Provinces
Most popular names in İstanbul
The names given most often to babies born in İstanbul, and the most common names in the province. Source: TÜİK, ADNKS.
İstanbul at a glance
- In 2025 the province’s No. 1 girl name was Alya (1,444 babies). Nationally it ranked #1.
- The province’s top 30 ranks hold 31 girl names (with ties); 27 of them are also in the national top 30.
- The girl name that climbed most since 2018 is Alya, from #15 to #1. 15 names in today’s top 30 were not in the 2018 list.
- In 2025 the province’s No. 1 boy name was Alparslan (1,312 babies), first for 5 years running. Nationally it ranked #1.
- The province’s top 30 ranks hold 30 boy names; 24 of them are also in the national top 30.
- The boy name that climbed most since 2018 is Metehan, from #29 to #2. 10 names in today’s top 30 were not in the 2018 list.
- The most common names in the province’s population are Fatma (149,492 people) and Mehmet (143,289 people); the most common surname is Yılmaz.
Top girl names in İstanbul, 2025
| # | Name | Count | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alya | 1,444 | ▲ 8 |
| 2 | Defne | 1,304 | ▼ 1 |
| 3 | Umay | 995 | ▲ 14 |
| 4 | Gökçe | 919 | ▲ 9 |
| 5 | Asya | 900 | ▼ 2 |
| 6 | Zeynep | 840 | ▼ 2 |
| 7 | İnci | 762 | ▲ 3 |
| 8 | Asel | 759 | ▼ 6 |
| 9 | Duru | 739 | ▼ 4 |
| 10 | Elisa | 653 | ▼ 2 |
| 11 | Lina | 641 | ▼ 4 |
| 12 | Ada | 621 | – |
| 13 | Ela | 604 | ▲ 1 |
| 14 | Mihra | 593 | ▼ 3 |
| 15 | Miray | 583 | – |
| 16 | Güneş | 532 | ▲ 4 |
| 17 | İpek | 519 | ▲ 1 |
| 18 | Zümra | 515 | ▼ 12 |
| 19 | Meryem | 480 | – |
| 20 | Elif | 472 | ▼ 5 |
| 21 | Mira | 462 | – |
| 22 | Sare | 452 | ▲ 1 |
| 23 | Ceylin | 428 | new |
| 24 | Arya | 423 | new |
| 25 | Doğa | 414 | ▼ 9 |
| 26 | Beren | 365 | new |
| 27 | Eylül | 353 | – |
| 28 | Nehir | 352 | ▼ 4 |
| 28 | Parla | 352 | new |
| 29 | Ahsen | 347 | ▼ 1 |
Top boy names in İstanbul, 2025
| # | Name | Count | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alparslan | 1,312 | – |
| 2 | Metehan | 929 | ▲ 2 |
| 3 | Göktuğ | 875 | ▲ 2 |
| 4 | Kerem | 868 | ▼ 1 |
| 5 | Atlas | 780 | ▲ 1 |
| 6 | Aslan | 715 | ▼ 4 |
| 7 | Kuzey | 688 | ▲ 4 |
| 8 | Aras | 617 | – |
| 9 | Miran | 608 | ▲ 4 |
| 10 | Ömer | 558 | ▼ 3 |
| 11 | Yusuf | 532 | ▼ 2 |
| 12 | Alperen | 517 | ▲ 5 |
| 13 | Poyraz | 510 | ▼ 1 |
| 14 | Ömer Asaf | 485 | ▼ 4 |
| 15 | Ege | 477 | ▲ 1 |
| 16 | Kaan | 456 | ▲ 4 |
| 17 | Hamza | 444 | ▼ 2 |
| 18 | Yiğit | 443 | ▲ 6 |
| 19 | Çınar | 439 | ▲ 3 |
| 20 | Yaman | 414 | ▲ 6 |
| 21 | Eymen | 393 | ▼ 7 |
| 22 | Ayaz | 392 | ▼ 4 |
| 23 | Ali Asaf | 391 | ▼ 4 |
| 24 | Mert | 387 | ▲ 1 |
| 25 | Emir | 373 | ▲ 2 |
| 26 | Miraç | 349 | ▼ 3 |
| 27 | Uras | 344 | ▲ 3 |
| 28 | Yağız | 340 | new |
| 29 | Cihangir | 339 | new |
| 30 | Asil | 332 | new |
Names that stand out in İstanbul
In İstanbul’s 2025 top 30 but not in the national top 30.
