Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 3,169

Ulukaya

Ulukaya /uɫukaˈja/

“great rock”1

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

How do you pronounce Ulukaya?

Ulukaya

IPA /uɫukaˈja/

The stress usually falls on syllable 4 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Ulukaya mean?

The name means “great rock”, a huge, imposing crag. Ulu in the dictionary describes both what is very large and high and what is exalted in virtue. Kaya, rock, stands for firmness and steadfastness.1,2

Grammar Compound of ulu + kaya.

That Ulukaya goes back to ulu and kaya is probable rather than proven: the dictionaries cited agree on it.

What is Ulukaya made of?

Ulukaya breaks into 2 parts: ulu (great, lofty) + kaya (rock).

Ulukaya ++ root ulu great, lofty TURKIC ulu “great, lofty” suffix kaya rock TURKIC kaya “rock, crag” Ulukaya ulu root great, lofty ulu TURKIC “great, lofty” kaya suffix rock kaya TURKIC “rock, crag”
Ulukaya: parts and root words
  • ulu Turkic — great, lofty1
  • kaya Turkic — rock, crag2

How was the name Ulukaya formed?

Ulukaya belongs to the “compound” class of surnames (ulu + kaya).

Which surnames are related to Ulukaya?

Ulukaya Kaya Akkaya Ulusoy Çetinkaya Karakaya Sarıkaya Özkaya Yalçınkaya Uludağ Kayalı Kızılkaya Şahinkaya
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Kaya same root 2 899,722
02 Akkaya same root – –
03 Ulusoy same root – –
04 Çetinkaya same root – –
05 Karakaya same root – –
06 Sarıkaya same root – –
07 Özkaya same root – –
08 Yalçınkaya same root – –
09 Uludağ same root – –
10 Kayalı same root – –
11 Kızılkaya same root – –
12 Şahinkaya same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Ulukaya?

  1. Hamdi Ulukaya philanthropist 1972–
  2. Engin Ulukaya researcher
  3. Sezer Ulukaya researcher

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

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: ulu accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Wiktionary: kaya 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 Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK)ADNKS TÜİK Nüfus İsim Portalı: En çok kullanılan soyisimler (ADNKS) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Ulukaya

Q1

What does the surname Ulukaya mean?

The name means “great rock”, a huge, imposing crag. Ulu in the dictionary describes both what is very large and high and what is exalted in virtue. Kaya, rock, stands for firmness and steadfastness.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Ulukaya?

The root word of Ulukaya is ulu (Turkic): “great, lofty”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Ulukaya?

U·lu·ka·ya, 4 syllables; IPA: /uɫukaˈja/.