Elif () is a name that is most commonly given to females in Turkey, but is also popular in other countries such as the Netherlands. In Greece it is associated with the name Nefeli.
It originates from the
Arabic word for the first letter of the
Ottoman Turkish alphabet
The Ottoman Turkish alphabet () is a version of the Perso-Arabic script used to write Ottoman Turkish for over 600 years until 1928, when it was replaced by the Latin-based modern Turkish alphabet.
Though Ottoman Turkish was primarily writt ...
. Like the shape of the letter, it is thus taken to mean 'slender or upright'.
Given name
Notable Turkish people (unless otherwise mentioned) with this name include:
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Begünhan Elif Ünsal (born 1993), Turkish archer
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Elif AÄŸca Yarar (born 1984),Turkish retired volleyball player
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Ayliva (real name Elif Akar, born 1998), German singer and musician
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Elif Altınkaynak (born 1974), Turkish archer
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Elif Sıla Aydın (born 1996),Turkish handball player
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Elif Batuman (born 1977), American author, academic, journalist
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Elif Bayram (born 2001), Turkish basketball player
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Elif Berra Gökkır (born 2007), Turkish archer
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Elif Beyza Aşık
Elif Beyza Aşık (born 4 September 1994) is a Turkish sports shooter competing in the 10m air pistol event. She set new national and European women's team records. She is also a licensed coach.
Sport career
Representing her university at t ...
(born 1994), Turkish sports shooter
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Elif Celep (born 1994), Turkish gymnast
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Elif Ceren Çolak (born 2005), Turkish trampoline gymnast
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Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen (born 1971), Turkish diplomat
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Elif Demirezer (born 1992), German-Turkish pop singer and songwriter
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Elif Deniz (born 1993), Turkish footballer
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Elif DoÄŸan (born 1994), Turkish actress
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Elif Doğan Türkmen (born 1962), Turkish politician
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Elif EkÅŸi (born 1967), Turkish archer
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Ä°layda Elif Elhih, Turkish actress
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Elif Elmas (born 1999), Macedonian footballer from North Macedonia
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Elif Gülbayrak (born 1988), Turkish volleyball player
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Elif Güneri (born 1987), Turkish boxer
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Elif Keskin (born 2002), Turkish women's footballer
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Elif Kızılkaya (born 1991), Turkish curler
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Elif Köroğlu, Turkish football referee
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Elif Naci (1898–1987), Turkish journalist, painter, writer and curator
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Elif Nur Turhan (born 1995), Turkish boxer
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Elif Shafak (born 1971), Turkish-British writer and activist
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Elif Åžahin (born 2001), Turkish volleyball player
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Elif Sözen-Kohl (born 1969), Turkish banker
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Elif Uysal, Turkish electrical engineer
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Elif Jale Yeşilırmak
Elif Jale Yeşilırmak, née Yulia Guramievna Rekvava (), (born July 30, 1986, in Smolensk, Russia) is a former Russian-Turkey, Turkish female wrestling, wrestler. She is the first woman wrestler to represent Turkey at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Tu ...
(born 1986), Turkish wrestler of Russian origin
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Elif Yıldırım (born 1990), Turkish middle-distance runner
Middle name
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Eylem Elif MaviÅŸ (born 1973), Turkish mountaineer
See also
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Alpha (name)
References
{{given name
Unisex given names
Turkish unisex given names
Arabic-language unisex given names