Surname Karakaya - Meaning and Origin
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Karakaya: What does the surname Karakaya mean?
Karakaya is a Turkish surname derived from the word ‘karak’, which means ‘rock’ in Turkish. It is thought to have been given to people from families of stone workers and masons and those who either lived in places inhabited by rocks or worked with rocks.
Some other variations of the surname Karakaya are Karaky oil, Karak, and Karag. Throughout the Middle East, Karakaya means 'distinguished, powerful, or strong stone', or 'stone of power', though the exact origin of the surname is unknown.
The surname Karakaya is very common in Turkey and is mainly found in Turkish, Armenian, Georgian, and Middle Eastern communities where a large number of Turkish people have either migrated or immigrated. The surname is also found in the Balkan Peninsula, Central Asia, and Europe.
Karakaya is often a misspelling of the other Turkish surname Karakas, which was derived from the Arabic word 'karakah' (Master Builder). In other words, it came to represent the highest rank of the artisans guild.
The surname Karakaya may have originated from a person who was a master builder or worker of stone. It could also mean someone with exceptional strength, or somebody who lives in a place occupied by rocks or stone, such as a limestone cemetery or a stony field. Regardless of its origins, it has become a very common Turkish surname today.
Order DNA origin analysisKarakaya: Where does the name Karakaya come from?
The last name Karakaya is common primarily in the region of Turkey known as Anatolia. It is found in other regions of Turkey, including the Black Sea, Balkan, Aegean, Mediterranean and Central Anatolia regions, and is even present in other surrounding countries like Bulgaria and Greece. However, it is most concentrated in Anatolia.
The name began appearing in historical records around the 10th century and is thought to originate as a patronymic or matronymic surname. As a patronymic, it is thought to originate with the Turkish words kar or kiṣ, both meaning “son of” and kaya, meaning “rock”. It is possible that this name was used in reference to Strong people or people with roots in a certain family line.
Today, Karakaya is a common surname in Turkey, particularly concentrated in the Anatolia region, with many large settlements of the Karakaya name. It is estimated that around 2.4 million people have the last name in Turkey alone, with several thousand additional people with the surname living abroad. Karakaya is also sometimes seen as Karaka or Karagka and is commonly seen as a middle name as well.
Variations of the surname Karakaya
The surname Karakaya, is an Turkish surname, sometimes spelt as Kharakaya, Kharakiyah, Karakahya, Karakayah, Karakka, Karakaya, Karakey, Karakiy, Karaky, Kiraki, and Haraki.
This unusual continental surname is derived from the Turkish phrase “karakaya”, which means “black fox.” It was likely part of a personal name or nickname given to an ancestor. It could refer to the physical characteristics of a fox, or to the animal's cunning and agility.
The Karakaya surname is found mainly in Turkey and Greece, in Greek (Kharakaires) and Turkish (Karakareh) forms and is especially common in the Pontic Greek communities. Spelling variants of the name include Kharakia, also found among some Turkish communities, and the abbreviated version of each, Karaky.
In ancient times, the people of the Pontic region were known worshipers of the suns which likely influenced some of the surnames. One example of the surnames is Karagai, which is derived from the old Turkish phrase “karagah,” which means “black house.”
Variants of the Karakaya surname are found in other countries, such as Uzbekistan, where it is spelt as Karkayaza; the Ukrainian-based name Caragaya; and the Pharinic Karakiya. A possible origin for the Kharaki variant is the Egyptian Coptic language which was once common in many parts of the Middle East following the Arab conquest.
In the modern world, the Karakaya surname is associated with a wide range of individuals, from academics and authors to entrepreneurs and tech professionals. The name is found in many countries, in different forms and is still regarded as a unique and unusual surname.
Famous people with the name Karakaya
- Eren Karakaya: Turkish Actor
- Talat Karakaya: Turkish Parliamentary
- Halil Karakaya: Turkish Actor and Musician
- Omer Karakaya: Turkish Artist
- Serkan Karakaya: Turkish Singer
- Engin Karakaya: Turkish Actor
- Feyyaz Karakaya: Turkish Actor
- Ahmet Karakaya: Turkish Actor
- Tugba Karakaya: Turkish Journalist
- Arife Karakaya: Turkish Politician
- Serkan Karakaya: Turkish Musician
- Gokhan Karakaya: Turkish Actor
- Halit Karakaya: Turkish Actor
- Cuneyt Karakaya: Turkish Actor
- Levent Karakaya: Turkish Actor
- Tolga Karakaya: Turkish Politician
- Burak Karakaya: Turkish Basketball Player
- Osman Karakaya: Turkish Actor
- Ibrahim Karakaya: Turkish Actor
- Soner Karakaya: Turkish Author