Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,725

Kayalı

Kayalı /kajaˈɫɯ/ ASCII Kayali

“rocky”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 3
Formation
Suffixed
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
K
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7Abroad
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Kayalı?

Kayalı

IPA /kajaˈɫɯ/

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

What does the surname Kayalı mean?

Formed from kaya “rock” with the suffix -lı, it means “rocky, full of rocks”. Many Anatolian villages are called Kayalı; the surname may point to one of them or simply to a rocky homeland.1

Grammar kaya + -lı; adjective from a noun (or place name + -lı).

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

Kayalı is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Kayalı made of?

Kayalı is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: kaya (kaya: rock) + -lı (suffix of possession or origin).

Kayalı + root kaya kaya: rock TURKIC kaya “rock” suffix -lı suffix of possession ororigin Kayalı kaya root kaya: rock kaya TURKIC “rock” -lı suffix suffix of possession or origin
Kayalı: parts and root words
  • kaya Turkic — rock1

How was the name Kayalı formed?

Kayalı was formed by adding the suffix -lı (“suffix of possession or origin”) to kaya (“kaya: rock”).

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

Which surnames are related to Kayalı?

Kayalı Kaya Akkaya Çetinkaya Karakaya Sarıkaya Özkaya Yalçınkaya Kızılkaya Şahinkaya Yerlikaya Kayacan Kayalar
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 Kızılkaya same root – –
09 Şahinkaya same root – –
10 Yerlikaya same root – –
11 Kayacan same root – –
12 Kayalar same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Kayalı?

  1. Ali Kayalı amateur wrestler 1965–
  2. Abdülkadir Kayalı association football player 1991–
  3. Murat Kayalı association football player 1989–
  4. Hasan Berat Kayalı association football player 2005–
  5. Reşat Kayalı politician 1881–1926
  6. Kağan Kayalı association football player 1999–
  7. Nafiz Kayalı statesperson 1955–
  8. Saffet Kayalı professional wrestler 1961–

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

How is Kayalı written and pronounced abroad?

In databases without Turkish characters it usually appears as Kayali.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: kaya accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: kaya 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 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Kayalı

Q1

What does the surname Kayalı mean?

Formed from kaya “rock” with the suffix -lı, it means “rocky, full of rocks”. Many Anatolian villages are called Kayalı; the surname may point to one of them or simply to a rocky homeland.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kayalı?

The root word of Kayalı is kaya (Turkic): “rock”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kayalı?

Ka·ya·lı, 3 syllables; IPA: /kajaˈɫɯ/.