Hungary Naming Customs

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Hungary

Naming Customs

Understanding customs used in surnames and given names can help you identify your ancestors in records. Learn to recognize name variations and see clues in names.

Online Tools

• Given Name Equivalents This table, based on the resource Słownik imion, alphabetizes names in Latin, with equivalents in other languages, including Hungarian.
• Behind the Name: Hungarian Surnames
• Behind the Name: Hungarian Given Names
• Hungarian Given Names (Wiktionary)
• Hungarian Personal Names (CIA)
• Surname experience at FamilySearch - search by surname to learn its meaning and origin

Surnames

Name Order

Hungarian names usually consist of a single given name and a single surname (family name). The surname is used before the given name. For example:

Hungarian Name SURNAME - Given Name	English Name Given Name - Surname
NAGY János	John Nagy
KOVÁCS Mária	Mary Smith

On FamilySearch Family Tree if Hungarian is selected in a person name field, the name will be displayed in Hungarian order: surname before given name. Selecting German or English changes the display order. Enter the surname and given name in the relevant field and select the most appropriate language. The most appropriate language generally reflects the language community in which the person lived most of their life.

Surname Origins

Surnames were usually derived from common sources such as trades, characteristics, ethnic origins, place names, etc.

Source	Hungarian	English
Occupation	SZABÓ Ferenc	Frank Taylor
Occupation	MOLNÁR Lajos	Louis Miller
Characteristic	KIS Mihály	Michael Little
Characteristic	FEHÉR Erzsébet	Elizabeth White
Origin	TÖRÖK Katalin	Catherine Turk

Nobility

A title of nobility is placed before the surname:

Hungarian	English
gróf NAGY János	Count John Nagy

Married Women

In Hungary women keep their birth name throughout their life, married or not. There is no married name and maiden name in the sense familiar to Americans.

In comparison to an English example, if John White married Elizabeth Black, Elizabeth may be referred to as Mrs. John White. In Hungarian, the positions of the names are inverted, Last name first, and given name second. So if we have Feher János and Fekete Erzsébet, Erzsébet may be referred to as Feher Jánosne. (Broken down in English, this would be: White John Mrs.)

Given Names

Language changed over time in church-based record keeping between Hungarian ("old Hungarian") and Latin. There can be different variations or versions of a given name that may be used for every record for an individual, including abbreviations by only writing the first few letters of the name.
Examples:
John: Johan, Johannes, Janos, Jan
Elizabeth: Elisabetha, Elizabetha, Erszébet, Örszebet, Ersze, Örzse
Steven: Stephanus, István, Steph
George: Gyorgy, Gergly, Georgius
Rose: Roza, Rosa, Rozalia, Rosalia

Nicknames

In English, the name John can turn into "Johnny". In Hungarian, it would turn Janos into Janoska, adding a suffix. Anna could be turned into Annuska. These are names used more in private or in interpersonal relationships, and are not considered their formal or legal names.

Słownik imion (Dictionary of names)

In many Hungarian records, given names are translated into Latin or German. One of the best resources to identify the Hungarian (or other language) version of a Latin name is the Słownik imion, or dictionary of names. This information has been indexed into a searchable online table. A digital copy of the book is available online. An index to all variant names is located at the back of the book.

Suffixes

In Hungarian language certain family relationships are expressed by attaching a suffix to a given name. These suffixes are part of the grammar of the language, not naming conventions.

Suffix -fi, -fia, -fy, or fÿ

To refer to a man as his father's son, the suffix -fi or variant is attached to his father's given name. For example:

* Fodor Jákobfi, meaning Theodore, son of Jacob

* Domokos Bertoldfia, meaning Domokos, son of Bertold

* Miklós Oszkárfy, meaning Nicholas, son of Oscar

* Simon Vilmosfÿ, meaning Simon, son of Vilmos

The father's name with suffix attached may be used as a byname.

Suffix -né

To refer to a married woman as her husband's wife, the suffix -né is attached to her husband's given name. For example:

Hungarian	English
Klausenberger Ignáczné Bival Rosália	Rosália Bival, wife of Ignácz Klausenberger

Although Nagy Jánosné resembles the American formal Mrs. John Nagy, use of -né is not a traditional Hungarian naming convention. Historical records naming Hungarian women in this American style are rare. Most prevalent are 19th century and early 20th century United States immigration records and, in recent decades, grave markers in Hungary. Example of this on a grave marker:

Hungarian	English
Nagy Lajos 1914 – 1984	Lajos Nagy 1914 – 1984
Nagy Lajosné 1923 – 2001	Mrs. Lajos Nagy 1923 – 2001

See more about "-né" on Wiktionary.

Suffix -nak or -nek

Suffix attached to a noun to form the dative case. This is seen on church records of baptisms and burials, modifying the names of the mother and father.

For example, the names of the couple Terez Vida and Tamas Csicsai are written on some of their children's records as Vida Tereznek and Csicsai Tamasnak.

See more about "-nek" on Wiktionary.

Second given names and religious names

• Hungarians do not commonly use second given names, nor their corresponding initials. While it is increasingly frequent that they are given one, they tend to choose one they prefer to use.
• When baptized, a child can get an additional name (baptismal name), especially if there is no saint who bears their name, so they take a name associated with a patron saint. In confirmation, children receive another given name, but it is not used. Both baptismal and confirmation names have religious significance only, and they are not on any official records.

Name Days

Hungarians, like Swedes, also celebrate name days. Each day in the calendar has one or more designated personal names.

Bynames and Patronymics

As a rule, in Hungary bynames--including patronymic bynames-- did not enter use as surnames.

• Hungarians use a "byname" to help distinguish people with the same given names.
• The byname might be created from the father's given name (as a patronymic name) by attaching a suffix.
• Other bynames might be created from an occupation or even a physical description.
• The byname might be used within the village or town, but were not fixed surnames.
• Further, a person might be known by one byname in a town, and be called by a different byname when traveling (referring to where they are from.)
• Bynames were not hereditary.

For Further Reading

• Hungarian names
• Hungarian Names 101
• Hungarian Personal Names of the 16th Century

FamilySearch Catalog

• Additional sources are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog:
  • Hungary - Names, Personal

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.