Turkey Province Names and Root

A–I

Province	Best-supported name history
Adana	Bronze Age Adaniya/Adanawa, recorded in Hittite and Luwian sources. Meaning uncertain; pre-Greek Anatolian.
Adıyaman	The current Turkish-looking name is of uncertain origin; explanations such as adı yaman and Vadi-i Leman are folk etymologies. It officially replaced Arabic Hısn-ı Mansur, “Mansur’s fortress,” in 1926.
Afyonkarahisar	afyon, “opium” ultimately from Greek opion, plus Turkish kara, “black,” and Arabic hisar, “fortress.” The medieval name was Karahisar-ı Sahib; the full provincial name was restored in 2005.
Ağrı	Given to Karaköse and its province in 1938 after Mount Ağrı. The mountain-name’s deeper origin is disputed and does not straightforwardly mean modern Turkish “pain.”
Aksaray	Traditionally Ak Saray, “white palace,” associated with a palace built by Seljuk Sultan Kılıç Arslan II. However, earlier Aksara/Aksera may also reflect the ancient name Taxara, so some reshaping may have occurred.
Amasya	Direct continuation of ancient Amaseia. The name passed through Greek, but is probably an older Anatolian toponym of uncertain meaning.
Ankara	Ancient Ankyra, probably related to an older Anatolian name such as Ankuwash. Greek ankyra, “anchor,” encouraged a classical legend but is probably a reinterpretation rather than the real origin.
Antalya	From Greek Attaleia, founded or refounded by and named after Attalos II of Pergamon in the second century BCE.
Ardahan	From Georgian Artaani. Its ultimate meaning is uncertain; the Turkish form developed from the Caucasian regional name.
Artvin	From Georgian Artvini/Artavani and related medieval forms. Ultimate etymology uncertain.
Aydın	From Aydın Eli and the Aydınoğulları beylik, ultimately named after the dynasty’s ancestor Aydın Bey. The city itself was formerly Güzelhisar.
Balıkesir	Probably adapted from Byzantine Greek Palaiokastron, “old fortress,” perhaps through early Turkish Balak/Balık Hisar. Other explanations exist, so the precise phonetic path remains debated.
Bartın	From the Parthenios River, whose classical Greek name developed into Bartın.
Batman	Taken by the modern city from the nearby Batman River and older regional name. Batman is documented locally from at least the fourteenth century, but its deeper etymology is unknown. Batı Raman is a modern folk explanation.
Bayburt	From medieval Armenian Paypert/Bayberd. The element berd/pert means “fortress”; the first element is unresolved.
Bilecik	The relationship with Byzantine Belokome/Belekoma is often proposed but contested; some scholars think Belokome may itself be a Greek adaptation of Turkish Bilecik. Ultimate origin uncertain.
Bingöl	Turkish bin göl, “thousand lakes,” originally the name of the surrounding mountains. The province received the name in 1935–36; the city Çapakçur became Bingöl in 1945.
Bitlis	Medieval forms include Armenian Baghesh, Arabic Badlis, and Byzantine Balaleison. The Alexander-the-Great general “Badlis” story is legendary; the actual root is unknown.
Bolu	Probably from the final element of Claudiopolis: Greek polis, “city,” became Bolu, as in several other Anatolian names ending in -bolu.
Burdur	Probably from Byzantine Greek Polydorion, adapted into Turkish as Burdur. The “burada dur” story is a folk etymology.
Bursa	From Prusa, traditionally founded by and named after the Bithynian king Prusias I.
Çanakkale	Turkish çanak, “pottery/bowl,” plus kale, “fortress.” It referred to the pottery-producing settlement beside the Ottoman Kale-i Sultaniye.
Çankırı	From ancient Gangra, a Paphlagonian/pre-Greek Anatolian name: Gangra → Kangırı → Çankırı.
Çorum	Appears clearly in the Turkish period. It may be connected with a Çorumlu Türkmen group, but its origin is not securely known.
Denizli	Medieval Tangazlu/Tonguzlu/Tonuzlu developed into Denizli. The spelling and pronunciation were probably influenced by both Turkish toŋuz, “boar,” and teŋiz/deniz, “sea/water.”
Diyarbakır	Arabic Diyār Bakr, “territories of the Bakr [Arab tribe].” The Republican spelling Diyarbakır encouraged reinterpretation as Turkish bakır, “copper,” but that is not the historical root.
Düzce	Turkish düzce, approximately “rather flat/level place.” The place-name is Ottoman-era; it became a province only in 1999.
Edirne	From Hadrianopolis, “city of Hadrian,” founded or greatly developed by Roman emperor Hadrian.
Elazığ	Ottoman Mamuretülaziz, named for Sultan Abdülaziz, was shortened to Elaziz. In 1937 it was deliberately reshaped as Elazık/Elazığ, officially interpreted as “province rich in provisions.”
Erzincan	From ancient Erez, through Armenian Yerznka/Erznka and medieval Erzingan forms. The ultimate origin is disputed.
Erzurum	From Armenian Artsn/Arzan plus Rûm: refugees from Artsn called Theodosiopolis “Artsn of the Romans.” This became Arzan al-Rūm → Erzurum. “Land of Rum” is a later reinterpretation.
Eskişehir	Turkish eski, “old,” plus Persian şehir, “city.” The name referred to the ruins of ancient Dorylaion beside the newer Turkish settlement.
Gaziantep	Gazi, “war veteran/victorious fighter,” was added in 1921. The underlying Ayıntab/Antep is much older but etymologically uncertain; “good spring” is unproven.
Giresun	From ancient Kerasous. It is traditionally connected with Greek kerasos, “cherry,” although the word and place-name may themselves be pre-Greek Anatolian.
Gümüşhane	Turkish gümüş, “silver,” plus Persian hane, “house/place”: essentially “silver-working/mining place.” It replaced the older local name Canca.
Hakkâri	From the regional and tribal name Hakkāriyya, documented in early Islamic sources. It later designated a Kurdish tribal confederation and emirate; the deeper root is uncertain.
Hatay	A deliberate 1936 revival/coinage associated with ancient Hatti/Hatay. Atatürk applied it to the former Sanjak of Alexandretta; it was not a continuously used local city-name.
Iğdır	Named for the Iğdır, one of the traditional twenty-four Oghuz tribes.
Isparta	Medieval forms include Saparta/Saborta. Connections with ancient Baris or Sporda have been proposed, but the exact derivation is unresolved; it is not securely derived from Greek Sparta.

