Hungarian names include surnames and given names. Some people have more than one given name, but only one is normally used. In the
Hungarian language
Hungarian () is an Uralic language spoken in Hungary and parts of several neighbouring countries. It is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. Outside Hungary, it is also spoken by Hungarian ...
, whether written or spoken, names are invariably given in the "
Eastern name order
A personal name, or full name, in onomastic terminology also known as prosoponym (from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον / ''prósōpon'' - person, and ὄνομα / ''onoma'' - name), is the set of names by which an individual person is known ...
", or family name followed by given name (in foreign-language texts in languages that use Western name order, names are often given with the family name last). Hungarian is one of the few national languages in Europe to use the Eastern name order, like
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
,
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
,
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
,
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
and some
Basque nationalists
Basque nationalism ( eu, eusko abertzaletasuna ; es, nacionalismo vasco; french: nationalisme basque) is a form of nationalism that asserts that Basques, an ethnic group Indigenous peoples, indigenous to the western Pyrenees, are a nation an ...
.
Orthography
Although
Hungarian orthography
Hungarian orthography ( hu, helyesírás, lit=correct writing, link=no) consists of rules defining the standard written form of the Hungarian language. It includes the spelling of lexical words, proper nouns and foreign words (loanwords) in themse ...
is now simpler than it was in the 18th and the 19th centuries, many Hungarians still use the old spelling for their names. For example, the letter ''c'' is often written as ''cz''. Letters such as ''q'', ''w'', ''x'' and ''y'' are usually seen only in foreign words but may also be seen in older spellings of names, especially in noble family names that originated in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
.
Family names that refer to a place of origin and end with the suffix ''-i'' have two possible endings: they can be written with the ''-i'' suffix, which is used in every other context, or with a ''-y'' suffix, both of which mean "from" or "of" a place and are pronounced the same way. A family originating from
Szeged
Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...
and named after that fact thus may spell its surname "Szegedi" or "Szegedy", both of which mean "from Szeged" or "of Szeged". The ''-y'' ending is popularly but falsely believed to indicate noble origin. However, it is true is that ''-y'' is an older spelling, and older records were more likely to record people of higher rank and wealth.
Hungarian surnames
Hungarian normally puts family names, except for foreign names, first in Hungarian speech and text. Some Hungarian surnames relate to professions likr
Szabó - "tailor",
Kovács - "smith,"
Halász - "fisher". Other surnames refer to non-Hungarian ethnic origin. For example, common Hungarian surnames include
Németh - "German,"
Horvát or
Horváth Horváth is a common Hungarian surname. "Horváth" is the 2nd or 4th most common surname in Hungary as well as the most common in Slovakia.
It's thought to derive from Hungarian horvát ("Croat") spelled without the final h in old orthography. T ...
- "Croat,"
Tóth
Tóth (sometimes Tót or Toth) was an older term meaning " Slovak" or "Slavonian", since one of the Hungarian names for both Slovakia and Slavonia (Slavic parts of Kingdom of Hungary) was ''Tothorszag''.
''Tót'' has also been a more general Slavi ...
, an outdated term for "Slovak", that can also mean "
Croat
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...
" and one of the Hungarian names for
Slavonia
Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja ...
was ''Tóthország'';
Oláh
"Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other Easter ...
, an outdated term for "Wallachian", and
Lengyel - "Polish".
During the 19th and the early 20th centuries, people in the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
who were of non-Hungarian ethnicity, with Jewish, German or Slovak ancestry, were encouraged to adopt Hungarian surnames. Some people with German names translated them directly into Hungarian. Some of them just
magyarized their original German surnames into Hungarian forms. However, many Hungarians of German descent retained their original surnames like Horn, Deutsch, Staller, Keller, Rockenbauer, Hoffmann, etc.
A few given names are also used as family names, a practice that may confuse even native Hungarian-speakers.
Hungarian given names
The origin of Hungarian names is closely related to the religious and dynastic history of the country. Many saints' names and royal names have Hungarian equivalents.
Female names
*
Boglárka
Boglárka is a popular Hungarian female name meaning either "jewel" or "buttercup." It was the second most popular name for girls born in Hungary in 2007.
