Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,093

Tagay

Tagay /taˈgaj/

“maternal uncle (old form)”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
T
Contents§1–§10
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6As a first name
  7. §7Abroad
  8. §8Sources
  9. §9Questions
  10. §10Related

How do you pronounce Tagay?

Tagay

IPA /taˈgaj/

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

What does the surname Tagay mean?

Nişanyan traces modern dayı ‘maternal uncle’ to Old Turkic taġay ‘mother’s brother’. Tagay preserves this older form, so the surname is the kinship word for the maternal uncle. The form also lives on in Central Asian Turkic languages and personal names.1

That Tagay goes back to taġay is probable rather than proven: the dictionary entry cited supports it.

What is Tagay made of?

Tagay is a single Turkic root: tagay (maternal uncle (old form)).

Tagay root tagay maternal uncle (old form) TURKIC taġay “mother’s brother,maternal uncle” Tagay tagay root maternal uncle (old form) taġay TURKIC “mother’s brother, maternal uncle”
Tagay: parts and root words
  • taġay Turkic — mother’s brother, maternal uncle1

How was the name Tagay formed?

Tagay is the word tagay (“maternal uncle (old form)”), taken unchanged as a surname.

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

Who are some well-known people named Tagay?

  1. Şefik Tagay physician 1972–

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

Is Tagay also a first name?

Yes. Tagay is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “maternal uncle (old form)”.

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

How is Tagay written and pronounced abroad?

The name has no Turkish-specific letters and is written Tagay abroad as well.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: dayı accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 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 Tagay

Q1

What does the surname Tagay mean?

Nişanyan traces modern dayı ‘maternal uncle’ to Old Turkic taġay ‘mother’s brother’. Tagay preserves this older form, so the surname is the kinship word for the maternal uncle. The form also lives on in Central Asian Turkic languages and personal names.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Tagay?

The root word of Tagay is taġay (Turkic): “mother’s brother, maternal uncle”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Tagay?

Ta·gay, 2 syllables; IPA: /taˈgaj/.