Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,934

Koray

Koray /koˈɾaj/

“glowing ember-moon; fiery”2

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Compound
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. §7As a first name
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Koray?

Koray

IPA /koˈɾaj/

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

What does the surname Koray mean?

Koray is a male given name built from kor ‘glowing ember’ and ay ‘moon’; Turkish Wiktionary explains it as ‘a fiery, lively, energetic person’. Nişanyan Adlar counts it among the New Turkish names whose meaning is assigned by preference. As an image it can be read as ‘a moon glowing like an ember’.2,3

Grammar Two-element name: kor + ay.

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

What is Koray made of?

Koray is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: kor (glowing ember) + ay (moon; radiant).

Koray ++ root kor glowing ember TURKIC kor “ember, live coal” suffix ay moon; radiant TURKIC ay “moon; as a name elementradiance” Koray kor root glowing ember kor TURKIC “ember, live coal” ay suffix moon; radiant ay TURKIC “moon; as a name element radiance”
Koray: parts and root words
  • kor Turkic — ember, live coal2
  • ay Turkic — moon; as a name element radiance3

How was the name Koray formed?

Koray was formed by adding the suffix ay (“moon; radiant”) to kor (“glowing ember”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.7

Which surnames are related to Koray?

Koray Akkor Koraltan Korel Alkor
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Akkor same root – –
02 Koraltan same root – –
03 Korel same root – –
04 Alkor same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Koray?

  1. Erkin Koray singer 1941–2023
  2. Selim Koray businessperson 1962–
  3. Ayduk Koray basketball player 1927–
  4. Cenk Koray actor 1944–2000
  5. Hamit Koray politician 1899–1983
  6. Tahsin Koray actor 1937–2009
  7. Yunus Koray poet 1952–
  8. Korkut Koray musician 1943–

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

Is Koray also a first name?

Yes. Koray is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “glowing ember-moon; fiery”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Koray accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: kor accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Wiktionary: ay accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Wiktionary: Koray accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Koray accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  8. 8 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Koray

Q1

What does the surname Koray mean?

Koray is a male given name built from kor ‘glowing ember’ and ay ‘moon’; Turkish Wiktionary explains it as ‘a fiery, lively, energetic person’. Nişanyan Adlar counts it among the New Turkish names whose meaning is assigned by preference. As an image it can be read as ‘a moon glowing like an ember’.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Koray?

Koray is made up of two elements: kor “ember, live coal” (Turkic) and ay “moon; as a name element radiance” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Koray?

Ko·ray, 2 syllables; IPA: /koˈɾaj/.