Name statistics
Rising and falling names
A comparison of Türkiye’s national top 30 lists of 2018 and 2025.
Girl names
Climbers and newcomers, 2018 to 2025
| Name | 2018 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Sare | not listed | 30. |
| Masal | not listed | 29. |
| Mira | not listed | 27. |
| Doğa | not listed | 25. |
| İpek | not listed | 24. |
| Arya | not listed | 23. |
| Ceylin | not listed | 22. |
| Ada | not listed | 21. |
| Güneş | not listed | 17. |
| Eflin | not listed | 16. |
| Lina | not listed | 15. |
| Mihra | not listed | 13. |
| İnci | not listed | 9. |
| Elisa | not listed | 8. |
| Umay | not listed | 6. |
| Gökçe | not listed | 3. |
| Alya | 20 | 1. |
| Asya | 12 | 7. |
| Zümra | 17 | 12. |
| Ela | 22 | 18. |
Dropped out by 2025
Boy names
Climbers and newcomers, 2018 to 2025
| Name | 2018 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Yaman | not listed | 28. |
| Cihan | not listed | 27. |
| Aybars | not listed | 18. |
| Kuzey | not listed | 13. |
| Aslan | not listed | 12. |
| Atlas | not listed | 9. |
| Miran | not listed | 6. |
| Metehan | not listed | 3. |
| Göktuğ | not listed | 2. |
| Alparslan | 30 | 1. |
| Kerem | 21 | 5. |
| Poyraz | 29 | 14. |
| Aras | 23 | 10. |
| Alperen | 24 | 15. |
Dropped out by 2025
Source: TurkStat (TÜİK), Address-Based Population Registration System. Only the national top 30 lists are compared.
Guide
How to read changes in Turkish baby-name choices
Rising Turkish baby names become easier to understand when you compare both their positions and their recorded counts. The lists here describe naming patterns in Türkiye; they do not explain individual families’ choices or predict what will happen next.
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A different leader among girls
According to TÜİK’s 2025 Türkiye-level baby-name figures, Alya led with 8,739. Zeynep led the corresponding 2018 list with 14,183.
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Changes among boys
According to TÜİK’s Türkiye-level figures, Yusuf led in 2018 with 9,583, while Alparslan led in 2025 with 7,509. These are separate annual snapshots.
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Rank and count tell different stories
A name can move higher in a list while its recorded count falls. Read both measures before describing a name as rising.
Compare the same measure across years
Trending Turkish names can reflect movement in rank, growth in recorded use, or a name’s appearance in a displayed list. These are different observations. According to TÜİK’s Türkiye-level figures, Defne moved from 6,609 in 2018 to 7,716 in 2025, while Zeynep moved from 14,183 to 6,228. Defne therefore shows an increase in count across these snapshots. A name absent from a displayed selection should not be described as previously unused. Start with the 2025 baby-name list, then consult name statistics to keep the year, geographic level and type of list clear.
Explore meanings alongside changing preferences
A trend can introduce you to a name, but its meaning and language history answer different questions. Alya has the meaning “high, exalted; an elevated place” and is Arabic in origin. Gökçe is Turkish in origin and means “sky-blue; beautiful, pleasing.” Umay refers to a protective female figure in ancient Turkic belief. These descriptions concern the names themselves. They do not establish a bearer’s religion, ethnicity or character, and the rankings do not show whether a particular meaning influenced a family’s decision.
Keep national trends in their proper context
TÜİK is the Turkish Statistical Institute. Source: TÜİK, address-based population register, top-30 lists; the comparisons here use Türkiye-level figures for 2018 and 2025. National baby-name lists describe a different population from lists covering names across all ages. They also cannot establish how often a name is chosen in a particular province, Türkiye’s administrative equivalent of a province-level region. Use the province pages for that geographic perspective. The methodology helps distinguish official counts from other material, while the pronunciation guide supports readers unfamiliar with Turkish spelling.
Practical ways to compare trending names
- Record the year and geographic level beside any count you save.
- Compare annual baby-name figures with other annual baby-name figures.
- Check recorded counts as well as positions in the list.
- Keep Turkish letters when copying a name into your shortlist.
Frequently asked questions
Does a higher rank always mean more babies received the name?
No. A rank describes a name’s position relative to other names in that year; the recorded count must be checked separately.
Does this page predict future favourites?
No. It compares recorded naming patterns. Those observations do not guarantee future choices.
Are these the most common names across all ages?
These comparisons concern baby-name lists. Names across the whole population require a separate statistical view.
Can a name’s origin identify the person who bears it?
No. A language-origin label describes a name’s history, not the identity or beliefs of an individual.