List of Turkish Americans

The following is a list of notable Turkish Americans, including both original immigrants of full or partial Turkish descent who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.

Most notable Turkish Americans have come from, or originate from, Turkey but there are also notable Americans of Turkish origin who have immigrated from, or descend from, the other former Ottoman territories, especially Turks from the Balkans, the island of Cyprus (e.g. Erden Eruç, Halil Güven, Hal Ozsan, Abdul Kerim al-Qubrusi, and Vamık Volkan, are of Turkish Cypriot origin), North Africa (e.g. Leila Ahmed and Nonie Darwish are of Turkish-Egyptian origin, and Mustapha Osman was of Turkish-Tunisian origin), and the Levant (e.g. Etel Adnan is of Turkish-Syrian origin; David Chokachi and Salih Neftçi are of Turkish-Iraqi origin; Nabila Khashoggi is from the Khashoggi family who are of Turkish origin).

Some Turkish Americans have also come to the US from areas where there is a modern Turkish diaspora; for example, Turhan Bey had a Turkish-Austrian background; Timothy Guy Kent has a Turkish Canadian background; Marie Tepe had a Turkish-French background; Ergun Caner has a Turkish-Swedish background; Kasim Edebali has a Turkish-German background; and Didem Erol has a Turkish Australian background.

Academia



 * Sibel Adalı, Professor of Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
 * Leila Ahmed, Professor of Women's Studies in Religion at Harvard Divinity School
 * Ali Akansu, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NJIT
 * Cevdet Akbay, Professor of Chemistry at Fayetteville State University
 * Esra Akcan, Professor of Architecture at Cornell University
 * Mustafa Aksakal, professor of history at Georgetown University
 * İlhan Aksay, Professor in Engineering and Emeritus Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University
 * Asuman Aksoy, Professor of Mathematics at Claremont McKenna College
 * Serap Aksoy, Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) at Yale University
 * Ian F. Akyildiz, Chair Professor in Telecommunications
 * Ilkay Altintas, Chief data science officer at the University of California
 * Ali Argon, Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
 * Huseyin Arslan
 * Ilke Arslan, Microscopist and Director of the Center for Nanoscale Materials and the Nanoscience and Technology division at Argonne National Laboratory
 * Muzaffer Atac, Professor of Physics
 * Bülent Atalay, Professor of physics at the University of Mary Washington and the University of Virginia
 * Esin Atıl, historian of Islamic art and curator of Islamic art at the Freer Gallery of Art
 * Ozlem Ayduk, social psychologist at U.C. Berkeley
 * Özalp Babaoğlu, Professor of computer science at University of Bologna
 * Ivet Bahar, Professor of Computational Biology at University of Pittsburgh
 * A. Baha Balantekin, Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin
 * Asım Orhan Barut, Professor of physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder
 * Itzhak Bars, theoretical physicist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles
 * Tamer Başar, Professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
 * Elif Batuman, academic and journalist
 * Nihat Berker, scientist, theoretical chemist, physicist and emeritus professor of physics at MIT
 * Burcin Becerik-Gerber, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southern California
 * Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
 * Gunduz Caginalp, Professor of Mathematics at University of Pittsburgh
 * Emir Caner, President of Truett McConnell University
 * Ergun Caner, Professor of Theology and Church History
 * Zeynep Çelik-Butler, Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington.
 * Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel, Associate professor of the practice in statistics at Duke University
 * Erhan Çinlar, Professor Emeritus at Princeton University
 * Canan Dağdeviren, assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
 * Utkan Demirci, Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine
 * Arif Dirlik, Professor at the University of British Columbia
 * Servet A. Duran, Professor of Materials Science at Washington State University
 * Taner Edis, Professor of physics at the Truman State University
 * Merve Emre, Associate professor of American literature at Oxford University
 * Ali Erdemir, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University
 * Fazıl Erdoğan, Professor and Dean of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics at Lehigh University
 * Ahmed Cemal Eringen, Professor of continuum mechanics at Princeton University
 * Alev Erisir, Professor of Psychology and the Department Chair at the University of Virginia
 * Elza Erkip, Professor and wireless technology researcher at New York University
 * Okan Ersoy, Professor of electrical engineering and Director of Statistical and Computational Intelligence Laboratory at Purdue University
 * Alper Erturk, Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology
 * Erdağ Göknar, Associate Professor of Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke University
 * Selda Gunsel, Vice President (VP) for Global Commercial Technology at Royal Dutch Shell
 * Murat Günel, Professor of Neurosurgery at Yale University
 * Faruk Gül, Professor of Economics, Princeton University
 * Feza Gürsey, mathematician and physicist
 * Suha Gürsey, physicist and mathematician
 * Halil Güven, Dean of San Diego State University - Georgia
 * M. Şükrü Hanioğlu, Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University
 * Çiğdem Balım Harding, Senior lecturer at Indiana University
 * Peter Harzem, Professor of Psychology at Auburn University
 * Ali Hortaçsu, Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago
 * Gökhan S. Hotamisligil, Professor of Nutrition & Division of Biological Sciences at Harvard University
 * Alp Ikizler, nephrologist, holder of the Catherine McLaughlin Hakim chair in Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
 * Ataç İmamoğlu, physicist
 * Umran Inan, scientist at Koç University and Stanford University
 * Murat Iyigun, Professor of Economics at the University of Colorado
 * Cemal Kafadar, Professor of Turkish Studies at Harvard University
 * Pinar Karaca-Mandic, Professor of Healthcare Risk Management at the University of Minnesota
 * Merve Kavakçı, George Washington University Professor and former Fazilet Party Parliamentarian
 * Çetin Kaya Koç
 * Pınar Keskinocak, Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology
 * Timur Kuran, Professor of Economics and Political Science, and Gorter Family Professor in Islamic Studies at Duke University
 * Yahya M. Madra, Associate Professor of Economics at Drew University
 * Naci Mocan, Ourso Distinguished Chair of Economics at Louisiana State University
 * Gülru Necipoğlu, Professor and Director of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University
 * Salih Neftçi, Professor of Economics at the New School University (Turkish-Iraqi origin)
 * Banu Onaral, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering at Drexel University
 * Özalp Özer, Professor of Management Science at the University of Texas at Dallas
 * Mihri Özkan, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of California, Berkeley
 * Meral Özsoyoglu, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at Case Western Reserve University
 * Asuman Özdağlar, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
 * Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil, astronomer and astrophysicist at the University of Arizona
 * Dani Rodrik, professor of International Political Economy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
 * Sema Salur, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Rochester
 * Aziz Sancar, Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine
 * Ezel Kural Shaw, historian and wife of Stanford J. Shaw
 * Muzafer Sherif, Professor of Sociology at Pennsylvania State University
 * Eshref Shevky, Professor of Sociology at the University of California
 * Oktay Sinanoğlu, youngest full Professor in Yale's 20th-century history
 * Emin Gün Sirer, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Cornell University
 * Halil Mete Soner, Professor of Financial Mathematics at ETH Zürich
 * Tayfun Sönmez, Professor of Economics at Boston College
 * Ayşe Şahin, chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Wright State University
 * Damla Şentürk, Professor of biostatistics in the University of California
 * Serap Z. Tilav, US Antarctic Program field team member; the Tilav Cirque is named after her
 * Mehmet Toner, Professor of surgery at the Harvard Medical School and Professor of biomedical engineering at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
 * Sefaattin Tongay, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Arizona State University
 * Zeynep Tufekci, Associate professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina
 * Galip Ulsoy, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering and W.C. Ford Professor Emeritus of Manufacturing at University of Michigan
 * Turgay Üzer, Professor Emeritus at Georgia Institute of Technology
 * Turhan Nejat Veziroğlu, is a professor emeritus at the University of Miami
 * Vamık Volkan, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia,
 * Nur Yalman, Professor of Social Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University
 * Osman Yaşar, Professor and chair of the computational science department at State University of New York College at Brockport
 * K. Aslıhan Yener, University of Chicago archaeologist who uncovered a new source of Bronze Age Anatolian tin mines
 * Yaman Yener, Professor of Engineering at Northeastern University
 * Aylin Yener, holds the Roy and Lois Chope Chair in engineering at Ohio State University
 * Ahmet Yıldız, Associate Professor of Physics and Molecular Cell Biology at the University of California
 * Bilge Yildiz,Professor of Nuclear Science, Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
 * Bilge Yılmaz, Wharton Private Equity Professor and Professor of Finance at the Wharton School
 * Pınar Yoldaş, architect, artist and Professor at University of California San Diego

