Guide
Boy name trends in Türkiye: 2018 versus 2025
Yusuf led Türkiye’s boy baby name list in 2018, while Alparslan took first place in 2025. The two national rankings show changing positions among newborn names, alongside a different picture in population-wide totals.
Alparslan, Göktuğ and Metehan lead the 2025 list. Yusuf, Ömer Asaf and Ömer appear in both years’ top tens, but fall in rank and count. The two snapshots do not reveal an uninterrupted annual trend between 2018 and 2025.
What were Türkiye’s top boy names in 2025?
Source: TÜİK, the Turkish Statistical Institute, 2025, Türkiye national boy baby name list. The counts concern names given that year, rather than everyone living with those names. See the 2025 baby name rankings for the yearly view.
| Name | Rank | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Alparslan | 1 | 7,509 |
| Göktuğ | 2 | 6,029 |
| Metehan | 3 | 5,379 |
| Yusuf | 4 | 4,616 |
| Kerem | 5 | 4,069 |
| Miran | 6 | 3,751 |
| Ömer Asaf | 7 | 3,733 |
| Ömer | 8 | 3,577 |
| Atlas | 9 | 3,538 |
| Aras | 10 | 3,336 |
Which boy names made the top ten in 2018?
Source: TÜİK, 2018, Türkiye national boy baby name list. Preserve the names as listed when making comparisons. Ömer Asaf and Ömer are separate entries; combining them would create a different measure from the published ranking.
| Name | Rank | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Yusuf | 1 | 9,583 |
| Eymen | 2 | 8,301 |
| Ömer Asaf | 3 | 7,150 |
| Miraç | 4 | 6,682 |
| Ömer | 5 | 6,441 |
| Mustafa | 6 | 5,669 |
| Ali Asaf | 7 | 4,902 |
| Ahmet | 8 | 4,821 |
| Emir | 9 | 4,726 |
| Yiğit | 10 | 4,373 |
Which boy names rose or fell between the lists?
A different leading trio
Alparslan, Göktuğ and Metehan take the first three places in 2025. None appears in the supplied 2018 top ten. Their prominence has increased within this comparison, but their exact earlier counts and ranks are unavailable.
Yusuf remains highly placed
Yusuf moves from first to fourth, with its count falling from 9,583 to 4,616. Both measures decline between the endpoints. Its continued top-ten position nevertheless shows that families are still choosing it for newborn boys.
Ömer and Ömer Asaf decline separately
Ömer Asaf moves from third to seventh, falling from 7,150 to 3,733. Ömer moves from fifth to eighth, from 6,441 to 3,577. Each comparison follows its own entry rather than merging names that share a component.
Other changes in membership
Eymen, Miraç, Mustafa, Ali Asaf, Ahmet, Emir and Yiğit appear only in the 2018 top ten. Kerem, Miran, Atlas and Aras appear only in the 2025 top ten. Their positions in the other year are not supplied.
How should you measure a rise in popularity?
A higher rank does not necessarily mean a proportionate increase in count: other names affect the ordering too. No annual figures for 2019–2024 are supplied here, so continuous growth cannot be established. Nor can raw counts give a name’s share without the relevant annual total. When exploring rising names, check the dates and measure used. For a new top-ten entry, an earlier exact count is needed before calculating numerical growth. These tables also cannot establish why families changed their choices.
How do historical, prophetic and Turkish-origin names differ?
Alparslan’s historical association
Alparslan strongly recalls Alp Arslan, the Great Seljuk sultan. That association helps explain the name’s cultural context. The naming figures alone cannot establish whether this historical connection caused its first-place position in 2025.
Osman: history and language differ
Osman is an Arabic-origin name associated with Osman Bey, founder of the Ottoman state. Historical association and linguistic origin are separate facts. Osman appears in neither supplied top ten, so these figures establish no trend for it.
Yusuf as a prophet’s name
Yusuf is the name of a prophet mentioned in the Quran, known in English as Joseph. This describes the name’s scriptural association. It does not establish a bearer’s religion or explain why a particular family chose it.
Names of Turkish origin
Alparslan, Göktuğ and Yiğit are Turkish-origin examples. The first two appear in the 2025 top ten, while Yiğit appears in 2018’s. Shared language origins do not mean that every name in the group follows the same trajectory.
Why are Türkiye’s most common male names different?
Source: TÜİK, Türkiye national population name list; the year is not specified in the supplied figures. Mehmet leads this list across birth cohorts. Mustafa and Ahmet also appear in the 2018 newborn top ten. Explore names across generations to distinguish accumulated population totals from a single year’s choices.
| Name | Rank | People |
|---|---|---|
| Mehmet | 1 | 1,271,896 |
| Mustafa | 2 | 1,057,634 |
| Ahmet | 3 | 857,105 |
| Ali | 4 | 736,478 |
| Hüseyin | 5 | 571,822 |
Explore individual boy names and their backgrounds
Explore ranking examples alongside historically associated Osman. These cards are not another popularity ranking, and the supplied figures establish no trend for Osman.
How to choose a boy name using the rankings
-
Gather names you like
Browse boy names and note appealing sounds, spellings and meanings. The leading name need not lead your personal shortlist. Include options outside the top ten if they suit your preferences.
-
Try the complete name
Say each option with the surname and write it out. For a two-part given name, test both parts together. Rhythm and repeated sounds can become more noticeable when you hear the full combination.
