Provinces
Most popular names in Kars
The names given most often to babies born in Kars, and the most common names in the province. Source: TÜİK, ADNKS.
Kars at a glance
- In 2025 the province’s No. 1 girl name was Umay (28 babies). Nationally it ranked #6.
- The province’s top 30 ranks hold 103 girl names (with ties); 29 of them are also in the national top 30.
- The girl name that climbed most since 2018 is Kumsal, from #22 to #5. 41 names in today’s top 30 were not in the 2018 list.
- In 2025 the province’s No. 1 boy name was Alparslan (29 babies), first for 3 years running. Nationally it ranked #1.
- The province’s top 30 ranks hold 112 boy names (with ties); 28 of them are also in the national top 30.
- The boy name that climbed most since 2018 is Alparslan, from #19 to #1. 38 names in today’s top 30 were not in the 2018 list.
- The most common names in the province’s population are Fatma (2,174 people) and Mehmet (2,259 people); the most common surname is Kaya.
Top girl names in Kars, 2025
| # | Name | Count | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Umay | 28 | ▲ 3 |
| 2 | Alya | 25 | ▲ 11 |
| 2 | Gökçe | 25 | ▲ 5 |
| 3 | Zeynep | 21 | ▼ 1 |
| 4 | Elisa | 14 | ▼ 1 |
| 5 | Duru | 13 | new |
| 5 | Kumsal | 13 | ▲ 1 |
| 6 | Defne | 12 | ▼ 2 |
| 6 | Miray | 12 | ▲ 4 |
| 7 | Asel | 11 | ▼ 6 |
| 7 | Asya | 11 | ▼ 4 |
| 7 | Aysima | 11 | ▼ 2 |
| 7 | Lavin | 11 | ▲ 5 |
| 7 | Lina | 11 | ▼ 1 |
| 7 | Öykü | 11 | ▲ 4 |
| 8 | Hiranur | 10 | ▲ 1 |
| 8 | Masal | 10 | ▲ 2 |
| 8 | Meryem | 10 | new |
| 9 | Doğa | 9 | ▼ 2 |
| 9 | Eylül | 9 | – |
| 9 | Mihra | 9 | ▲ 1 |
| 9 | Mira | 9 | new |
| 9 | Nehir | 9 | ▼ 5 |
| 9 | Yağmur | 9 | ▲ 2 |
| 9 | Zümra | 9 | ▼ 7 |
| 10 | Belinay | 8 | new |
| 10 | Ecrin | 8 | ▼ 1 |
| 10 | İnci | 8 | ▲ 2 |
| 11 | Berfin | 7 | new |
| 11 | Beyza | 7 | ▼ 4 |
Top boy names in Kars, 2025
| # | Name | Count | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alparslan | 29 | – |
| 2 | Miran | 25 | – |
| 3 | Aras | 21 | – |
| 4 | Ömer Asaf | 19 | ▼ 2 |
| 5 | Ali Asaf | 18 | ▲ 1 |
| 6 | Alperen | 16 | ▲ 8 |
| 6 | Cihan | 16 | new |
| 6 | Göktuğ | 16 | ▼ 1 |
| 7 | Devran | 15 | ▲ 4 |
| 8 | Ayaz | 13 | ▲ 5 |
| 9 | Eymen | 12 | ▲ 1 |
| 9 | Metehan | 12 | – |
| 10 | Adar | 11 | ▲ 3 |
| 11 | Atlas | 10 | ▲ 2 |
| 11 | Aybars | 10 | – |
| 11 | Yiğit | 10 | ▼ 4 |
| 11 | Yiğit Ali | 10 | ▼ 2 |
| 11 | Yusuf | 10 | ▼ 6 |
| 12 | Eren | 9 | new |
| 12 | Mert | 9 | ▼ 1 |
| 12 | Miran Ali | 9 | ▲ 3 |
| 12 | Ömer | 9 | ▼ 4 |
| 12 | Poyraz | 9 | ▼ 3 |
| 13 | Barlas | 8 | – |
| 13 | Muhammed Ali | 8 | ▼ 11 |
| 13 | Uras | 8 | ▲ 1 |
| 14 | Ali | 7 | ▼ 6 |
| 14 | Arda | 7 | – |
| 14 | Kerem | 7 | new |
| 14 | Miraç | 7 | ▼ 10 |
Names that stand out in Kars
In Kars’s 2025 top 30 but not in the national top 30.
