leading names can differ substantially; neither list substitutes for the other.

• Sex category

  The published lists are separated by sex. Include the category when quoting a rank. Saying a name is simply “number one in Türkiye” leaves out essential context: year, newborn or whole-population coverage, and the relevant category.

• Türkiye or a province

  A national ranking and a provincial ranking compare different populations. A provincial result does not represent the country. Nor does a name's local frequency identify any individual bearer's ethnicity, religion, family origins, or place of birth.

• Complete name

  Ömer Asaf is counted as one name, separately from Ömer and Asaf. Read the full label. The count for a standalone name does not include every occurrence of that word within double names.

• Count or rank

  A count measures records within the stated coverage; a rank gives a position relative to other names. A rising rank does not necessarily mean a rising count. Other names can change too, so examine both measures when available.

What were Türkiye's leading baby names in 2025?

Source: TÜİK, 2025, Türkiye, baby names. These are the first five positions in the girls' and boys' lists; the two rankings are independent.

How to compare a name across different years

1. 1

   Choose the question

   For names chosen for newborns, use popular baby names. For names common across all ages, select whole-population figures. Establishing the population first prevents a recent naming preference from being mistaken for overall national prevalence.

2. 2

   Keep the geography consistent

   Use Türkiye for both years, or the same province for both. Comparing a national count with a provincial count cannot measure change over time. Browse provinces and confirm each table's location before comparing its values.

3. 3

   Match the complete name

   Keep standalone and double names separate. Comparing Ömer in one year with Ömer Asaf in another does not track the same name. Record the full published label rather than combining names because they share a word or sound.

4. 4

   Record counts and ranks

   When published for both years, place the count and rank side by side. On rising names, check which measure underlies a rise. An increase in records and an improvement in ranking describe related but different changes.

5. 5

   Leave missing values missing

   If a name falls outside a year's top 30, do not enter zero. The list does not provide that count. A gap in a chart therefore cannot establish that nobody received the name or that its use ended.

6. 6

   State the limits of the comparison

   Include the years, population coverage, and geographic level in your conclusion. Counts alone do not explain parental motives. Attributing a change to a television series, public figure, or historical event requires evidence beyond events happening around the same time.

How did selected baby names change from 2018 to 2025?

Source: TÜİK, 2018 and 2025, Türkiye, baby names. These examples share comparable coverage; they are not a complete account of naming changes.

Why are the most common population names different?

Whole-population lists include living people across age groups, rather than only that year's newborns. Source: TÜİK, 2025, Türkiye, whole population: Fatma leads the female list with 1,152,158 people, and Mehmet leads the male list with 1,271,896. These are not counts of babies given those names in 2025. When exploring names across generations, distinguish the accumulated population from one year's choices. “Living population” refers to the dataset's reference period, not a continuously updated count at the moment you open the page.

How to interpret name charts and provincial maps

• Chart measure

  Check whether the vertical axis shows counts or ranks. In a ranking chart, a smaller number can mean a stronger position. Read the axes, selected years, and explanation together before interpreting an upward or downward line.

• Map colors

  A map legend explains whether colors represent counts, ranks, or another measure. A darker shade does not have a universal meaning. Check the selected year and population coverage before interpreting any province's color.

• Different provincial populations

  A more populous province may have more people with a name simply because it has more residents. Raw counts alone do not show local preference shares. Without a rate, avoid claiming that one province favors the name more.

• Year pages

  A year page helps compare names within a period, but the girls' and boys' headings still matter. Keep the year visible when quoting a figure, even if the link also contains it. Shared screenshots can lose their original context.

• Province pages

  A provincial result describes the specified geographic coverage. It cannot identify the ethnic background, beliefs, or family origins of name bearers. A distribution map shows recorded patterns, not who chose a name or why they chose it.

• Notable people

  Notable people associated with a name provide examples of its use. Their number is not an official population count or national ranking. Keep such samples separate from figures explicitly attributed to TÜİK with a year and geographic level.

What to include when sharing an official name statistic

Names to explore in the statistics

Compare these entries to see why newborn rankings and whole-population frequency answer different questions.

• AlyaHigh, exalted
• AlparslanValiant, courageous lion
• ZeynepA fragrant flowering tree
• DefneBay laurel, an aromatic evergreen tree
• YusufMay God add
• FatmaWoman who weans her child
• MehmetMuch praised

Frequently asked questions about TÜİK name statistics