Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 1,029

Çıray

Çıray /tʃɯˈɾaj/ ASCII Ciray

“countenance, face”1

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

How do you pronounce Çıray?

Çıray

IPA /tʃɯˈɾaj/

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

What does the surname Çıray mean?

Çıray rests on çiray “countenance, visage”, used in Mongolian and Chagatai Turkish; Nişanyan Adlar compares it with Persian chihra “face”. The same source adds that the name may also refer to Çırağ or Çıra “lamp”.1

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

What is Çıray made of?

Çıray is a single root: çıray (countenance, face).

Çıray root çıray countenance, face MONGOLIC çiray “countenance, visage” Çıray çıray root countenance, face çiray MONGOLIC “countenance, visage”
Çıray: parts and root words
  • çiray Mongolic — countenance, visage1

How was the name Çıray formed?

Çıray belongs to the “plain noun” class of surnames.

Who are some well-known people named Çıray?

  1. Aytun Çıray politician 1957–
  2. Gül Çıray athletics competitor 1939–2019
  3. Tamer Çıray film score composer

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

Is Çıray also a first name?

Yes. Çıray is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “countenance, face”.

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

How is Çıray written and pronounced abroad?

Without Turkish letters the name appears as Ciray in passports and foreign registers.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 nisanyanadlar.com nisanyanadlar.com: Çıray accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Çıray 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 Çıray

Q1

What does the surname Çıray mean?

Çıray rests on çiray “countenance, visage”, used in Mongolian and Chagatai Turkish; Nişanyan Adlar compares it with Persian chihra “face”. The same source adds that the name may also refer to Çırağ or Çıra “lamp”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Çıray?

The root word of Çıray is çiray (Mongolic): “countenance, visage”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Çıray?

Çı·ray, 2 syllables; IPA: /tʃɯˈɾaj/.