Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,215

Somay

Somay /soˈmaj/

“pure moon”2

Probable origin Somay: root entries for som + ay · How do we know?

Published: Last updated:

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
1934 coinage
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
S
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How do you pronounce Somay?

Somay

IPA /soˈmaj/

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

What does the surname Somay mean?

Somay is formed from som, “pure, solid”, and ay, “moon”: “a pure, full moon”. Som survives in expressions such as som altın, “solid gold”.1,2

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

What is Somay made of?

Somay is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: som (som: pure, solid) + ay (ay: moon).

Somay + root som som: pure, solid TURKIC som “pure; solid” root ay ay: moon TURKIC ay “moon” Somay som root som: pure, solid som TURKIC “pure; solid” ay root ay: moon ay TURKIC “moon”
Somay: parts and root words

How was the name Somay formed?

Somay is a name newly coined from som (“som: pure, solid”) and ay (“ay: moon”) in the years of the surname law.

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.3

Which surnames are related to Somay?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Somer same root – –

Is Somay also a first name?

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

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

Which surnames have a meaning similar to Somay?

Sevimay, Taşay and Tınay share gloss keywords with Somay within the same primary category.

Which guides add context to Somay?

Read the root, formation and register information for Somay alongside these guides: How Turkish Surnames Are Formed: Roots and Suffixes and How to research a Turkish surname and family tree.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: ay accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: som accessed 9 November 2026
  3. 3 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Somay

Q1

What does the surname Somay mean?

Somay is formed from som, “pure, solid”, and ay, “moon”: “a pure, full moon”. Som survives in expressions such as som altın, “solid gold”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Somay?

Somay is made up of two elements: som “pure; solid” (Turkic) and ay “moon” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Somay?

So·may, 2 syllables; IPA: /soˈmaj/.