Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 176

Aktay

Aktay /akˈtaj/

“white colt”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
A
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7As a first name
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Aktay?

Aktay

IPA /akˈtaj/

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

What does the surname Aktay mean?

Aktay joins ak “white” and tay, and in its most natural reading means “white colt”. A tay is a foal up to three years old, and in old Turkic culture the horse and colt were symbols of strength and agility. Dictionaries also record tay in the sense “equal, peer”.1

Grammar ak + tay (adjective + noun)

That Aktay goes back to ak and tay is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is Aktay made of?

Aktay breaks into 2 parts: ak (white) + tay (colt, foal).

Aktay + root ak white TURKIC ak “white; pure” root tay colt, foal TURKIC tay “colt up to three years;peer, equal” Aktay ak root white ak TURKIC “white; pure” tay root colt, foal tay TURKIC “colt up to three years; peer,equal”
Aktay: parts and root words
  • ak Turkic — white; pure1
  • tay Turkic — colt up to three years; peer, equal1

How was the name Aktay formed?

Aktay belongs to the “compound” class of surnames (ak + tay).

Which surnames are related to Aktay?

Aktay Karatay Berktay Göktay
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Karatay same root – –
02 Berktay same root – –
03 Göktay same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Aktay?

  1. Yasin Aktay politician 1966–
  2. Fatih Aktay association football player 1997–
  3. Ali Haydar Aktay diplomat 1884–1942
  4. Salih Zeki Aktay writer 1896–1971

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

Is Aktay also a first name?

Yes. Aktay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “white colt”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: tay accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikipedi: Aktay 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 Aktay

Q1

What does the surname Aktay mean?

Aktay joins ak “white” and tay, and in its most natural reading means “white colt”. A tay is a foal up to three years old, and in old Turkic culture the horse and colt were symbols of strength and agility. Dictionaries also record tay in the sense “equal, peer”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Aktay?

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

How do you pronounce Aktay?

Ak·tay, 2 syllables; IPA: /akˈtaj/.