Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 4,275

Tolunay

Tolunay /toɫuˈnaj/

“full moon”3

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

How do you pronounce Tolunay?

Tolunay

IPA /toɫuˈnaj/

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

What does the surname Tolunay mean?

Tolunay is a male given name based on the Old Turkic spelling of dolunay, “full moon”. Nişanyan Adlar explains it as an old spelling of the name Dolunay. The element tolun on its own is also recorded with the sense “full moon”.1,3

Grammar tolun + ay: old form of dolunay.

What is Tolunay made of?

Tolunay is Turkic in origin and breaks into 2 parts: tolun (full (of the moon)) + ay (moon).

Tolunay ++ root tolun full (of the moon) TURKIC tolun “full moon; full” suffix ay moon TURKIC ay “moon” Tolunay tolun root full (of the moon) tolun TURKIC “full moon; full” ay suffix moon ay TURKIC “moon”
Tolunay: parts and root words
  • tolun Turkic — full moon; full3
  • ay Turkic — moon1

How was the name Tolunay formed?

Tolunay was formed by adding the suffix ay (“moon”) to tolun (“full (of the moon)”).

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.5

Which surnames are related to Tolunay?

#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Aytolan same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Tolunay?

  1. Hayrettin Tolunay military officer 1921–
  2. Tarık Tolunay artist 1970–
  3. Ahmet Tolunay researcher
  4. Orkun Tolunay researcher
  5. İlknur Arslan Tolunay researcher

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

Is Tolunay also a first name?

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

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Adlar: Tolunay accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Tolunay accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: Tolun accessed 9 November 2026
  4. 4 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  6. 6 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Tolunay

Q1

What does the surname Tolunay mean?

Tolunay is a male given name based on the Old Turkic spelling of dolunay, “full moon”. Nişanyan Adlar explains it as an old spelling of the name Dolunay. The element tolun on its own is also recorded with the sense “full moon”.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Tolunay?

Tolunay is made up of two elements: tolun “full moon; full” (Turkic) and ay “moon” (Turkic).
Q3

How do you pronounce Tolunay?

To·lu·nay, 3 syllables; IPA: /toɫuˈnaj/.