İ–O

Province	Best-supported name history
İstanbul	Probably from medieval Greek eis tēn polin, “to/in the city,” transmitted through popular speech. İstanbul was widely used before the Republic, although it became the internationally enforced official form around 1930.
İzmir	From Greek Smyrna, but the older forms Tismurna/Smurna are probably Bronze Age Anatolian rather than originally Greek.
Kahramanmaraş	Kahraman, “hero,” was added in 1973. Maraş continues ancient Marqas, recorded as the capital of the Neo-Hittite kingdom of Gurgum.
Karabük	Turkish kara, “dark/black,” plus bük, “thicket or land at a stream bend”: conventionally “dark thicket.” The industrial city grew after 1937 and became a province in 1995.
Karaman	Named for Karaman Bey and the Karamanoğulları dynasty. The older city was Greek Laranda, later Turkish Larende.
Kars	An old Caucasian/Armenian-borderland name documented long before modern Turkish. Georgian kari, “gate,” and Armenian hars, “bride,” have both been proposed, but neither is secure.
Kastamonu	Medieval Castamon, commonly explained as Greek Kastra Komnenon, “fortress of the Komnenoi.” Plausible, though the exact development is debated.
Kayseri	From Greek Kaisareia, “Caesarea,” the Roman name honoring Caesar/Augustus.
Kırıkkale	Conventionally Kırık village + Kaletepe, although Ottoman records already contain a form Kırıkkal‘a. The modern city grew around the Republican arms industry; province created in 1989.
Kırklareli	Earlier Kırkkilise, “forty churches,” probably translating Greek Saranta Ekklisies. The overtly Christian element was replaced by Kırklareli, “land of the Forties,” in 1924.
Kırşehir	Turkish kır, “open country/steppe,” plus Persian şehir, “city”: “city of the open country.” The ancient center was Mokissos/Justinianopolis.
Kilis	Ancient and medieval forms include Assyrian-era Ki-li-zi, Roman Ciliza, Arabic al-Kilis, and Ottoman Killiz. The chain is old, but its original language and meaning are unknown; derivation from “church” is not established.
Kocaeli	Koca’s land, named for the early Ottoman frontier commander Akça Koca, who conquered parts of Bithynia. The provincial capital itself is İzmit.
Konya	From ancient Greek Ikonion/Iconium. Association with Greek eikōn, “icon,” may be an ancient reinterpretation; the name may ultimately be pre-Greek Anatolian.
Kütahya	From ancient Kotiaeion/Cotyaeum, transmitted through Byzantine Greek. It may contain the personal or divine name Kotys, but the meaning is uncertain.
Malatya	From Bronze Age Malidiya/Melid. It is often connected with Hittite melit, “honey,” though the name itself is older than Greek Melitene.
Manisa	From Magnesia ad Sipylum, a Greek city traditionally associated with settlers called the Magnetes: Magnesia → Manisa.
Mardin	Syriac Marde and Arabic Māridīn. Proposed meanings include “fortress/fortresses” and connection with the ancient Mard people; the precise derivation is disputed.
Mersin	Probably from either the mersin/myrsine shrub or a local Türkmen group called the Mersinoğulları; both were recorded locally. The province was officially called İçel until 2002.
Muğla	From Carian Mobolla, later Byzantine Mogolla, then Muğla. This is an Anatolian name transmitted through Greek, not clearly a Greek coinage.
Muş	Historical Armenian Muš/Mush. Connections with Armenian mshush, “mist,” or the ancient Mushki people are proposals rather than established etymologies.
Nevşehir	Persian nev, “new,” plus şehir, “city.” Damat İbrahim Paşa renamed his native village Muşkara in 1725–26 while rebuilding it as a town.
Niğde	From Nahita, recorded in Late Hittite hieroglyphic inscriptions near Niğde. The name is pre-Greek Anatolian; its meaning is uncertain.
Ordu	Turkish ordu, originally “royal camp, headquarters or court,” later “army.” It was already a regional administrative name in the beylik period; the settlement called Bucak officially became Ordu in 1869.
Osmaniye	Established in the 1860s around Hacı Osmanlı village during the Fırka-i İslâhiye settlement campaign. Thus it ultimately contains the personal/group name Osman, but is not demonstrably a direct commemoration of Osman I or the dynasty.

