Nilüfer means “water lily, lotus”. It comes from Persian. It is documented as a girl's name in Turkish and Uyghur and also used in Azerbaijani.
- Nilüfer is a name of Persian origin.
- It is recorded for Turkish, Uyghur and Azerbaijani.
- 3 syllables (counted from the spelling) and 7 letters.
What does Nilüfer mean?
Nilüfer is a female name from the Persian word for the water lily or lotus. The Turkish entry follows it further back to Middle Persian and Sanskrit 'blue lotus'. It is also a female name in Uyghur, spelled نىلۇپەر (Niluper).[1,3,4]
Meaning themes: Flowers
Nilüfer in Turkish, Uyghur and Azerbaijani
What does Nilüfer mean in Turkish?
In Turkish the name is written Nilüfer and Nilüfer. No separate Turkish gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “water lily, lotus” applies. It is recorded as a girl's name.[3,5]
Listed as a given name in the Turkish section of Wiktionary.
What does Nilüfer mean in Uyghur?
In Uyghur the name is written نىلۇپەر, Niluper (ULY transliteration), niluper (ULY), Néluper and نېلۇپەر. Here it is glossed as “a kind of water flower”[4]. It is recorded as a girl's name.[1,4]
Listed as a given name in the Uyghur section of Wiktionary.
What does Nilüfer mean in Azerbaijani?
In Azerbaijani the name is written Nilufər. No separate Azerbaijani gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “water lily, lotus” applies. It is recorded as a girl's name.
Where does the name Nilüfer come from?
Persian, borrowing. Borrowed from Persian; the Turkish form came through Ottoman Turkish.[1,3]✓ Documented
Persian, borrowing. The Dictionary of Uyghur Names gives the origin as Persian.[4]✓ Documented
Which languages use the name Nilüfer?
Nilüfer is used as a given name in Turkish, Uyghur and Azerbaijani. Its origin is Persian. The table shows for each language whether the use is documented by a cited source or comes from our editorial research.
Nilüfer across Turkic languages
| Language | Spelling | Gender | Meaning in this language | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish | NilüferLatin NilüferLatin | Girl | same as above: “water lily, lotus” | Documented[3,5] |
| Uyghur | نىلۇپەرArabic script NéluperLatin, variant نېلۇپەرArabic script, variant | Girl | “a kind of water flower” | Documented[1,4] |
| Azerbaijani | NilufərLatin | Girl | same as above: “water lily, lotus” | Editorial |
Similar spellings in different languages do not prove a shared origin: two languages can arrive at the same sound from different words. The origin section above states what the sources say.
Spelling variations of Nilüfer
Forms are shown as recorded, in their original script. Romanizations and rule-based conversions are labelled with their system and are not presented as attested spellings.
| Form | Language | Script | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nilüfer[3] | Turkish | Latin | Standard spelling |
| Nilüfer | Turkish | Latin | Native spelling |
| نىلۇپەر[1,4] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Native spelling |
| Niluper[4] | Uyghur | Latin | Romanization (ULY transliteration) |
| niluper[1] | Uyghur | Latin | Romanization (ULY) |
| Néluper[4] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| نېلۇپەر[4] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| Nilufər | Azerbaijani | Latin | Native spelling |
Names related to Nilüfer
Sibling names for Nilüfer
Names recorded for the same languages that start with a different letter, so two children are not mixed up. Names that share a meaning theme or an element with Nilüfer rank first. Siblings do not have to match; these are only ideas.
- İlgülGirl“rose of the land”same language (turkish) · also shares the theme flowers
- GülfamGirl“rose-colored”same language (turkish) · also shares the theme flowers
- GülfemGirl“rose-mouthed”same language (turkish) · also shares the theme flowers
- GülgüzelGirl“beautiful rose”same language (turkish) · also shares the theme flowers
- MihrigülGirl“flower of kindness”same language (uyghur) · also shares the theme flowers
- LâlegülUnisex“tulip and rose”same language (turkish) · also shares the theme flowers
- HepgülGirl“all roses”same language (turkish) · also shares the theme flowers
- GülishenbeGirl“a flower that blooms every day”same language (uyghur) · also shares the theme flowers
Common questions about Nilüfer
What does the name Nilüfer mean?
Nilüfer means “water lily, lotus”. It comes from Persian. It is documented as a girl's name in Turkish and Uyghur and also used in Azerbaijani.
Is Nilüfer a girl's or a boy's name?
Nilüfer is recorded as a girl's name. By language: Turkish: girls; Uyghur: girls; Azerbaijani: girls.
Where does Nilüfer come from?
Nilüfer is of Persian origin according to our origin records. Read the origin section above for the sources.
Which languages use Nilüfer?
Nilüfer is recorded for Turkish, Uyghur and Azerbaijani. The table shows each language's spelling, gender and evidence label, and a language is listed only when our data records the name for it.
How is Nilüfer spelled in other scripts?
Recorded spellings: Nilüfer (Latin), نىلۇپەر (Arabic script), Néluper (Latin), نېلۇپەر (Arabic script), Nilufər (Latin). Romanizations and rule-based conversions are labelled as such in the spelling table.
How many syllables does Nilüfer have?
Nilüfer has 3 syllables by our approximate count of vowel groups in the spelling, and 7 letters. Pronunciation can differ by language.
Sources
Numbers in the text point to these sources. The descriptions on this page are written by our editors; source texts are not copied.
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “نىلۇپەر”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 77574784. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Uyghur etymology derives the name from Persian نیلوفر; classified as a female given name in Uyghur; نىلۇپەر appears as a Uyghur given name (feminine); Uyghur given-name entry written نىلۇپەر in Uyghur Arabic script (+1 more)
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “نیلوفر”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 88094893. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Persian نیلوفر means water lily
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “Nilüfer”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 92918635. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: classified as a female given name in Turkish; Nilüfer appears as a Turkish given name (feminine); Turkish form inherited from the Ottoman Turkish spelling of the same Persian word; Turkish given-name entry spelled Nilüfer
- Uyghur Language. Dictionary of Uyghur Names. Uyghur Language (GitHub: uyghur-language/names), revision 075ed994f116b4b9e06c7d013b4fb880db679883. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: MIT License.
Supports: entry in the Dictionary of Uyghur Names; Uyghur gloss: بىر خىل سۇ گۈلى; listed as a Uyghur given name (feminine); origin: Persian (+4 more)
- Wikidata contributors. Wikidata item Q29913870 (Nilüfer, female given name). Wikimedia Foundation, revision 2438395765. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC0 1.0.
Supports: Wikidata records Turkish as language of the name (P407)
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