Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,295

Okay

Okay /oˈkaj/

“arrow and moon”1

Letters / syllables
4 / 2
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
O
Contents§1–§9
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6As a first name
  7. §7Sources
  8. §8Questions
  9. §9Related

How do you pronounce Okay?

Okay

IPA /oˈkaj/

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

What does the surname Okay mean?

A male given name formed from ok “arrow” and ay “moon”. It is commonly interpreted as “swift as an arrow, bright as the moon”, or as the arrow-thin new crescent. The likeness to English “okay” is only one of spelling.1,2

Grammar ok + ay; two-element name.

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

What is Okay made of?

Okay is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: ok (ok: arrow) + ay (ay: moon; beauty).

Okay ++ root ok ok: arrow TURKIC ok “arrow” suffix ay ay: moon; beauty TURKIC ay “moon” Okay ok root ok: arrow ok TURKIC “arrow” ay suffix ay: moon; beauty ay TURKIC “moon”
Okay: parts and root words
  • ok Turkic — arrow1
  • ay Turkic — moon2

How was the name Okay formed?

Okay was formed by adding the suffix ay (“ay: moon; beauty”) to ok (“ok: arrow”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.6

Who are some well-known people named Okay?

  1. Meral Okay actor 1959–2012
  2. Yaman Okay actor 1951–1993
  3. Arzu Okay actor 1955–
  4. Orhan Okay writer 1931–2017
  5. İhsan Okay association football player 1969–
  6. Aral Okay researcher 1953–2023
  7. Erman Okay actor 1939–
  8. Güngör Okay association football player 1935–1984

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

Is Okay also a first name?

Yes. Okay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “arrow and moon”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

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

Common questions about Okay

Q1

What does the surname Okay mean?

A male given name formed from ok “arrow” and ay “moon”. It is commonly interpreted as “swift as an arrow, bright as the moon”, or as the arrow-thin new crescent. The likeness to English “okay” is only one of spelling.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Okay?

Okay is made up of two elements: ok “arrow” (Turkic) and ay “moon” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Okay?

O·kay, 2 syllables; IPA: /oˈkaj/.