Kazakh Names: Meanings, Naming Customs and 2025's Most Popular

Kazakh names usually carry a meaning: a wish for the child, a feature at birth, the time or place of birth, or the memory of a respected person. Traditionally the name was given by a grandfather or another respected elder. In 2025 the most popular names for newborn boys were Mukhammed, Alikhan, Aisultan, Omar and Aldiyar, and the most popular name for girls was Ailin, according to data from the Bureau of National Statistics.

This page explains how Kazakh names were traditionally chosen, where names come from, how Kazakhs address one another, and what parents choose today.

How were Kazakh names traditionally chosen?

The birth of a child was treated as the happiest moment, so naming was a serious matter, usually led by a grandfather or a respected person. The historical portal e-history.kz lists the main motives:

Motive	Examples from e-history.kz	Idea behind it
A wish for long life	Umirzak, Mynzhasar, Esenaman	That the child lives long
A wish for strength	Yerbol, Batyrzhan, Zholbarys, Temirbek	Built on “er”, “batyr”, strong animals or metals
Happiness and success	Bakdaulet, Saltanat, Nurgul	Good fortune
Beauty	Aigul, Perizat, Meruert	Beauty, often for girls
Protection, after losses	Toktar, Tursyn, Olmes	Given where earlier children had died
A wish for a son	Ulbala, Ulzhan, Ultugan	Given to girls in families with only daughters
Time or event of birth	Zhumabike, Beisenbay, Mamyrkul, Amanzhol	The day, month or circumstances of birth
Respected people	Abylay, Abay, Kurmangazy	Named after heroes, rulers or artists

The same source describes protective names that sounded deliberately unattractive, given in the hope that evil spirits would not notice the child, and names that reflected a birthmark or another feature of the newborn.

Where do Kazakh names come from?

Alongside names built from Kazakh words, many come from Arabic, Mongolian and Russian. According to a second e-history.kz article:

• Muslim and Arabic names are common, such as Mukhammed, after the Prophet, or Ibragim, the Arabic form of Abraham.
• Mongolian words gave names such as Bayan, meaning rich.
• Russian names entered over time, at first in adapted forms such as Mekeil from Mikhail, and later directly, especially in the Soviet period.
• Soviet-era names reflected new realities, for example Sailau (elections) or Otan (homeland).

e-history.kz also notes that naming a child after a title such as bay, khan, bek or myrza was once prestigious, as in Temirbek, “iron bek”, or Myrzabay, “generous bay”.

How do Kazakhs address each other?

Kazakhs often address people by a kinship term or a respectful short form of the name rather than the bare name. e-history.kz gives the patterns:

• Kinship terms for elders: atay (grandfather), azhey (grandmother), agay (older brother or uncle), apay (older sister).
• A respectful short form for an older person: the first syllable plus -ke, so Sultan becomes Suke and Zhaksylyk becomes Zhake.
• Endearments for younger people: ayim (my moon), kunim (my sun), zhanym (my soul).

For a visitor, the safe default is to follow how people introduce themselves and to use apay or agay for an older woman or man when you do not know their name. Our guide to Kazakh language basics covers polite forms, and the Kazakh alphabet explains why the same name can be spelled several ways in Latin letters.

What are the most popular Kazakh names in 2025?

For boys, Mukhammed, Alikhan, Aisultan, Omar and Aldiyar; for girls, Ailin, followed by Medina, Aisha and Tomiris. Tengrinews reported these 2025 figures from the Bureau of National Statistics, and noted that the top five boys’ names had not changed from the year before.

The leading names differ by region. Ailin led for girls in almost every region; four regions preferred Asylym. For boys, Mukhammed and Alan led in most regions, Khamza in Atyrau and West Kazakhstan, and Mikhail in North Kazakhstan.

Region or city	Girls	Boys
Almaty	Ailin	Alan
Astana	Ailin	Alan
Shymkent	Ailin	Mukhammed
Atyrau Region	Ailin	Khamza
East Kazakhstan	Asylym	Amir
North Kazakhstan	Ailin	Mikhail

These are the names given to newborns in one year, not the most common names among all Kazakhstanis.

How are Kazakh names written?

Kazakh names are written in Cyrillic inside Kazakhstan, so the same name can appear in several Latin spellings. When booking or meeting someone, copy the spelling in their passport or as they write it. For famous Kazakhs and the names you will see in the news, see our list of famous people from Kazakhstan, and for the customs around a birth, Kazakh traditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who traditionally names a Kazakh child?

Traditionally a grandfather or another respected elder gave the name, because naming a child was considered a serious matter.

What do Kazakh names mean?

Most carry a meaning: a wish for long life, strength, happiness or beauty; a feature or the time of birth; or the memory of a respected person. Some are protective names given after earlier children had died.

What were the most popular baby names in Kazakhstan in 2025?

For boys, Mukhammed, Alikhan, Aisultan, Omar and Aldiyar. For girls, Ailin was the most popular, followed by Medina, Aisha and Tomiris, according to Bureau of National Statistics data reported by Tengrinews.

Why do Kazakhs call older people agay or apay?

Kazakhs often address older people with kinship terms: agay for an older man and apay for an older woman. It is polite and does not imply a family relationship.

Sources

• e-history.kz: “The custom of giving the names in Kazakhs’ culture”, 6 October 2014: who names the child and the motives behind names.
• e-history.kz: “The origin of Kazakh names”, 18 February 2016: Arabic, Mongolian, Russian and Soviet-era names, forms of address.
• Tengrinews: name trends by region: 2025 Bureau of National Statistics data on newborn names.

Last reviewed: 10 November 2026. All sources were read on that date. Name examples in the tables are taken from the sources; the Latin spellings follow them and are approximate.