Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 394

Altunay

Altunay /aɫtuˈnaj/

“golden moon”2

Letters / syllables
7 / 3
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 Altunay?

Altunay

IPA /aɫtuˈnaj/

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

What does the surname Altunay mean?

Altunay combines altun, the older form of altın “gold”, with ay “moon”: “golden moon”. Nişanyan Adlar records it as the name of a character in the Kyrgyz Manas epic and of a son of Küçüm Khan, ruler of the Siberian Tatars in 1608.1,2

Grammar altun + ay.

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

What is Altunay made of?

Altunay is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: altun (gold) + ay (moon).

Altunay + root altun gold TURKIC altun “gold (older form)” root ay moon TURKIC ay “moon” Altunay altun root gold altun TURKIC “gold (older form)” ay root moon ay TURKIC “moon”
Altunay: parts and root words
  • altun Turkic — gold (older form)2
  • ay Turkic — moon1

How was the name Altunay formed?

Altunay was formed by joining altun (“gold”) and ay (“moon”).

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

Which surnames are related to Altunay?

Altunay Altun Altuntaş Altundağ Altunel Altunbaş Altunbay Altunkaya Altunkaynak Altunbaşak Altunbey Altunbulaklı Altunışık
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Altun same root – –
02 Altuntaş same root – –
03 Altundağ same root – –
04 Altunel same root – –
05 Altunbaş same root – –
06 Altunbay same root – –
07 Altunkaya same root – –
08 Altunkaynak same root – –
09 Altunbaşak same root – –
10 Altunbey same root – –
11 Altunbulaklı same root – –
12 Altunışık same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Altunay?

  1. Cahit Altunay politician 1962–
  2. Cavit Altunay basketball coach 1932–2018
  3. Emin Altunay association football player
  4. Serdar Altunay researcher
  5. Zeynep Önerci Altunay researcher
  6. İlknur Kıvanç Altunay researcher

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

Is Altunay also a first name?

Yes. Altunay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “golden moon”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Altunay accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Altun 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 Altunay

Q1

What does the surname Altunay mean?

Altunay combines altun, the older form of altın “gold”, with ay “moon”: “golden moon”. Nişanyan Adlar records it as the name of a character in the Kyrgyz Manas epic and of a son of Küçüm Khan, ruler of the Siberian Tatars in 1608.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Altunay?

Altunay is made up of two elements: altun “gold (older form)” (Turkic) and ay “moon” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Altunay?

Al·tu·nay, 3 syllables; IPA: /aɫtuˈnaj/.