Almássy HungarianMeans
"from the apple orchard", derived from Hungarian
alma meaning "apple".
Arany HungarianMeans
"golden" in Hungarian. A famous bearer of the name was Hungarian poet János Arany (1817-1882).
Báthory HungarianOriginally indicated a person from Bátor, a village in Hungary, which might be of Turkic origin meaning "hero". This was the surname of a Hungarian noble family who historically controlled the town. One of the family members, Stephen Báthory, became the king of Poland in the 16th century.
Becskei HungarianIndicated a person from Becske, a town in Hungary, which might be derived from the given name
Benedek.
Bodrogi HungarianOriginally denoted someone living near the Bodrog, a river in northeastern of Hungary.
Bokor HungarianTopographic name derived from Hungarian
bokor "bush". This is also the name of a village in Hungary.
Boros HungarianDerived from Hungarian
bor "wine". Originally it could have indicated someone who made or sold wine.
Budai HungarianOriginally indicated a person from the Hungarian city of
Buda (one of the two cities that were joined to make Budapest in 1873).
Büki HungarianDerived from the name of the Bükk Mountains, which means "beech tree" in Hungarian (probably of Slavic origin).
Dobos HungarianDerived from Hungarian
dob meaning
"drum". Originally the name was given to someone who played drums or made them.
Erdős HungarianOccupational name meaning
"forester", derived from Hungarian
erdő "forest".
Faragó HungarianAn occupational name meaning
"woodcutter", from Hungarian
farag meaning "carve, cut".
Fehér HungarianMeans
"white" in Hungarian, originally referring to a person with white hair or complexion.
Fejes HungarianDerived from Hungarian
fej meaning
"head", originally a nickname applied to a stubborn person.
Fekete HungarianMeans
"black" in Hungarian, originally a nickname for a person with dark hair or a dark complexion.
Fodor HungarianFrom Hungarian
fodor meaning
"curly, wavy", referring to a person with curly or wavy hair.
Gárdonyi HungarianOriginally denoted a person from Gárdony, a town near Budapest in Hungary.
Gereben HungarianMeans
"hackle, hatchel" in Hungarian (a hackle is a tool used to comb out fibers).
Halmi HungarianDerived from Hungarian
halom meaning
"mound, small hill". Originally the name was given to someone who lived near or on a hill.
Horváth um Hungarian, SlovakHungarian and Slovak form of
Horvat. This is the second most common surname in Hungary and the most common surname in Slovakia (where is is typically borne by those of Hungarian ancestry).
Juhász HungarianOccupational name meaning
"shepherd" in Hungarian, from
juh "sheep".
Kalmár HungarianOccupational name meaning
"merchant, shopkeeper" in Hungarian, of German origin.
Kardos HungarianFrom Hungarian
kard meaning
"sword". It could have been applied to soldiers, sword makers, or one with a pugnacious nature.
Kecskeméti HungarianOriginally indicated a person who came from the Hungarian city of Kecskemét, derived from
kecske meaning "goat".
Kerekes HungarianOccupational name for a maker of wheels, from Hungarian
kerék meaning
"wheel".
Koszorús HungarianDerived from Hungarian
koszorú meaning
"garland, wreath, girdle", a name for someone who made garlands.
Kurucz HungarianDerived from the Hungarian word
kuruc, referring to rebels who fought against the Habsburgs in the late 17th to early 18th century.
Lantos HungarianMeans
"minstrel, bard, lutist" in Hungarian, from
lant meaning "lute".
Meggyesfalvi HungarianDerived from a Hungarian village named
Meggyesfalva meaning "cherry village", from
meggy "cherry" and
falu "village".
Nagy um Hungarian, SlovakFrom a nickname meaning
"big, great" in Hungarian, referring to one's characteristics. This is the most common Hungarian surname. In Slovakia this spelling is only used for men, with
Nagyová being the feminine form.
Nyitrai HungarianIndicated someone from Nitra, a city and historic principality of Slovakia (formerly in Hungary). Its name is derived from that of a local river, which is of unknown meaning.
Oláh HungarianMeans
"Romanian, Wallachian" in Hungarian, from Old Slavic
volxŭ "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).
Olasz HungarianMeans
"Italian" in Hungarian, from Old Slavic
volxŭ "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).
Orsós HungarianDerived from Hungarian
orsó meaning
"spindle", an occupational name for a seller or maker of spindles.
Pataki HungarianDerived from Hungarian
patak meaning
"creek, brook" (a word of Slavic origin). It was given to people who lived near a creek.
Puskás HungarianOccupational name for a gunsmith or cannon maker, from Hungarian
puska meaning
"gun" (from German, itself from Latin
buxis "box").
Pusztai HungarianFrom Hungarian
puszta meaning
"plain, steppe". The name was given to someone living on a plain.
Rácz HungarianDerived from Hungarian
rác meaning
"Rascian", a former name for Serbians who lived in the Habsburg Empire.
Sárközi HungarianOriginally indicated someone from
Sárköz, a region in Hungary, derived from
sár "mud" and
köz "margin, lane".
Sipos HungarianOccupational name for a fife player or piper, from Hungarian
síp "whistle, pipe".
Somogyi HungarianOriginally indicated a person from Somogy, a region within Hungary. It may be derived from Hungarian
som meaning "cornel tree".
Sörös HungarianFrom Hungarian
sör meaning
"beer". Originally the name was given to beer brewers.
Szalai HungarianPossibly denoted a person from the region of Zala in western Hungary, itself named for the Zala River.
Szántó HungarianOccupational name for a ploughman or tiller, derived from Hungarian
szánt meaning "to plow".
Szarka HungarianFrom Hungarian
szarka meaning
"magpie", often used as a euphemistic term for a thief.
Székely HungarianDenoted a person of Székely ancestry. The Székelys are a population of Hungarians who live in central Romania.
Szekeres HungarianOccupational name for a cartman, derived from Hungarian
szekér meaning "cart, wagon".
Szilágyi HungarianDenoted one from the region of Szilágy in Hungary, derived from Hungarian
szil meaning "elm" and
ágy meaning "bed".
Tisza HungarianFrom the river name Tisza, Hungary's second largest river.
Tordai HungarianFrom
Torda, the Hungarian name of the city of Turda in Romania (formerly within the Kingdom of Hungary).
Vadas HungarianFrom Hungarian
vad meaning
"wild", either a nickname or an occupational name for a hunter of wild game.
Vámos HungarianMeans
"customs officer" in Hungarian, a derivative of
vám "customs".
Vass HungarianDerived from Hungarian
vas meaning
"iron", referring to a worker in iron, a miner of iron ore or a vendor of iron goods. Alternatively, from the same root word, it may have been a nickname referring to one with a distinctively strong constitution.
Vörös HungarianMeans
"red" in Hungarian, referring to a person with red hair or face.
Zentai HungarianOriginally indicated a person from the city of Senta in Serbia (formerly a part of Hungary and called
Zenta).