Activism

 * Nonie Darwish, founder of Arabs for Israel
 * Furkan Doğan, student, known for being killed in the Gaza flotilla raid

American Civil War

 * Marie Tepe, vivandière who fought for the Union army

Architecture and design

 * Kalef Alaton, interior designer
 * Kaya Arıkoğlu, urban designer

Arts and literature



 * Etel Adnan, poet and visual artist
 * Haluk Akakçe, artist
 * Refik Anadol, media artist
 * Kutluğ Ataman, contemporary artist and filmmaker
 * Alev Croutier, writer
 * Sevgi Çağal, painter and sculpture
 * Adam Darius, dancer, mime artist, writer and choreographer
 * Burhan Doğançay, painter, photographer, and former soccer player
 * Ipek Duben, contemporary visual artist
 * Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine film critic
 * Rana Foroohar, business columnist and an associate editor at the Financial Times
 * Sururi Gümen, Illustrator and ghost artist behind Alfred Andriola's comic strip Kerry Drake
 * Ben Ali Haggin, portrait painter and stage designer
 * Timothy Guy Kent, artist
 * Jarett Kobek, author of the 2016 novel I Hate the Internet
 * Reha Kutlu-Hutin, journalist, animal rights activist, and President of 30 millions d'amis
 * Deniz Kuypers, writer
 * Shevaun Mizrahi, filmmaker
 * Mustapha Osman, caricaturist, model maker and set designer
 * Serkan Özkaya, conceptual artist
 * Hayal Pozanti, artist
 * Gizem Saka, contemporary artist
 * Ali Sar, journalist
 * Ozge Samanci, artist and Professor at Northwestern University
 * Hakan Topal, artist and founder of Xurban collective
 * Özel Türkbaş, belly dancer
 * Doğan Uluç, journalist
 * Ayse Wilson, artist
 * Jihan Zencirli, visual artist

Astronomy

 * Betul Kacar
 * Janet Akyüz Mattei, astronomer and director of the AAVSO
 * Feryal Özel, astrophysicist

Business

 * Bulent Altan, aerospace executive and venture capitalist; early leader of SpaceX
 * Melih Abdulhayoğlu, billionaire; founder, CEO, and president of Comodo Group
 * Tevfik Arif, founder of the Bayrock Group
 * Yalcin Ayasli, business executive
 * Ali Aydar, CEO of Sporcle
 * Eren Bali, Founding CEO of Udemy and cofounder of Carbon Health
 * Süreyya Ciliv, former CEO of Turkcell
 * Gorkem Somer, entrepreneur; President / CEO of Soft Touch
 * Zach Erdem, television personality and entrepreneur


 * Hikmet Ersek, CEO of Western Union
 * James Ben Ali Haggin, investor and founder of the Ben Ali Stakes
 * Osman Kibar, billionaire; founder and CEO of Samumed
 * Yalman Onaran, financial journalist
 * Eren Ozmen, billionaire; co-owner and president of Sierra Nevada Corporation
 * Fatih Ozmen, billionaire; co-owner of Sierra Nevada Corporation
 * Cemil Ozyurt, founder of U.S.-based Turk of America
 * Muhtar Kent, former CEO and chairman of The Coca-Cola Company
 * Nabila Khashoggi, businesswoman
 * Murat Köprülü, investment professional and chairman of the American Turkish Society, and founder and chairman of the American Immigrant Society
 * Richard Lounsbery, businessman and founder of the Richard Lounsbery Foundation
 * Erol Onaran, founder of Erol's


