Name statistics
Most popular baby names by year
The top 30 girl and boy names of each year, with the number of babies and the change from the year before.
The top 30 girl and boy names of 2025
2025: changes since 2024
Girl names: compared with 2024
- No. 1: Alya (Defne in 2024)
- New in the top 30: Eflin (#16), Ceylin (#22), Arya (#23), İpek (#24), Mira (#27), Sare (#30)
- Biggest climbers: Alya (16 → 1), Ela (27 → 18), Ada (29 → 21), Güneş (24 → 17), Umay (11 → 6)
- Biggest drops: Doğa (17 → 25), Nehir (19 → 26), Masal (22 → 29), Zümra (6 → 12), Lina (9 → 15)
- Dropped out: Efnan, Ebrar, Ecrin, Azra, Eslem, Aden
Boy names: compared with 2024
- No. 1: Alparslan (unchanged)
- New in the top 30: Cihan (#27), Yaman (#28)
- Biggest climbers: Kuzey (23 → 13), Yiğit (24 → 16), Çınar (28 → 20), Aybars (25 → 18), Miran (12 → 6)
- Biggest drops: Eymen (10 → 17), Aslan (7 → 12), Mustafa (17 → 21), Ayaz (19 → 23), Ali Asaf (16 → 19)
- Dropped out: Muhammed, Muhammed Ali
2025: girl names
| # | Name | Count | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alya High, exalted | 8,739 | ▲ 15 |
| 2 | Defne Bay laurel, an aromatic evergreen tree | 7,716 | ▼ 1 |
| 3 | Gökçe Sky-blue | 7,582 | ▲ 2 |
| 4 | Zeynep A fragrant flowering tree | 6,228 | ▼ 1 |
| 5 | Asel Honey, the sweet substance made by bees | 5,855 | ▼ 3 |
| 6 | Umay Protective female figure in ancient Turkic belief | 5,644 | ▲ 5 |
| 7 | Asya The name of the continent Asia | 5,071 | ▼ 3 |
| 8 | Elisa God is my oath | 4,548 | – |
| 9 | İnci Pearl | 4,012 | ▲ 4 |
| 10 | Duru Clear, pure | 3,869 | – |
| 11 | Elif Name of the Arabic alphabet's first letter | 3,713 | ▼ 4 |
| 12 | Zümra Group, community, company | 3,531 | ▼ 6 |
| 13 | Mihra Sun | 3,467 | ▼ 1 |
| 14 | Miray Lord of the moon | 3,409 | ▲ 1 |
| 15 | Lina A kind of date palm | 3,334 | ▼ 6 |
| 16 | Eflin | 2,952 | new |
| 17 | Güneş The sun | 2,905 | ▲ 7 |
| 18 | Ela Hazel | 2,883 | ▲ 9 |
| 19 | Meryem Beloved, loved one | 2,743 | ▼ 1 |
| 20 | Eylül September | 2,633 | – |
| 21 | Ada İsland | 2,603 | ▲ 8 |
| 22 | Ceylin Gazelle | 2,577 | new |
| 23 | Arya Aria | 2,544 | new |
| 24 | İpek Silk | 2,523 | new |
| 25 | Doğa Nature | 2,491 | ▼ 8 |
| 26 | Nehir River, large flowing stream | 2,460 | ▼ 7 |
| 27 | Mira Wonderful, worthy of admiration | 2,186 | new |
| 28 | İkra Read | 2,183 | – |
| 29 | Masal Fairy tale | 2,124 | ▼ 7 |
| 30 | Sare Princess | 2,066 | new |
2025: boy names
| # | Name | Count | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alparslan Valiant, courageous lion | 7,509 | – |
| 2 | Göktuğ A sky-blue ceremonial standard | 6,029 | – |
| 3 | Metehan Mete Khan | 5,379 | ▲ 1 |
| 4 | Yusuf May God add | 4,616 | ▼ 1 |
| 5 | Kerem Generosity, magnanimity, kindness | 4,069 | ▲ 1 |
| 6 | Miran Lords, emirs | 3,751 | ▲ 6 |
| 7 | Ömer Asaf A wish for longevity and one who brings together | 3,733 | ▼ 2 |
| 8 | Ömer Life | 3,577 | – |
| 9 | Atlas Mythological Titan who bears the heavens | 3,538 | ▲ 4 |
| 10 | Aras The name of the Aras River | 3,336 | ▲ 1 |
| 11 | Miraç Means of ascent | 3,260 | ▼ 2 |
| 12 | Aslan Lion | 3,186 | ▼ 5 |
| 13 | Kuzey North | 3,034 | ▲ 10 |
| 14 | Poyraz The cool, strong northeasterly wind | 2,983 | – |
| 15 | Alperen Heroic spiritual figure | 2,920 | ▲ 3 |
| 16 | Yiğit Brave, bold | 2,821 | ▲ 8 |
| 17 | Eymen Fortunate, auspicious | 2,799 | ▼ 7 |
| 18 | Aybars Compound of moon and leopard | 2,727 | ▲ 7 |
| 19 | Ali Asaf One who is exalted and brings together | 2,676 | ▼ 3 |
| 20 | Çınar Plane tree | 2,536 | ▲ 8 |
| 21 | Mustafa Chosen | 2,407 | ▼ 4 |
| 22 | Ali High | 2,341 | ▼ 1 |
| 23 | Ayaz Sharp dry cold under clear skies | 2,335 | ▼ 4 |
| 24 | Ahmet More praised | 2,280 | ▼ 2 |
| 25 | Hamza Lion | 2,271 | ▲ 1 |
| 26 | Mert Brave, honourable, true to one’s word | 2,194 | ▲ 3 |
| 27 | Cihan World | 2,154 | new |
| 28 | Yaman Formidable, tough | 2,121 | new |
| 29 | Mehmet Much praised | 2,101 | ▼ 2 |
| 30 | Emir Commander, ruler | 1,984 | – |
The No. 1 names, year by year
| Year | No. 1 girl name | No. 1 boy name |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alya 8,739 | Alparslan 7,509 |
| 2024 | Defne 7,447 | Alparslan 8,070 |
| 2023 | Asel 8,104 | Alparslan 8,941 |
| 2022 | Zeynep 8,850 | Alparslan 8,318 |
| 2021 | Zeynep 10,035 | Yusuf 7,069 |
