Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 2,878

Şenay

Şenay /ʃeˈnaj/ ASCII Senay

“cheerful moon”2

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
mixed
Initial
Ş
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 Şenay?

Şenay

IPA /ʃeˈnaj/

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

What does the surname Şenay mean?

Şenay is a girl’s name meaning “cheerful moon”. Ay, the moon, has long been used in Turkish names as an image of beauty and radiance. The origin of şen is debated: Nişanyan treats it as a cognate of Armenian šen going back to Middle Persian, while other sources derive it directly from Persian.1,2

Grammar şen + ay.

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

What is Şenay made of?

Şenay breaks into 2 parts: şen (cheerful) + ay (moon).

Şenay + root şen cheerful ARMENIAN şen “cheerful; per Nişanyancognate with Armenian…” root ay moon TURKIC ay “moon” Şenay şen root cheerful şen ARMENIAN “cheerful; per Nişanyan cognatewith Armenian šen, from Middle…” ay root moon ay TURKIC “moon”
Şenay: parts and root words
  • şen Armenian — cheerful; per Nişanyan cognate with Armenian šen, from Middle Persian *šēn2
  • ay Turkic — moon1

How was the name Şenay formed?

Şenay belongs to the “compound” class of surnames (şen + ay).

Which surnames are related to Şenay?

Şenay Şen Şener Şentürk Şenol Şengül Şenel Şensoy Şenocak Şengün Şencan Erşen Pekşen
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Şen same root – –
02 Şener same root – –
03 Şentürk same root – –
04 Şenol same root – –
05 Şengül same root – –
06 Şenel same root – –
07 Şensoy same root – –
08 Şenocak same root – –
09 Şengün same root – –
10 Şencan same root – –
11 Erşen same root – –
12 Pekşen same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Şenay?

  1. Onur Şenay film actor 1975–
  2. Nusret Şenay actor 1960–
  3. Özer Şenay musician 1947–2007
  4. Bülent Şenay religious studies scholar
  5. Caner Şenay basketball player 1999–
  6. Mustafa Şenay researcher

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

Is Şenay also a first name?

Yes. Şenay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “cheerful moon”.

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

How is Şenay written and pronounced abroad?

Without Turkish letters the name appears as Senay in passports and foreign registers.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 nisanyanadlar.com nisanyanadlar.com: Şenay accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: şen 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 Şenay

Q1

What does the surname Şenay mean?

Şenay is a girl’s name meaning “cheerful moon”. Ay, the moon, has long been used in Turkish names as an image of beauty and radiance. The origin of şen is debated: Nişanyan treats it as a cognate of Armenian šen going back to Middle Persian, while other sources derive it directly from Persian.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Şenay?

The root word of Şenay is şen (Turkic): “cheerful; per Nişanyan cognate with Armenian šen, from Middle Persian *šēn”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Şenay?

Şe·nay, 2 syllables; IPA: /ʃeˈnaj/.