Unisex name
Akanay name meaning
“the flowing or passing moon”
Akanay means the flowing or passing moon. It combines akan, from the Turkish verb akmak meaning to flow, with ay, meaning moon. Used for both girls and boys in Türkiye, it evokes the moon’s apparent passage across the sky over the course of a night.
What does Akanay mean?
The flowing or passing moon
In Turkish: akıp giden ay
Read as akan plus ay, Akanay is a poetic compound suggesting the moon moving across the sky. The element ay contributes celestial imagery to many Turkish names. The spelling permits this interpretation, but it cannot by itself establish that these were the elements intended when the name was formed.
Ay means “moon” in Turkish and appears in names such as Berkay and Eray. Other names ending in these letters, such as Altay, have a different formation. More boy names ending in -ay →
Origin of the name Akanay
Possibly combines akan, the participle of Turkish akmak, meaning to flow, with ay, meaning moon. This is a plausible reading of the written form.
How to pronounce Akanay
| Syllables | 3 · 6 letters · 6-letter boy names |
|---|---|
| IPA | /akanaj/ |
Is Akanay a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Akanay is used for both boys and girls. See all unisex names.
Akanay does not appear in TÜİK’s top-30 lists (Türkiye and provinces, up to 2025).
Spellings and similar names
Names that sound like Akanay
Names with related meanings
- Miray♀Lord of the moon
- Aybars♂Compound of moon and leopard
- Belinay♀Hawk and moon
- Aysima♀Moonlike face
- Aysel♀Moon-bright
- Aynur♀Moonlight
- Aybüke♀Moon and mighty dragon
- Hilal♀The moon’s slender crescent shape
- Berkay♂A name combining firmness and moon imagery
- İlay♀Moon of the homeland
- Simay♀A silvery moon
- Aylin♀A halo of light around the moon
FAQ about the name Akanay
What is the meaning of Akanay?
Akanay means “the flowing or passing moon”. Possibly combines akan, the participle of Turkish akmak, meaning to flow, with ay, meaning moon. This is a plausible reading of the written form.
Is Akanay a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Akanay is used for both boys and girls.
Is Akanay in the Quran?
No. Neither the name Akanay nor its source word occurs in the Quran.
What is the origin of the name Akanay?
Akanay is of Turkish origin.
How many syllables does Akanay have?
Akanay has 3 syllables and 6 letters.
How popular is the name Akanay?
Akanay does not appear in TÜİK’s top-30 lists (Türkiye and provinces, up to 2025).
Sources and method
Meanings and origins draw on language sources and name dictionaries; popularity figures come from TÜİK’s address-based population register, and notable people from Wikidata.
Entry ID: nm04363 · Updated 2026-10-24 · How we research names · Report a mistake