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Boy name

Cem name meaning

“name of the legendary Iranian king Jam”

Cem is the Turkish form of the name of Jam, a legendary Iranian king. It comes from Persian Jam and is connected with Cemşid and the older Iranian name Yima. Used for boys in Türkiye, it recalls the cup of Jam, a concrete and recurring image in classical Persian and Ottoman poetry.

Ottoman Turkish
/d͡ʒem/
Gender
♂ Boy
Origin
Persian
Syllables
1
Popularity
In TÜİK lists

What does Cem mean?

Name of the legendary Iranian king Jam

In Turkish: İran anlatılarındaki hükümdar Cem'in adı

Cem recalls the legendary Iranian king associated in classical poetry with sovereignty, splendour and the wine cup. It belongs to the same narrative tradition as Cemşid. The Ottoman prince Cem Sultan adds a historical association; Arabic cem, meaning gathering, is a separate word despite the resemblance.

#Royalty

How popular is Cem?

Official figures: TÜİK newborn name lists (2018–2025, the top 30 for Türkiye and each of the 81 provinces every year) and the most common names in the population.

Province lists
1provinces

Where is Cem in the top 30?

1 provinces · the latest year each province listed it

Adana: not in the top listAdıyaman: not in the top listAfyonkarahisar: not in the top listAğrı: not in the top listAmasya: not in the top listAnkara: not in the top listAntalya: not in the top listArtvin: not in the top listAydın: not in the top listBalıkesir: not in the top listBilecik: not in the top listBingöl: not in the top listBitlis: not in the top listBolu: not in the top listBurdur: not in the top listBursa: not in the top listÇanakkale: not in the top listÇankırı: not in the top listÇorum: not in the top listDenizli: not in the top listDiyarbakır: not in the top listEdirne: not in the top listElazığ: not in the top listErzincan: not in the top listErzurum: not in the top listEskişehir: not in the top listGaziantep: not in the top listGiresun: not in the top listGümüşhane: not in the top listHakkari: not in the top listHatay: not in the top listIsparta: not in the top listMersin: not in the top listİstanbul: not in the top listİzmir: not in the top listKars: not in the top listKastamonu: not in the top listKayseri: not in the top listKırklareli: not in the top listKırşehir: not in the top listKocaeli: not in the top listKonya: not in the top listKütahya: not in the top listMalatya: not in the top listManisa: not in the top listKahramanmaraş: not in the top listMardin: not in the top listMuğla: not in the top listMuş: not in the top listNevşehir: not in the top listNiğde: not in the top listOrdu: not in the top listRize: not in the top listSakarya: not in the top listSamsun: not in the top listSiirt: not in the top listSinop: not in the top listSivas: not in the top listTekirdağ: not in the top listTokat: not in the top listTrabzon: not in the top listTunceli: #5 · 3 (2019)Şanlıurfa: not in the top listUşak: not in the top listVan: not in the top listYozgat: not in the top listZonguldak: not in the top listAksaray: not in the top listBayburt: not in the top listKaraman: not in the top listKırıkkale: not in the top listBatman: not in the top listŞırnak: not in the top listBartın: not in the top listArdahan: not in the top listIğdır: not in the top listYalova: not in the top listKarabük: not in the top listKilis: not in the top listOsmaniye: not in the top listDüzce: not in the top list
Rank by province (boys)

Source: TurkStat (TÜİK), Address-Based Population Registration System. The lists cover the top 30 names per year, sex and province; no official counts are published for less common names. All statistics →

Origin of the name Cem

Cem is the Turkish form of Persian Jam, associated with Jamshid. It goes back to the older Iranian figure Yima rather than to a Turkish descriptive word.

Linguistic originPersian
Is Cem in the Quran?No
Starts withC · Ce

Double names with Cem

Double-name ideas built from names in our dictionary, with the meaning of each name.

  • Cem Bahadır

    Meaning of each name

    • Cem: name of the legendary Iranian king Jam
    • Bahadır: valiant, fearless warrior

  • Necdet Cem

    Meaning of each name

    • Necdet: bravery, valour; coming to someone's aid
    • Cem: name of the legendary Iranian king Jam

  • Cem Heval

    Meaning of each name

    • Cem: name of the legendary Iranian king Jam
    • Heval: friend, companion, comrade

  • Nesimi Cem

    Meaning of each name

    • Nesimi: related to a breeze or gentle wind
    • Cem: name of the legendary Iranian king Jam

  • Cem Fahir

    Meaning of each name

    • Cem: name of the legendary Iranian king Jam
    • Fahir: a source of pride; illustrious, distinguished

  • Ateş Cem

    Meaning of each name

    • Ateş: flame, heat and light produced by burning
    • Cem: name of the legendary Iranian king Jam

Make more with the generator →More boy double names →

How to pronounce Cem

Syllables1 · 3 letters · 3-letter boy names
IPA/d͡ʒem/
Ottoman Turkishجم

Ottoman script tool →

Is Cem a boy’s name?

Yes, Cem is used mostly as a boy’s name. See all boy names.

♂ Boys 100%Girls 0% ♀

Cem appears in TÜİK’s most-used name lists. See the statistics section above (Source: TurkStat, ADNKS).

Spellings and similar names

Spellings covered by this page: Çem

Names that sound like Cem

Names with related meanings

Famous people named Cem

  • Cem Özdemir · b. 1965
  • Cem Yılmaz · b. 1973
  • Cem Karaca · b. 1945
  • Cem Adrian · b. 1980
  • Cem Bölükbaşı · b. 1998
  • Cem Kızıltuğ · b. 1975
  • Cem Uzan · b. 1960
  • Cem Yıldırım · b. 1961
  • Cem İlkel · b. 1995
  • Cem Özer · b. 1959
  • Cem Yılmaz · b. 1982
  • Cem Erman · b. 1947

FAQ about the name Cem

What is the meaning of Cem?

Cem means “name of the legendary Iranian king Jam”. Cem is the Turkish form of Persian Jam, associated with Jamshid. It goes back to the older Iranian figure Yima rather than to a Turkish descriptive word.

Is Cem a boy’s name?

Yes, Cem is used mostly as a boy’s name.

Is Cem in the Quran?

No. Neither the name Cem nor its source word occurs in the Quran.

What is the origin of the name Cem?

Cem is of Persian origin.

How many syllables does Cem have?

Cem has 1 syllable and 3 letters.

How popular is the name Cem?

Cem appears in TÜİK’s most-used name lists. See the statistics section above (Source: TurkStat, ADNKS).

What are other spellings of Cem?

Other spellings: Çem.

What names go well with Cem?

Some ideas: Cem Bahadır; Necdet Cem; Cem Heval.

Famous people named Cem?

Notable people named Cem include Cem Özdemir, Cem Yılmaz, Cem Karaca.

Sources and method

Meanings and origins draw on language sources and name dictionaries; popularity figures come from TÜİK’s address-based population register, and notable people from Wikidata.

Entry ID: nm00509 · Updated 2026-10-24 · How we research names · Report a mistake