Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 273

Alanay

Alanay /aɫaˈnaj/

“moon over the open plain”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 3
Formation
1934 coinage
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
A
Contents§1–§11
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7As a first name
  8. §8Abroad
  9. §9Sources
  10. §10Questions
  11. §11Related

How do you pronounce Alanay?

Alanay

IPA /aɫaˈnaj/

The stress usually falls on syllable 3 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Alanay mean?

Made of alan, “open level ground”, and ay, “moon”, the name evokes a moon rising over open land. It follows the pattern of -ay names such as Günay and Atay.1,2

Grammar Compound alan + ay.

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

What is Alanay made of?

Alanay is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: alan (alan: open ground, field) + ay (ay: moon; radiant).

Alanay + root alan alan: open ground, field TURKIC alan “open level ground, field” root ay ay: moon; radiant TURKIC ay “moon; beauty, radiance” Alanay alan root alan: open ground, field alan TURKIC “open level ground, field” ay root ay: moon; radiant ay TURKIC “moon; beauty, radiance”
Alanay: parts and root words
  • alan Turkic — open level ground, field1
  • ay Turkic — moon; beauty, radiance2

How was the name Alanay formed?

Alanay is a name newly coined from alan (“alan: open ground, field”) and ay (“ay: moon; radiant”) in the years of the surname law.

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.4

Which surnames are related to Alanay?

Alanay Alan Akalan Alanoğlu Keçialan
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Alan same root – –
02 Akalan same root – –
03 Alanoğlu same root – –
04 Keçialan same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Alanay?

  1. Ahmet Alanay university teacher
  2. Yasemin Alanay researcher

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

Is Alanay also a first name?

Yes. Alanay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “moon over the open plain”.

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

How is Alanay written and pronounced abroad?

The name has no Turkish-specific letters and is written Alanay abroad as well; y is a consonant as in “yes”.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: alan accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: ay 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 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Alanay

Q1

What does the surname Alanay mean?

Made of alan, “open level ground”, and ay, “moon”, the name evokes a moon rising over open land. It follows the pattern of -ay names such as Günay and Atay.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Alanay?

Alanay is made up of two elements: alan “open level ground, field” (Turkic) and ay “moon; beauty, radiance” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Alanay?

A·la·nay, 3 syllables; IPA: /aɫaˈnaj/.