Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 333

Alpay

Alpay /aɫˈpaj/

“radiant hero”2

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 Alpay?

Alpay

IPA /aɫˈpaj/

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

What does the surname Alpay mean?

Alpay, a male given name, is built from alp ‘brave, hero’ and ay ‘moon’. Turkish Wiktionary explains it as ‘a brave, valiant person shining like the moon’. According to Nişanyan Adlar, the name’s rise in popularity coincides with the 1970s, when the singer Alpay was famous.2,3

Grammar Compound of two name elements: alp + ay.

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

What is Alpay made of?

Alpay is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: alp (hero, valiant) + ay (moon; beautiful, radiant).

Alpay ++ first element alp hero, valiant TURKIC alp “brave, heroic” suffix ay moon; beautiful, radiant TURKIC ay “moon; as a name elementbeauty, radiance” Alpay alp first element hero, valiant alp TURKIC “brave, heroic” ay suffix moon; beautiful, radiant ay TURKIC “moon; as a name element beauty,radiance”
Alpay: parts and root words
  • alp Turkic — brave, heroic2
  • ay Turkic — moon; as a name element beauty, radiance3

How was the name Alpay formed?

Alpay was formed by adding the suffix ay (“moon; beautiful, radiant”) to alp (“hero, valiant”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.6

Which surnames are related to Alpay?

Alpay Alp Alper Alptekin Gökalp Alpaslan Özalp Alparslan Eralp Kayaalp Alpar Alpdoğan Demiralp
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Alp same root – –
02 Alper same root – –
03 Alptekin same root – –
04 Gökalp same root – –
05 Alpaslan same root – –
06 Özalp same root – –
07 Alparslan same root – –
08 Eralp same root – –
09 Kayaalp same root – –
10 Alpar same root – –
11 Alpdoğan same root – –
12 Demiralp same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Alpay?

  1. Necmiye Alpay writer 1946–
  2. Şahin Alpay television presenter 1944–
  3. Şuay Alpay politician 1960–
  4. Talat Alpay politician 1910–1990
  5. Teoman Alpay composer 1933–2005
  6. Yahya Alpay poet 1920–2004
  7. Zeynep Doğa Alpay volleyball player 2010–
  8. İrfan Ferit Alpaya politician 1884–1951

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

Is Alpay also a first name?

Yes. Alpay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “radiant hero”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Alpay accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: alp accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: ay accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Alpay accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Alpay

Q1

What does the surname Alpay mean?

Alpay, a male given name, is built from alp ‘brave, hero’ and ay ‘moon’. Turkish Wiktionary explains it as ‘a brave, valiant person shining like the moon’. According to Nişanyan Adlar, the name’s rise in popularity coincides with the 1970s, when the singer Alpay was famous.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Alpay?

Alpay is made up of two elements: alp “brave, heroic” (Turkic) and ay “moon; as a name element beauty, radiance” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Alpay?

Al·pay, 2 syllables; IPA: /aɫˈpaj/.