Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,514

Özkaya

Özkaya /øzkaˈja/ ASCII Ozkaya

“true, solid rock”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 3
Formation
1934 coinage
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
Ö
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 Özkaya?

Özkaya

IPA /øzkaˈja/

The stress usually falls on syllable 3 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Özkaya mean?

From öz “genuine, pure, true” and kaya “rock”: “true rock”, solid, unyielding stone. It follows the pattern of Öz- surnames such as Özdemir and Özçelik.1

Grammar Compound öz + kaya; kaya is the head.

That Özkaya goes back to öz and kaya is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is Özkaya made of?

Özkaya breaks into 2 parts: öz (öz: own; pure, genuine) + kaya (kaya: rock).

Özkaya ++ first element öz öz: own; pure, genuine TURKIC öz “self; genuine, pure” suffix kaya kaya: rock TURKIC kaya “rock” Özkaya öz first element öz: own; pure, genuine öz TURKIC “self; genuine, pure” kaya suffix kaya: rock kaya TURKIC “rock”
Özkaya: parts and root words
  • öz Turkic — self; genuine, pure1
  • kaya Turkic — rock1

How was the name Özkaya formed?

Özkaya belongs to the “1934 coinage” class of surnames (öz + kaya).

Which surnames are related to Özkaya?

Özkaya Kaya Akkaya Çetinkaya Karakaya Sarıkaya Yalçınkaya Kayalı Kızılkaya Şahinkaya Yerlikaya Kayacan Kayalar
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Kaya same root 2 899,722
02 Akkaya same root – –
03 Çetinkaya same root – –
04 Karakaya same root – –
05 Sarıkaya same root – –
06 Yalçınkaya same root – –
07 Kayalı same root – –
08 Kızılkaya same root – –
09 Şahinkaya same root – –
10 Yerlikaya same root – –
11 Kayacan same root – –
12 Kayalar same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Özkaya?

  1. Özgür Özkaya association football player 1988–
  2. Naci Özkaya association football player 1922–2007
  3. Ali Özkaya politician 1970–
  4. Serkan Özkaya graphic artist 1973–
  5. Atakan Özkaya film actor 1998–
  6. Eraslan Özkaya judge 1939–2025
  7. Halil İbrahim Özkaya politician 1892–1972
  8. Cevat Nezihi Özkaya diplomat 1951–

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

Is Özkaya also a first name?

Yes. Özkaya is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “true, solid rock”.

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

How is Özkaya written and pronounced abroad?

English-language records usually print Özkaya as Ozkaya, dropping the diacritics.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: kaya accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Özkaya 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 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS) accessed 8 November 2026
  7. 7 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Özkaya

Q1

What does the surname Özkaya mean?

From öz “genuine, pure, true” and kaya “rock”: “true rock”, solid, unyielding stone. It follows the pattern of Öz- surnames such as Özdemir and Özçelik.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Özkaya?

The root word of Özkaya is öz (Turkic): “self; genuine, pure”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Özkaya?

Öz·ka·ya, 3 syllables; IPA: /øzkaˈja/.