Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 433

Atay

Atay /aˈtaj/

“moon of the ancestors”1

Letters / syllables
4 / 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 Atay?

Atay

IPA /aˈtaj/

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

What does the surname Atay mean?

Usually read as ata “father, ancestor” plus ay “moon”, in the pattern of -ay names such as Alpay and Tuncay. It gives the sense “moon of the ancestors” or “an ancestor bright as the moon”.1,2

Grammar Compound ata + ay; one of the two adjacent vowels has dropped.

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

What is Atay made of?

Atay breaks into 2 parts: ata (ata: father; ancestor) + ay (ay: moon; beauty).

Atay ++ root ata ata: father; ancestor TURKIC ata “father; ancestor” suffix ay ay: moon; beauty TURKIC ay “moon” Atay ata root ata: father; ancestor ata TURKIC “father; ancestor” ay suffix ay: moon; beauty ay TURKIC “moon”
Atay: parts and root words
  • ata Turkic — father; ancestor1
  • ay Turkic — moon2

How was the name Atay formed?

Atay belongs to the “compound” class of surnames (ata + ay).

Which surnames are related to Atay?

Atay Atalay Ataman Atasoy Ataç Ata Atakan Atabek Atalar Ataoğlu Atacan Ataseven Ayata
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Atalay same root – –
02 Ataman same root – –
03 Atasoy same root – –
04 Ataç same root – –
05 Ata same root – –
06 Atakan same root – –
07 Atabek same root – –
08 Atalar same root – –
09 Ataoğlu same root – –
10 Atacan same root – –
11 Ataseven same root – –
12 Ayata same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Atay?

  1. Oğuz Atay writer 1934–1977
  2. Falih Rıfkı Atay politician 1894–1971
  3. Ali Atay actor 1976–
  4. Barış Atay politician 1981–
  5. Adem Atay association football player 1985–
  6. Cahit Atay writer 1925–2012
  7. Fatih Atay politician 1957–
  8. Hüseyin Atay theologian 1930–2023

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

Is Atay also a first name?

Yes. Atay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “moon of the ancestors”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Atay accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: 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 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 Atay

Q1

What does the surname Atay mean?

Usually read as ata “father, ancestor” plus ay “moon”, in the pattern of -ay names such as Alpay and Tuncay. It gives the sense “moon of the ancestors” or “an ancestor bright as the moon”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Atay?

The root word of Atay is ata (Turkic): “father; ancestor”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Atay?

A·tay, 2 syllables; IPA: /aˈtaj/.