Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,355

Okyay

Okyay /okˈjaj/

“arrow and bow”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
1934 coinage
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
O
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 Okyay?

Okyay

IPA /okˈjaj/

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

What does the surname Okyay mean?

Ok “arrow” and yay “bow” were the two basic weapons of the steppe warrior, and Okyay sets them side by side. The name evokes archery and the mounted warfare of the early Turks; it reads “arrow and bow”.1,2

Grammar ok + yay; two nouns joined side by side.

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

What is Okyay made of?

Okyay breaks into 2 parts: ok (ok: arrow) + yay (yay: bow).

Okyay + root ok ok: arrow TURKIC ok “arrow” root yay yay: bow TURKIC yay “bow (weapon)” Okyay ok root ok: arrow ok TURKIC “arrow” yay root yay: bow yay TURKIC “bow (weapon)”
Okyay: parts and root words
  • ok Turkic — arrow1
  • yay Turkic — bow (weapon)2

How was the name Okyay formed?

Okyay belongs to the “1934 coinage” class of surnames (ok + yay).

Which surnames are related to Okyay?

Okyay Yaycıoğlu Gökyay
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Yaycıoğlu same root – –
02 Gökyay same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Okyay?

  1. İbrahim Okyay racing automobile driver 1969–
  2. Kemal Okyay association football player 1985–
  3. Sevin Okyay writer 1942–
  4. Azra Deniz Okyay film director 1983–
  5. Turgut Okyay judge 1941–
  6. Abdullah Okyay politician 1869–1960
  7. Erdoğan Okyay composer 1933–2017
  8. Kemal Okyay politician 1924–2015

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

Is Okyay also a first name?

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

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: ok accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: yay accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Okyay

Q1

What does the surname Okyay mean?

Ok “arrow” and yay “bow” were the two basic weapons of the steppe warrior, and Okyay sets them side by side. The name evokes archery and the mounted warfare of the early Turks; it reads “arrow and bow”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Okyay?

The root word of Okyay is ok (Turkic): “arrow”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Okyay?

Ok·yay, 2 syllables; IPA: /okˈjaj/.