Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,050

Kutlay

Kutlay /kutˈɫaj/

“blessed, lucky moon”2

Letters / syllables
6 / 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 Kutlay?

Kutlay

IPA /kutˈɫaj/

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

What does the surname Kutlay mean?

Kutlay is a male name explained as “blessed, auspicious moon”, a fusion of kutlu and ay in which the middle vowel has dropped. Among the old Turks kut meant heaven-sent fortune and the right to rule. The name expresses the wish of a birth at a lucky time.1,2

Grammar kutlu + ay with loss of the medial vowel.

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

What is Kutlay made of?

Kutlay is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: kut (heavenly fortune, blessing) + -lay (the element ay as in kutlu + ay).

Kutlay ++ root kut heavenly fortune,blessing TURKIC kutlu “auspicious, blessed” suffix -lay the element ay as inkutlu + ay TURKIC ay “the moon; month” Kutlay kut root heavenly fortune, blessing kutlu TURKIC “auspicious, blessed” -lay suffix the element ay as in kutlu + ay ay TURKIC “the moon; month”
Kutlay: parts and root words
  • kutlu Turkic — auspicious, blessed2
  • ay Turkic — the moon; month1

How was the name Kutlay formed?

Kutlay was formed by adding the suffix -lay (“the element ay as in kutlu + ay”) to kut (“heavenly fortune, blessing”).

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

Which surnames are related to Kutlay?

Kutlay Kutlu Aykut Erkut Kutman Tankut Kut Kutlar Kutluay Kutluğ Soykut Başkut Kutay
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
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 Kutluay same root – –
09 Kutluğ same root – –
10 Soykut same root – –
11 Başkut same root – –
12 Kutay same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Kutlay?

  1. Cafer Sadık Kutlay politician 1912–1988
  2. Evren Kutlay pianist
  3. Tevfik Kutlay association football player 1933–2001
  4. Özden Kutlay researcher

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

Is Kutlay also a first name?

Yes. Kutlay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “blessed, lucky moon”.

Kutlay 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: kutlu accessed 8 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 Kutlay

Q1

What does the surname Kutlay mean?

Kutlay is a male name explained as “blessed, auspicious moon”, a fusion of kutlu and ay in which the middle vowel has dropped. Among the old Turks kut meant heaven-sent fortune and the right to rule. The name expresses the wish of a birth at a lucky time.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Kutlay?

Kutlay is made up of two elements: kutlu “auspicious, blessed” (Turkic) and ay “the moon; month” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Kutlay?

Kut·lay, 2 syllables; IPA: /kutˈɫaj/.