 * Ahmet Mücahid Ören, CEO of İhlas Holding
 * Sadettin Saran, businessman
 * Mike Sarimsakci, businessman
 * Rosa Schupbach, economist
 * Izak Senbahar
 * Aydin Senkut, american investor and tech executive
 * Metin Sitti
 * Leila Steinberg, business woman and the first manager of rapper Tupac Shakur (Mexican-Turkish mother)
 * Kenan Şahin, establishing partner in Lucent Technologies

Cinema and television



 * Derya Arbaş, actress
 * Aclan Bates, director
 * Bea Benaderet
 * Turhan Bey, 1940s and 1950s film star
 * D'Arcy Carden, actress
 * David Chokachi, actor
 * Jason Davis, voice actor
 * Bilge Ebiri, journalist and filmmaker
 * Tarik Ergin, actor
 * Didem Erol, actress
 * Ayda Field, actress, married to British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams
 * Defne Joy Foster, actress
 * Rowby Goren, comedy writer
 * Murat Han, actor
 * Nicholas Kadi, actor
 * Kaan Kalyon, co-writer of Disney's Pocahontas (1995) and Hercules (1997)
 * Erin Kaplan, television and fashion media personality
 * Zachary Laoutides, actor, screenwriter and filmmaker
 * Erol Onaran, founder of Erol's TV, Erol's Video and Erol's Internet
 * Eren Özker, puppeteer on The Muppet Show
 * Daphne Oz, nutrition author and television host
 * Hal Ozsan, actor
 * Irma St. Paule, actress
 * Ayse Romey, actress
 * Ozman Sirgood, actor
 * Emre Sahin, film and television director
 * Tiffani Thiessen, actress
 * Louie Torrellas, actor and comedian
 * Onur Tukel, actor, painter, and filmmaker
 * Lev Yilmaz, filmmaker
 * Emrah Yucel, graphic artist for Hollywood movie posters

Early Turkish settlers to the US

 * Ibrahim Ben Ali, Ottoman Turkish soldier and physician who arrived in the US in the late 1790s

Fashion design and modelling

 * John Gidding, fashion model
 * Elle Fowler, beauty and style-related YouTuber
 * Blair Fowler, beauty and style-related YouTuber
 * Melissa Odabash, fashion designer
 * Dee Ocleppo, fashion designer

House of Osman

 * Ertuğrul Osman, 43rd Head of the Imperial House of Osman

Law

 * Halil Süleyman Özerden, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi

Medicine
Karcıoğlu]], M.D., ophthalmic oncology and orbital diseases specialist, surgeon
 * Fikri Alican, surgeon and medical doctor
 * Münci Kalayoğlu, surgeon
 * [[Zeynel A. Karcioglu|Zeynel A.
 * Behram Kurşunoğlu, physicist, co-founder of the Center for Theoretical Studies, University of Miami
 * H. Nida Sen, clinical investigator at the National Eye Institute
 * Mehmet Öz, cardiothoracic surgeon, formerly host of The Dr. Oz Show
 * Dr. Hasan Özbekhan, Professor Emeritus at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, founding member and first director of the think tank The Club of Rome, systems scientist, cyberneticist, philosopher, and planner

Music



 * Fahir Atakoğlu, pianist
 * Bülent Arel, composer of contemporary classical music and electronic music
 * Kathy Barr, singer
 * Bob Dylan, singer
 * Atilla Engin, fusion jazz drummer
 * Ahmet Ertegün, founder of Atlantic Records, chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and co-founder of the New York Cosmos soccer team of the North American Soccer League
 * Nesuhi Ertegün, record producer and executive of Atlantic Records
 * Oak Felder, songwriter and record producer
 * Selim Giray, violinist
 * Eydie Gormé, singer
 * Isaac Guillory, folk guitarist
 * Kamran İnce, composer
 * Emir Işılay, composer and pianist
 * Tolga Katas, singer-songwriter, and record producer
 * Arif Mardin, Vice President and general manager of Manhattan Records
 * Joe Mardin, music producer and son of Arif Mardin
 * İlhan Mimaroğlu, musician and electronic music composer; founder of Finnadar Records
 * Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, Grammy nominated composer
 * Neil Sedaka, pop singer-songwriter, pianist
 * Pamela Spence, pop-rock singer
 * Deniz Tek, founding member of Australian rock group Radio Birdman
 * Özlem Tekin, singer
 * Ömer Faruk Tekbilek, Turkish musician and composer
 * Pınar Toprak, composer

