Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,961

Sunay

Sunay /suˈnaj/

“Aysun reversed”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Compound
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
S
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 Sunay?

Sunay

IPA /suˈnaj/

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

What does the surname Sunay mean?

Nişanyan Adlar explains Sunay as Aysun with its elements swapped. The same source notes that it may also relate to wish names such as Dursunay “may the girl live” or Sonay “last girl”.1

The origin is disputed. The views put forward are:

  1. Aysun reversed (Nişanyan Adlar).
  2. A form linked to the wish names Dursunay or Sonay (Nişanyan Adlar).

What is Sunay made of?

Sunay is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: sun (sun as in Aysun) + ay (moon).

Sunay + root sun sun as in Aysun TURKIC Sunay “Aysun reversed” root ay moon Sunay sun root sun as in Aysun Sunay TURKIC “Aysun reversed” ay root moon
Sunay: parts and root words
  • Sunay Turkic — Aysun reversed1

How was the name Sunay formed?

Sunay was formed by joining sun (“sun as in Aysun”) and ay (“moon”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.4

Who are some well-known people named Sunay?

  1. Cevdet Sunay politician 1899–1982
  2. Atıfet Sunay politician 1908–2002
  3. Fuat Sunay musician 1987–
  4. Melih Sunay researcher

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

Is Sunay also a first name?

Yes. Sunay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “Aysun reversed”.

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Sunay accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Sunay 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 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Sunay

Q1

What does the surname Sunay mean?

Nişanyan Adlar explains Sunay as Aysun with its elements swapped. The same source notes that it may also relate to wish names such as Dursunay “may the girl live” or Sonay “last girl”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Sunay?

Sunay is made up of two elements: sun “sun as in Aysun” (Turkic) and ay “moon” (Turkic). There are 3 competing views on where Sunay comes from, all set out on this page.
Q3

How do you pronounce Sunay?

Su·nay, 2 syllables; IPA: /suˈnaj/.