| 2020 | Zeynep 11,326 | Yusuf 7,665 |
| 2019 | Zeynep 13,146 | Yusuf 8,632 |
| 2018 | Zeynep 14,183 | Yusuf 9,583 |
Source: TurkStat (TÜİK), Address-Based Population Registration System.
Guide
Follow Türkiye's baby-name leaders through the years
Explore the most popular Turkish baby names by year to see which names led each annual newborn list. This archive covers 2018–2025, keeping every result tied to its year so that a recent favourite is not mistaken for the most common name across the whole population.
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Zeynep's run at the top
According to TÜİK's Türkiye-level newborn lists, Zeynep led the girls' ranking from 2018 through 2022. Its recorded count was 14,183 in 2018 and 8,850 in 2022.
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Changing girls' leaders
According to TÜİK, at Türkiye level, Asel led the girls' newborn list in 2023 with 8,104, Defne in 2024 with 7,447, and Alya in 2025 with 8,739. Each result belongs to its own annual table.
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From Yusuf to Alparslan
According to TÜİK's Türkiye-level newborn lists, Yusuf led the boys' ranking from 2018 through 2021. Alparslan led from 2022 through 2025, with 7,509 recorded in 2025.
Read each year as its own snapshot
Annual leaders make it easy to begin exploring naming changes, but the top position is only part of the picture. According to TÜİK, at Türkiye level in 2018, Zeynep led the girls' newborn list with 14,183 and Yusuf led the boys' list with 9,583. The 2018 page provides that year's starting point; the 2025 page offers a later comparison. Keep rank and count separate when moving between them. A leading name can have a different count in another year, and counts alone do not establish its share of all births without the relevant totals.
Trace a change in leaders without guessing its cause
The girls' sequence moves from Zeynep to Asel, then Defne and Alya. To examine the recent handovers, open the 2023 list and the 2024 list before returning to the latest year. For boys, the leadership changes from Yusuf to Alparslan in the 2022 list. These are observed ranking changes, not evidence of a particular cultural event or family motivation. A name reaching the top also does not tell you when it first entered use. Treat the archive as a record of annual preferences rather than an explanation of every choice behind them.
Move from annual popularity to name meanings
If you arrived through a search such as “top baby names Turkey,” the annual archive can help you identify names to explore further. The entries add a different kind of context: Zeynep means “a fragrant flowering tree,” Asel means “honey, the sweet substance made by bees,” and Alparslan means “valiant, courageous lion.” These meanings belong to the names themselves. They do not predict a child's personality or establish a bearer's identity. Keep meaning notes alongside the year-specific figures so you can distinguish personal interest in a name from its position in an official newborn ranking.
Use the annual archive effectively
- Choose a year before recording a leader or count, and retain “Türkiye level” in your source note.
- Compare the same newborn category across years; do not substitute whole-population figures for annual baby-name counts.
- Follow a name through individual annual pages rather than assuming an unlisted rank from a change in leadership.
- Keep raw counts separate from percentages; the figures here do not supply the birth totals needed to calculate shares.
Frequently asked questions
Which years does this archive cover?
The archive covers annual baby-name rankings from 2018 through 2025. Each year should be read as a separate newborn naming snapshot.
When did Alya lead the girls' list?
According to TÜİK, at Türkiye level in 2025, Alya led the girls' newborn ranking with 8,739.
When did Alparslan become the boys' leader in this archive?
According to TÜİK's Türkiye-level newborn lists, Alparslan took the leading position in 2022 with 8,318. It also led the annual lists through 2025.
Do annual leaders show the most common names among everyone in Türkiye?
No. These rankings concern newborns in the stated year; whole-population name frequency is a separate measure.