The No. 1 names, year by year
| Year | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alya | Alparslan |
| 2024 | Defne | Alparslan |
| 2023 | Defne | Alparslan |
| 2022 | Zeynep | Alparslan |
| 2021 | Zeynep | Alparslan |
| 2020 | Zeynep | Ömer Asaf |
| 2019 | Zeynep | Ömer Asaf |
| 2018 | Zeynep | Ömer Asaf |
Most common female names in İstanbul
| # | Name | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fatma | 149,492 |
| 2 | Zeynep | 127,760 |
| 3 | Ayşe | 116,951 |
| 4 | Elif | 102,215 |
| 5 | Emine | 99,674 |
| 6 | Hatice | 88,822 |
| 7 | Merve | 57,714 |
| 8 | Esra | 51,378 |
| 9 | Meryem | 48,808 |
| 10 | Özlem | 47,543 |
Source: TurkStat (TÜİK), Address-Based Population Registration System. Population and surname lists are for 2025. All provinces →
Guide
Reading İstanbul’s baby-name trends alongside its population names
Popular baby names in İstanbul give a picture of recent naming choices, while the province’s population lists answer a different question: which names are most widespread among residents of all ages. Keeping these views separate makes the figures more useful, whether you are exploring a name or comparing years.
-
Alya and Alparslan lead the baby lists
According to TÜİK’s 2025 İstanbul province figures, Alya leads the girls’ list with 1,444, while Alparslan leads the boys’ list with 1,312.
-
Population leaders are different
In TÜİK’s 2025 İstanbul province population lists, Fatma leads female given names with 149,492 and Mehmet leads male given names with 143,289.
-
A change in the girls’ leader
TÜİK’s İstanbul province figures show Defne leading in 2024 with 1,352, followed by Alya in 2025 with 1,444.
What the latest baby-name figures show
According to TÜİK’s 2025 İstanbul province figures, Alya is followed by Defne with 1,304 and Umay with 995 on the girls’ list. On the boys’ list, Alparslan is followed by Metehan with 929 and Göktuğ with 875. These counts describe the listed baby names for that year; they do not measure how common each name is across the whole population. Explore the 2025 baby-name lists for the wider annual context, then open Alya to read about the name itself.
How the leading names changed over time
TÜİK’s İstanbul province series shows Zeynep leading the girls’ list from 2018 through 2022, followed by Defne in 2023 and 2024, then Alya in 2025. The boys’ leader was Ömer Asaf from 2018 through 2020, followed by Alparslan from 2021 through 2025. This sequence records changes at the top; it does not show the complete movement of every name. Read Alparslan for its meaning, or consult the statistics guide before comparing annual leaders with broader popularity measures.
Understanding names across the resident population
If you are looking for the most common names in İstanbul, Turkey, use the resident-population figures. According to TÜİK’s 2025 İstanbul province lists, Fatma, Zeynep and Ayşe lead female given names; Mehmet, Mustafa and Ahmet lead male given names. Yılmaz leads surnames with 230,115, followed by Kaya and Demir. A surname is a family name, a separate category from a given name. These figures come from TÜİK’s address-based population register top-30 lists; see the methodology and Mehmet entry for further context.
Ways to explore İstanbul’s lists
- Choose the baby-name or resident-population list before making a comparison.
- Keep the year and İstanbul province label with any figures you save.
- Preserve Turkish letters in names such as Gökçe, Göktuğ and İnci.
- Read meanings separately from ranks: popularity does not explain a name’s meaning.
Frequently asked questions
What does TÜİK mean?
TÜİK is the Turkish Statistical Institute, Türkiye’s official statistics body. Source: TÜİK, 2025, İstanbul province, address-based population register top-30 lists.
Is Alya the most common female name in İstanbul?
Alya leads the 2025 İstanbul girls’ baby-name list with 1,444. Fatma leads the separate female resident-population list with 149,492.
What does Defne mean?
Defne means “bay laurel, an aromatic evergreen tree.” This meaning describes the name and does not indicate anything about a person who bears it.
Are these figures for İstanbul city centre?
The figures supplied here are at İstanbul province level. They should not be presented as district or neighbourhood statistics.