Girl names
The No. 1 names, year by year
| Year | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Umay | Alparslan |
| 2024 | Asel | Alparslan |
| 2023 | Zeynep | Alparslan |
| 2022 | Asya | Göktuğ |
| 2021 | Zeynep | Miraç |
| 2020 | Zeynep | Miraç |
| 2019 | Zeynep | Miran |
| 2018 | Zeynep | Yusuf |
Most common female names in Kars
| # | Name | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fatma | 2,174 |
| 2 | Zeynep | 1,991 |
| 3 | Ayşe | 1,495 |
| 4 | Elif | 1,420 |
| 5 | Hatice | 1,167 |
| 6 | Songül | 1,142 |
| 7 | Emine | 899 |
| 8 | Meryem | 872 |
| 9 | Rabia | 771 |
| 10 | Özlem | 736 |
Source: TurkStat (TÜİK), Address-Based Population Registration System. Population and surname lists are for 2025. All provinces →
Guide
Exploring Kars’s recent leaders and familiar population names
Popular baby names in Kars show changing girls’ leaders alongside Alparslan’s continuing position at the head of the boys’ list. Shared counts and the separate resident-population tables add useful detail to that picture.
-
Umay leads the girls’ list
According to TÜİK’s 2025 Kars province figures, Umay leads with 28, followed by Alya and Gökçe, each with 25.
-
Alparslan continues to lead
TÜİK’s Kars province figures place Alparslan first among boys in 2023 with 31, in 2024 with 26 and in 2025 with 29.
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Kaya heads the surname list
According to TÜİK’s 2025 Kars province population figures, Kaya leads surnames with 6,129, followed by Aydın with 5,608 and Yıldız with 5,191.
Read Umay’s meaning separately from its rank
According to TÜİK’s 2025 Kars province figures, Umay leads the girls’ list ahead of the equally placed Alya and Gökçe. Umay refers to a protective female figure in ancient Turkic belief. That is an association of the name, not evidence of a bearer’s religion or identity. Alya means “high, exalted; an elevated place,” while Gökçe means “sky-blue; beautiful, pleasing.” Reading these entries alongside the counts lets you explore meaning and recorded popularity without treating either as a description of people.
Follow the different paths of the annual leaders
TÜİK’s Kars province series shows Zeynep leading the girls’ list from 2018 through 2021, Asya in 2022, Zeynep in 2023, Asel in 2024 and Umay in 2025. The boys’ leaders were Yusuf in 2018, Miran in 2019, Miraç in 2020 and 2021, Göktuğ in 2022, then Alparslan from 2023 through 2025. A leader-only sequence cannot show every name’s rise or decline. Visit the baby-name overview for further exploration and the methodology for context on interpreting the available statistical lists.
Compare baby names with the resident-population picture
For the most common names in Kars, Turkey, use the resident-population lists. According to TÜİK’s 2025 Kars province figures, Fatma leads female given names with 2,174, followed by Zeynep with 1,991 and Ayşe with 1,495. Mehmet leads male given names with 2,259, followed by Yusuf with 1,901 and Ahmet with 1,680. These counts describe a different group from the annual baby-name lists. Read Yusuf, meaning “may God add; may God increase,” or consult the statistics guide before comparing the categories.
Keep Kars’s comparisons precise
- Preserve Alya and Gökçe’s shared second rank when summarising the girls’ list.
- Keep Ömer Asaf and Ali Asaf intact as the names listed in the table.
- Distinguish a name’s historical association from any assumptions about its bearer.
- Use Kars province and the relevant year in captions or saved notes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the official source for Kars’s figures?
Source: TÜİK, 2025, Kars province, address-based population register top-30 lists. TÜİK is the Turkish Statistical Institute.
Which boys’ names follow Alparslan in 2025?
According to TÜİK’s 2025 Kars province figures, Miran follows with 25, then Aras with 21 and Ömer Asaf with 19.
Are there other shared counts in Kars’s lists?
Yes. TÜİK’s 2025 Kars province figures give Duru and Kumsal 13 each, and Defne and Miray 12 each. Alperen, Göktuğ and Cihan each have 16 in the boys’ list.
Does leading the list mean a name will stay popular?
A leading position describes the recorded year. The supplied figures do not predict future choices or establish why a name leads.