R–Z

Province	Best-supported name history
Rize	Probably from Greek Rhizaion, related to rhiza, “root/foot of a mountain.” A Kartvelian/Laz alternative has also been proposed.
Sakarya	Province named after the Sakarya River, ancient Sangarios/Sangarius, a Phrygian river-name preserved in Greek literature. The provincial capital was historically Adapazarı.
Samsun	From Greek Amisos, through medieval Sampsous/Samisun: Amisos → Samisun → Samsun. The ultimate meaning of Amisos is uncertain.
Siirt	From Syriac Siʿirt/Seʿert. A recent linguistic proposal interprets it as “home of the dispersed,” but its meaning is not universally settled. Turkish sırt, “ridge,” is a folk reinterpretation.
Sinop	From ancient Greek Sinope. Greek mythology made Sinope a nymph, but the toponym may be older than its Greek explanation.
Sivas	From Greek Sebasteia, “the august/venerable city,” using the Greek equivalent of Latin Augusta.
Şanlıurfa	Syriac/Aramaic Urhay/Orhay → Arabic al-Ruhā → Urfa. Turkish şanlı, “glorious,” was added in 1984 for the city’s independence-war resistance.
Şırnak	From local Şirnex/Şernakh/Şırnah forms. “Şehr-i Nuh,” “Noah’s city,” is a famous local explanation connected with Mount Cudi, but it is not a demonstrated linguistic derivation.
Tekirdağ	Ottoman Tekfurdağı, “the Byzantine lord’s mountain,” became Tekirdağ under the Republic. Before that, the city was Rhaedestos/Rodosto/Rodosçuk.
Tokat	Probably from Byzantine Dokeia/Dokia, itself possibly an older Anatolian name. Turkish tok at, “well-fed horse,” is folk etymology.
Trabzon	From Greek Trapezous, related to trapeza, “table,” traditionally describing its table-like headland: Trapezous → Trebizond → Trabzon.
Tunceli	A Republican coinage introduced by law in 1935 in place of the regional name Dersim: Turkish tunç, “bronze,” plus eli, “land”—“land of bronze.”
Uşak	Appears as a Turkish-period settlement name. Possible connections include Turkish uşak, “child, servant,” or Arabic uşşak, “lovers,” but none explains the toponym conclusively.
Van	Probably from Urartian Biainili/Biane, transmitted as Armenian Van. The Urartian capital itself was Tushpa.
Yalova	Probably a contraction of Yalıova, “coastal plain,” with yalı ultimately a Greek loan and ova Turkish. Earlier Ottoman forms include Yalakova/Yalakabad.
Yozgat	A Turkish-period name, established before the town’s eighteenth-century growth under the Çapanoğulları. Derivation from yoz, “barren/open pasture,” is possible, but the complete formation is unresolved. The province was briefly called Bozok before reverting to Yozgat in 1927.
Zonguldak	Uncertain. Serious proposals connect it with ancient Sandraka, a local word zongalık/zungalık, “marshy or reedy place,” or the mining-era phrase Zone Göl-Dağ. No derivation is conclusive.

The historical spellings are broadly checkable against the State Archives’ Osmanlı Yer Adları. Modern administrative changes are documented by the Interior Ministry’s list of renamed provinces and districts.

The broad pattern is:

• A very large plurality—probably close to half—are pre-Turkish names preserved through Greek, Armenian, Syriac, Georgian, Arabic, or Persian usage.

• Only a subset are genuinely Greek coinages: Antalya, Edirne, Kayseri, Sivas and Trabzon are strong examples. Ankara, İzmir, Amasya, Adana and several others are older Anatolian names wearing Greek phonological clothing.

• The two unambiguous current beylik-dynasty provinces are Aydın and Karaman. Kocaeli commemorates an Ottoman frontier commander, while Osmaniye comes through Hacı Osmanlı village.

• The early Republic actually removed several beylik-derived provincial names. Karesi became Balıkesir in 1926, reportedly as part of a decision to eliminate dynastic province names; Saruhan became Manisa in 1927. Menteşe similarly gave way to Muğla. Balıkesir Valiliği, Manisa provincial history, Muğla Valiliği

• The clearest twentieth-century creations or ideological modifications are Gaziantep, Kırklareli, Bingöl, Hatay, Elazığ, Ağrı, Tunceli, Kahramanmaraş, and Şanlıurfa. Later administrative restorations include Mersin in 2002 and Afyonkarahisar in 2005.