Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,400

Işılay

Işılay /ɯʃɯˈɫaj/ ASCII Isilay

“the shining moon”2

Letters / syllables
6 / 3
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
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Initial
I
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 Işılay?

Işılay

IPA /ɯʃɯˈɫaj/

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

What does the surname Işılay mean?

A girl’s name built from ışıl and ay: “the shining moon, the bright moon”. Işıl is an adjective meaning “bright, gleaming”, familiar from the doubled form ışıl ışıl, “sparkling”. The name evokes the beauty of the moon shining in the night sky.1,2

Grammar Compound of ışıl + ay.

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

What is Işılay made of?

Işılay is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: ışıl (bright, sparkling) + ay (moon).

Işılay ++ root ışıl bright, sparkling TURKIC ışıl “bright, shining” suffix ay moon TURKIC ay “the moon” Işılay ışıl root bright, sparkling ışıl TURKIC “bright, shining” ay suffix moon ay TURKIC “the moon”
Işılay: parts and root words
  • ışıl Turkic — bright, shining2
  • ay Turkic — the moon1

How was the name Işılay formed?

Işılay was formed by adding the suffix ay (“moon”) to ışıl (“bright, sparkling”).

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

Which surnames are related to Işılay?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Işıl same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Işılay?

  1. Yavuz Işılay volleyball player 1943–
  2. Emir Işılay composer 1901–
  3. Sadi Işılay composer 1899–1969

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

Is Işılay also a first name?

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

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: ay accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: ışıl accessed 9 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: ay 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 Işılay

Q1

What does the surname Işılay mean?

A girl’s name built from ışıl and ay: “the shining moon, the bright moon”. Işıl is an adjective meaning “bright, gleaming”, familiar from the doubled form ışıl ışıl, “sparkling”. The name evokes the beauty of the moon shining in the night sky.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Işılay?

Işılay is made up of two elements: ışıl “bright, shining” (Turkic) and ay “the moon” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Işılay?

I·şı·lay, 3 syllables; IPA: /ɯʃɯˈɫaj/.