-
Separate history from origin
Check historical associations and linguistic origin independently. Osman illustrates why these categories should not be merged: a name can have a prominent place in Ottoman history while originating in another language.
-
Consider use across languages
If the name will be used outside Türkiye, try introducing it aloud and preserving its Turkish spelling in writing. Characters such as ö, ğ and ı may need explanation in some settings.
-
Use popularity as context
Think about whether familiarity or distinctiveness matters in your setting. National ranks cannot predict a particular classroom. Choose on qualities you can assess today rather than promises about future popularity or personal success.
What should you check before comparing boy name rankings?
- Confirm the year and geographical scope before comparing national results with local impressions.
- Keep two-part names intact; Ömer and Ömer Asaf are separate entries here.
- Do not invent an exact rank for a name outside the supplied top ten.
- Distinguish count, rank and percentage; changes in one measure do not automatically describe another.
- Keep notable-person samples separate from official statistics; visibility does not measure nationwide name frequency.
Frequently asked questions about boy name trends
What was Türkiye’s most popular boy name in 2025?
Alparslan ranks first with 7,509 in TÜİK’s 2025 national boy baby name list. Göktuğ follows with 6,029, then Metehan with 5,379. The ranking concerns names given that year, rather than the most common names across all male residents.
Have parents stopped choosing Yusuf?
No. Yusuf ranks fourth in 2025 with 4,616. It ranked first in 2018 with 9,583, so both count and position declined between these years. Its continued top-ten presence shows ongoing use, while the figures do not explain individual families’ choices.
Should Ömer and Ömer Asaf be counted together?
They are separate entries in these lists and should remain separate for this comparison. Studying every compound name containing Ömer would be a different task, requiring broader data and an explicit method. Simply adding these two rows would change the measure.
Why does Mehmet lead the population list?
Population totals include many generations, while the newborn ranking reflects one year’s choices. Mehmet can therefore lead the former without appearing in the supplied 2025 top ten. Its exact 2025 count and rank are unavailable here, so its annual frequency cannot be calculated.
Does a historical or prophetic name identify someone’s beliefs?
No. Those labels describe a name’s association with history or religious texts. They do not establish the bearer’s religion, sect, ethnicity, region or character. Families can choose the same name for different reasons, which these popularity tables do not record.
More guides
- How to choose a baby name in Türkiye
Choose a baby name in Türkiye with practical checks for meaning, surname rhythm, Turkish spelling, everyday use, popularity, initials and double names.
- Rules for naming a child in Türkiye
Understand Türkiye’s birth notification deadline, three-name limit, Turkish alphabet rules and name changes, with questions for the civil registry office.
- Choosing and using double given names in Türkiye
Learn how double given names work in Türkiye, how TÜİK counts them, and how to compare meaning, rhythm, everyday use and the three-name registration limit.
- The 1934 Surname Law and how surnames were chosen
Explore Türkiye’s 1934 Surname Law, earlier naming practices, the separate abolition of titles, and the most common surnames in TÜİK’s 2025 national data.
- Öz Türkçe names: understanding Turkish linguistic origins
What makes a name Turkish in origin? Explore everyday words, Old Turkic names, naming trends and practical ways to check a name's linguistic roots.
- Turkic mythology names: understanding the evidence
Explore Umay, Ülgen, Kayra and Asena with clear distinctions between early inscriptions, later Altai traditions and modern retellings of older myths.
- What counts as a Quranic name?
Understand which Turkish names appear in the Quran, which come from Quranic words, and how root connections differ from names known through Islamic history.
- Islamic naming etiquette and family customs in Türkiye
Explore Islamic naming teachings and Turkish customs, including the Abdullah and Abdurrahman hadith, Abd- names, good meanings and the call to prayer.
- Ottoman names and their modern Turkish spellings
Understand Ottoman-era names, Arabic and Persian origins, Mehmet and Ahmet spellings, Turkish circumflex marks, and checking a name in Ottoman script.
- How to read Türkiye's official name statistics
Learn to read Türkiye's official name statistics: baby names versus the living population, province rankings, double names, and the top-30 publication limit.
- Girl name trends in Türkiye: 2018 versus 2025
Compare Türkiye’s 2018 and 2025 girl name rankings using TÜİK figures, with rising names, language origins and the contrast with population-wide favorites.
- How to check a name's meaning and origin
Check a name's source language, original word and spelling variants. Learn to spot invented meanings, separate associations and assess uncertain explanations.
- Choosing twin and sibling names in Türkiye
Compare twin and sibling names by initial, sound, meaning and syllable count, with Turkish examples and practical checks for names that are easy to tell apart.
- How to pronounce Turkish names
Learn to pronounce Turkish names with clear tips for c, ç, ş, ğ, dotless ı, ö and ü, plus stress guidance and simple respellings for 15 familiar names.
- How Turkish given names and surnames work
Understand Turkish given names, second names, surnames and forms of address, with practical guidance for First Name and Last Name fields on overseas forms.
- Unisex names in Türkiye: shared names and how to choose
Explore names used for girls and boys in Türkiye, understand the site's unisex threshold, and learn how to compare meanings, usage and official data.
- Changing your given name in Türkiye
Understand Türkiye's court route for a given-name change, justified reasons, children's applications, past administrative rules and document updates.
Last updated 2026-10-24.