Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 78

Akay

Akay /aˈkaj/

“white, bright moon”2

Letters / syllables
4 / 2
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
A
Contents§1–§9
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6As a first name
  7. §7Sources
  8. §8Questions
  9. §9Related

How do you pronounce Akay?

Akay

IPA /aˈkaj/

The stress usually falls on syllable 2 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Akay mean?

From ak “white” and ay “moon”: “white moon”, the bright, silvery moon. The name evokes the clear light and spotlessness of the full moon.1,2

Grammar Adjective ak + noun ay.

That Akay goes back to ak and ay is probable rather than proven: the dictionaries cited agree on it.

What is Akay made of?

Akay breaks into 2 parts: ak (ak: white; bright) + ay (ay: moon).

Akay ++ first element ak ak: white; bright TURKIC ak “white; spotless” suffix ay ay: moon TURKIC ay “moon” Akay ak first element ak: white; bright ak TURKIC “white; spotless” ay suffix ay: moon ay TURKIC “moon”
Akay: parts and root words
  • ak Turkic — white; spotless2
  • ay Turkic — moon1

How was the name Akay formed?

Akay belongs to the “compound” class of surnames (ak + ay).

Who are some well-known people named Akay?

  1. Ezel Akay actor 1961–
  2. Sezgi Sena Akay volleyball player 1995–
  3. Miray Akay actor 2000–
  4. Şenay Akay actor 1980–
  5. Aydın Sefa Akay judge 1950–
  6. Büşra Akay athletics competitor 2005–
  7. Ahmet Akay politician 1959–
  8. Mert Akay basketball player 2000–

People surnamed Akay as recorded in Wikidata, ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions.

Is Akay also a first name?

Yes. Akay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “white, bright moon”.

Akay as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: ay accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: ak accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Akay

Q1

What does the surname Akay mean?

From ak “white” and ay “moon”: “white moon”, the bright, silvery moon. The name evokes the clear light and spotlessness of the full moon.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Akay?

The root word of Akay is ak (Turkic): “white; spotless”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Akay?

A·kay, 2 syllables; IPA: /aˈkaj/.