SURNAMEEntry 3,253
Kutay
“blessed moon; silk”1
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How do you pronounce Kutay?
The stress usually falls on syllable 2 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.
What does the surname Kutay mean?
Kutay is a male name, most commonly explained as “blessed, auspicious moon”, combining kut and ay. The dictionary also gives the word a historical sense, “silk, silken cloth”. The name dictionary, however, calls the link with kut arbitrary and connects the name with Kuday, from Persian xudāy, “god”. Among the old Turks kut was heaven-sent fortune and the power to rule.1
Grammar Compound of kut + ay.
The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:
- Name reading: kut + ay, “blessed moon” (TDK-based Wiktionary); the name dictionary allows that female names may have been understood this way.
- Name-dictionary reading: Kutay/Kuday in the mythology of the Altai Turks comes from Persian xudāy, “god”, and its link with kut is arbitrary; in Old Turkic kutay also means “silk cloth” (Nişanyan Adlar).
How was the name Kutay formed?
Kutay was formed by adding the suffix ay (“moon”) to kut (“heavenly fortune”).
Which surnames are related to Kutay?
| # | Surname | Relation | Rank | People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Kutlu | same root | – | – |
| 02 | Aykut | same root | – | – |
| 03 | Erkut | same root | – | – |
| 04 | Kutman | same root | – | – |
| 05 | Tankut | same root | – | – |
| 06 | Kut | same root | – | – |
| 07 | Kutlar | same root | – | – |
| 08 | Kutlay | same root | – | – |
| 09 | Kutluğ | same root | – | – |
| 10 | Soykut | same root | – | – |
| 11 | Başkut | same root | – | – |
| 12 | Aykutalp | same root | – | – |
Who are some well-known people named Kutay?
- Ecmel Kutay politician 1927–1998
- Cemal Kutay writer 1909–2006
- Hazım Kutay politician 1933–2022
People surnamed Kutay as recorded in Wikidata, ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions.
Is Kutay also a first name?
Yes. Kutay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “blessed moon; silk”.
Kutay as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →
Which surnames have a meaning similar to Kutay?
Aykan, Erkut and Erdoğan share gloss keywords with Kutay within the same primary category.
Which guides add context to Kutay?
Read the root, formation and register information for Kutay alongside these guides: How Turkish Surnames Are Formed: Roots and Suffixes and How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.
Where do these facts come from?
- 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Kutay
- 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: kutay
- 3 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name
- 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)
- 5 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com)
Common questions about Kutay
- Q1
What does the surname Kutay mean?
- Kutay is a male name, most commonly explained as “blessed, auspicious moon”, combining kut and ay. The dictionary also gives the word a historical sense, “silk, silken cloth”. The name dictionary, however, calls the link with kut arbitrary and connects the name with Kuday, from Persian xudāy, “god”. Among the old Turks kut was heaven-sent fortune and the power to rule.
- Q2
What is the origin of the surname Kutay?
- The root word of Kutay is kutay (Turkic): ‘male name meaning “blessed moon”; silk, silken cloth’. There are 3 competing views on where Kutay comes from, all set out on this page.
- Q3
How do you pronounce Kutay?
- Ku·tay, 2 syllables; IPA: /kuˈtaj/.