Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,602

İnkaya

İnkaya /inkaˈja/ ASCII Inkaya

“cave rock”1

Probable origin İnkaya: root entries for in + kaya · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
6 / 3
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
İ
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How do you pronounce İnkaya?

İnkaya

IPA /inkaˈja/

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

What does the surname İnkaya mean?

İnkaya is formed from in ‘den, cave’ and kaya ‘rock’, meaning ‘cave rock, hollow rock’. Villages of this name exist in provinces such as Balıkesir, Bursa, Kütahya and Samsun, and the surname has the same structure as these place names.1,2

Grammar in + kaya.

That İnkaya goes back to in and kaya is probable rather than proven: the dictionaries cited agree on it.

What is İnkaya made of?

İnkaya is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: in (in: den, cave) + kaya (kaya: rock).

İnkaya + root in in: den, cave TURKIC in “lair, den; cave” root kaya kaya: rock TURKIC kaya “rock” İnkaya in root in: den, cave in TURKIC “lair, den; cave” kaya root kaya: rock kaya TURKIC “rock”
İnkaya: parts and root words

How was the name İnkaya formed?

İnkaya was formed by joining in (“in: den, cave”) and kaya (“kaya: rock”).

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

Which surnames are related to İnkaya?

İnkaya Kaya Akkaya Çetinkaya Karakaya Sarıkaya Özkaya
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Kaya same root 2 899,722
02 Akkaya same root – –
03 Çetinkaya same root – –
04 Karakaya same root – –
05 Sarıkaya same root – –
06 Özkaya same root – –
07 Yalçınkaya same root – –
08 Kayalı same root – –
09 Kızılkaya same root – –
10 Şahinkaya same root – –
11 Yerlikaya same root – –
12 Kayacan same root – –

Who are some well-known people named İnkaya?

  1. Şemsi İnkaya actor 1939–
  2. Cemalettin İnkaya politician 1927–
  3. Abdurrahman İnkaya researcher
  4. Ahmet Çağkan İnkaya researcher

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

How is İnkaya written and pronounced abroad?

Outside Türkiye the name is usually written Inkaya.

Which surnames have a meaning similar to İnkaya?

Akçakaya, Alkaya and Altınkaya share gloss keywords with İnkaya within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to İnkaya?

Read the root, formation and register information for İnkaya alongside these guides: How Turkish Surnames Are Formed: Roots and Suffixes and How to Pronounce and Spell Turkish Surnames.

Where do these facts come from?

All sources accessed 8 November 2026

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: in
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kaya
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: in
  4. 4 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: İnkaya
  5. 5 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
  6. 6 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)
  7. 7 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS)

Common questions about İnkaya

Q1

What does the surname İnkaya mean?

İnkaya is formed from in ‘den, cave’ and kaya ‘rock’, meaning ‘cave rock, hollow rock’. Villages of this name exist in provinces such as Balıkesir, Bursa, Kütahya and Samsun, and the surname has the same structure as these place names.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname İnkaya?

İnkaya is made up of two elements: in “lair, den; cave” (Turkic) and kaya “rock” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce İnkaya?

İn·ka·ya, 3 syllables; IPA: /inkaˈja/.