Barış Manço was born in Üsküdar, Istanbul, Turkey on 2 January 1943. His mother, Rikkat Uyanık, was a famous singer in the early 1940s. His older brother, who was born during World War II, was named Savaş ("war" in Turkish) while he was named Barış ("peace" in Turkish) by his parents to celebrate the end of the war. At birth, he was additionally named Tosun Yusuf after his deceased uncle Yusuf called Tosun (literally: Joseph the Sturdy). However, this name was erased just before he attended the primary school.