NASA

 * Ismail Akbay, served in various managerial capacities during NASA's Apollo, Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz projects
 * Deniz Burnham, lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserve and NASA astronaut candidate
 * Serkan Golge, NASA contractor on NASA's proposed human mission to Mars
 * Dilhan Eryurt

Politics

 * Zeyno Baran, scholar on issues on US-Turkey relations
 * Selin Sayek Böke, member of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in Turkey
 * Osman "Oz" Bengür, Maryland Democratic Party Congressional candidate
 * Naz Durakoğlu, Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
 * Fetullah Gülen, leader of the Gülen Movement
 * Merve Kavakçı, Turkish ambassador to Malaysia
 * Hasan Piker, Twitch streamer and political commentator
 * Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks and candidate for California's 25th congressional district in 2020

Religion

 * Abdul Kerim al-Qubrusi, former representative of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Order in the United States
 * Yusuf Ziya Kavakçı, Islamic cleric

Sports

 * Ayla Aksu, tennis player
 * Haydar Aşan, sprinter
 * Bora Aydınlık, football player
 * Chris Başak, Major League Baseball infielder
 * Hilmi Esat Bayındırlı, Paralympic alpine skier
 * Deniz Bozkurt, plays for the Puerto Rico national football team
 * Kasim Edebali, American football player
 * Korel Engin, basketball player
 * Erden Eruç, completed first solo human-powered circumnavigation of the Earth by rowboat, sea kayak, bicycle and foot
 * Tunç İlkin, former Pittsburgh Steelers player and sports commentator
 * Ersan İlyasova, Milwaukee Bucks player
 * Enes Kanter Freedom, basketball player
 * Şebnem Kimyacıoğlu, basketball player
 * Yasemin Kimyacıoğlu, basketball player
 * Derya Büyükuncu, swimmer
 * Abdurrahim Kuzu, wrestler
 * Mehmet Okur, Utah Jazz player and 2007 NBA All-Star
 * Yılmaz Orhan, football player
 * Alp Ozkilic, mixed martial artist
 * Renan Ozturk, rock climber
 * Peri Suzan Özkum, diver
 * William Haggin Perry, horseracer
 * Nevin Nevlin, basketball player
 * Lisa Marie Varon, former professional wrestler known as Tara in TNA and Victoria in WWE
 * Ugur Taner, swimmer
 * Ferdi Taygan, tennis player
 * Cayman Togashi, football player in Japan
 * Tansel Turgut, chess player who earned the title of International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster in 2007
 * Hidayet Türkoğlu, Orlando Magic player
 * Jonny Vandal, professional wrestler
 * Nevriye Yılmaz, basketball player
 * Ömer Yurtseven, basketball player
 * Rahim Zafer, manager of Dallas City FC
 * Tarık Çelik, professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive gamer

Other

 * Zeyno Baran, Director of the Center for Eurasian Policy
 * Orkut Büyükkökten, software engineer
 * Tantek Çelik, computer scientist
 * Brittanee Drexel, woman missing since 2009
 * Sibel Deniz Edmonds, former FBI translator
 * Pinar Oya Yilmaz, geologist
 * Erdal Kaya, former FBI agent
 * İdris Güven, Deputy Inspector at NYPD
 * Tayfun Selen, First Turkish American Mayor from Chatham Township
 * Rüstem Bey, Chatham Township's First Official Chief of Police. Son of Madame Bey and Mehmet Sıdki Bey, Ottoman-Turkish diplomat.
 * Hüseyin Bayram, Deputy Mayor of Paterson
 * Jennifer Aydin, Turkish-Syriac reality star