Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,103

Kortay

Kortay /koɾˈtaj/

“kurt ‘wolf’ (or ‘dwarf’) + ay”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
K
Contents§1–§11
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7As a first name
  8. §8Abroad
  9. §9Sources
  10. §10Questions
  11. §11Related

How do you pronounce Kortay?

Kortay

IPA /koɾˈtaj/

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

What does the surname Kortay mean?

Kortay is a personal name. Nişanyan Adlar lists it as a form of Kurtay, analysed as kurt + ay, and connects the kurt element with two possible sources: Turkish kurt ‘wolf’ or Kurdish kurt ‘dwarf, diminutive’. The source does not decide between them.1

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. From Turkish kurt ‘wolf’ (Nişanyan Adlar).
  2. From Kurdish kurt ‘dwarf, diminutive’ (Nişanyan Adlar).

What is Kortay made of?

Kortay is a single root: Kortay (Kortay: personal name).

Kortay + root Kortay Kortay: personal name TURKIC kurt “wolf” KURDISH kurt “dwarf, diminutive” Kortay Kortay root Kortay: personal name kurt TURKIC “wolf” kurt KURDISH “dwarf, diminutive”
Kortay: parts and root words
  • kurt Turkic — wolf1
  • kurt Kurdish — dwarf, diminutive1

How was the name Kortay formed?

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

Which surnames are related to Kortay?

Kortay Kurt Bozkurt Karakurt Kurtoğlu Akkurt Kurdoğlu Özkurt Aykurt Baykurt
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Kurt same root 17 289,723
02 Bozkurt same root – –
03 Karakurt same root – –
04 Kurtoğlu same root – –
05 Akkurt same root – –
06 Kurdoğlu same root – –
07 Özkurt same root – –
08 Aykurt same root – –
09 Baykurt same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Kortay?

  1. Göksel Kortay actor 1939–

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

Is Kortay also a first name?

Yes. Kortay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: kurt ‘wolf’ (or ‘dwarf’) + ay.

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

How is Kortay written and pronounced abroad?

The spelling Kortay is usually kept abroad.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 nisanyanadlar.com nisanyanadlar.com: Kortay accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Kortay

Q1

What does the surname Kortay mean?

Kortay is a personal name. Nişanyan Adlar lists it as a form of Kurtay, analysed as kurt + ay, and connects the kurt element with two possible sources: Turkish kurt ‘wolf’ or Kurdish kurt ‘dwarf, diminutive’. The source does not decide between them.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kortay?

The root word of Kortay is kurt (Turkic): “wolf”. There are 3 competing views on where Kortay comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Kortay?

Kor·tay, 2 syllables; IPA: /koɾˈtaj/.