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Naming Customs
In Hungarian, the surname (or a family name) is used first, followed by the given name. For example:
| NAGY János | John Nagy |
| KOVÁCS Mária | Mary Smith |
Hungarians also celebrate name days (each day in the calendar has one or more designated names.)
- there is usually just one given name
- surnames are generally a single names
- patronymics were usually not used
- his rule is also followed in Hungarian parish registers
Surnames were usually derived from common sources such as trades, qualities, ethnic origins, place names etc.:
| SZABÓ Ferenc | Frank Taylor |
| MOLNÁR Lajos | Louis Miller |
| KIS Mihály | Michael Little |
| FEHÉR Erzsébet | Elizabeth White |
| TÖRÖK Katalin | Catherine Turk |
Titles of nobility are put before the surnames:
| gróf NAGY János | Count John Nagy |
Married Women
Names of Hungarian married women take on special forms. Traditionally, the ending -né is added to her husbands given name and indicates that she is married. For example:
- Nagy, Jánosné means Mrs. John Nagy
- the equivalent of Mrs. is the particle -né (wife) which is traditionaly added to a husband's name
Kovács Jánosné means Mrs. John Smith
Klausenberger Ignáczné Bival Rosália means that Rosália Bival married a man named Ignácz Klausenberger
Excellent articles regarding Hungarian personal names can be found at: