Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 352

Altay

Altay /aɫˈtaj/

“the Altai mountains; given name”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Place name
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 Altay?

Altay

IPA /aɫˈtaj/

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

What does the surname Altay mean?

Altay is the name of the mountains that stretch across Central Asia between Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia; the dictionary links it to Old Turkic altaw. Seen as one of the early homelands of Turkic history, the range gave Türkiye a common male given name.1

That Altay goes back to Altay is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is Altay made of?

Altay is a single Turkic root: Altay (Altay: mountain range in Central Asia).

Altay root Altay Altay: mountain range inCentral Asia TURKIC Altay “mountains in CentralAsia between Russia,…” Altay Altay root Altay: mountain range in Central Asia Altay TURKIC “mountains in Central Asiabetween Russia, Kazakhstan,…”
Altay: parts and root words
  • Altay Turkic — mountains in Central Asia between Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia (Old Turkic altaw)1

How was the name Altay formed?

Altay comes from a place name: Altay (“Altay: mountain range in Central Asia”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.5

Which surnames are related to Altay?

Altay Altaylı Günaltay Altaylar
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Altaylı same root – –
02 Günaltay same root – –
03 Altaylar same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Altay?

  1. Fahrettin Altay politician 1880–1974
  2. Ceyhun Altay basketball player 1986–
  3. Seray Altay volleyball player 1987–
  4. Engin Altay politician 1963–
  5. Mahmut Altay amateur wrestler 1978–
  6. Kadri Altay politician 1921–2013
  7. Orhan Altay association football player 1978–
  8. Uğur İbrahim Altay politician 1974–

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

Is Altay also a first name?

Yes. Altay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “the Altai mountains; given name”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

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

Common questions about Altay

Q1

What does the surname Altay mean?

Altay is the name of the mountains that stretch across Central Asia between Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia; the dictionary links it to Old Turkic altaw. Seen as one of the early homelands of Turkic history, the range gave Türkiye a common male given name.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Altay?

The root word of Altay is Altay (Turkic): “mountains in Central Asia between Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia (Old Turkic altaw)”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Altay?

Al·tay, 2 syllables; IPA: /aɫˈtaj/.