Surname Law (Turkey)

The Surname Law (Turkish: Soyadı Kanunu) of the Republic of Turkey is a law adopted on 21 June 1934, requiring all citizens to adopt the use of fixed, hereditary surnames. The concept of surnames originated in the Ottoman Empire as families began to adopt surnames after improvements were made to population registries and censuses, but would heighten as growing secularization and modernization efforts required their allocation in state-sponsored programs. The enactment of the Surname Law enforced the use of official surnames but also stipulated that citizens choose Turkish names.

The Surname Law is considered one of the last measures of secularization that took place in the early years of the Republic of Turkey. Academic reflections of the Law often highlight that its distribution was uneven, and that the choice of surname, as well as its use across the Republic, differed among families depending on factors such as profession and competition. Additionally, the Surname Law has been criticized for its role in advancing policies of Turkification against minorities and indigenous peoples in the Republic, which took place alongside place name changes. Although applications for legal surname changes have since taken place, namely among descendants of forcibly Islamized Armenians, Turkish law maintains a strict policy on them.

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