People
* Boglárka Csemer (born 1986), Hungarian singer
*Boglárka Dallos-Nyers (born 1997 ...
: after the
buttercup
''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about almost 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots.
The genus is distributed in Europe, ...
flower
*
Csilla
Csilla () is a Hungarian feminine given name that comes from the Hungarian word ''csillag'', literally meaning ''star''. The name may refer to people:
* Csilla Balázs (born 1996), Hungarian–Romanian footballer
*Csilla Bátorfi (born 1969), Hun ...
: derived from the word ''csillag'', or "star"
*
Enikő
Enikő is a Hungarian female given name, which was created by Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty in the 19th century, and derived from the name Enéh, which means a "young hind" (female deer).''Behind the Name''"Given Name Enikő" Retrieved on 22 ...
: coined by poet
Mihály Vörösmarty
Mihály Vörösmarty (archaically English: Michael Vorosmarthy 1 December 180019 November 1855) was an important Hungarian poet and dramatist.
Biography
He was born at Puszta-Nyék (now Kápolnásnyék), of a noble Roman Catholic family. H ...
in the 19th century and is derived from ''Enéh'' ("doe")
*
Erzsébet
Erzsébet ( hr, Setržebet, german: Sandeschewe) is a village in Baranya county, Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north ...
: popular after the princess
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
Elizabeth of Hungary (german: Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen, hu, Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet, sk, Svätá Alžbeta Uhorská; 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, ...
*
Eszter: after the Biblical character
Esther
Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...
*
Ildikó: of Germanic origin; compare to
Hilda
Hilda is one of several female given names derived from the name ''Hild'', formed from Old Norse , meaning 'battle'. Hild, a Nordic-German Bellona, was a Valkyrie who conveyed fallen warriors to Valhalla. Warfare was often called Hild's Game. Th ...
*
Katalin: after Saint
Catherine of Alexandria
Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, wh ...
, whose cult gained great importance in the 15th century.
*
Margit
Margit is a feminine given name, a version of Margaret.
People bearing the name include:
* Margit of Hungary (1175–1223), Empress consort of Isaac II Angelos, Byzantine Emperor
* Saint Margit of Hungary (1242–1271), Hungarian nun and princ ...
: after
Saint Margaret of Hungary
Margaret of Hungary (January 27, 1242 – January 18, 1270) was a Dominican nun and the daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary and Maria Laskarina. She was the younger sister of Kinga of Poland (Kunegunda) and Yolanda of Poland and, through her ...
.
*
Mária: after the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
*
Melinda
Melinda is a feminine given name.
Etymology
The modern name ''Melinda'' is a combination of "Mel" with the suffix "-inda". "Mel" can be derived from names such as Melanie meaning "dark, black" in Greek, or from Melissa (μέλισσα) meaning ...
: popularized by thebl playwright
József Katona
József Katona (11 November 1791, Kecskemét – 16 April 1830, Kecskemét) was a Hungarian playwright and poet, creator of the Hungarian historical tragedy ''Bánk bán''.
Biography
József Katona was born and died in Kecskemét. He studi ...
, who used the name in his 1815 historical tragedy, ''
Bánk bán
''Bánk bán'' is an opera in 3 acts by composer Ferenc Erkel. The work uses a Hungarian-language libretto by Béni Egressy which is based on a stage play of the same name by József Katona. (''Bán'' is ban in English, similar to a viceroy, a ...
''
*
Orsolya: Hungarian form of the Latin name ''
Ursula'' ("little bear")
*
Piroska
Piroska is a Hungarian feminine given name. Derived from the Latin name ''Prisca'' ("ancient"), the Hungarian form of the name originally appeared as Piriska, later developing into Piroska. This change was likely due to Piriska's similarity to th ...
: of pagan origin, popular after
Saint Piroska (renamed Irene), the daughter of King
Ladislaus I of Hungary
Ladislaus I ( hu, László, hr, Ladislav, sk, Ladislav, pl, Władysław; 1040 – 29 July 1095), also known as Saint Ladislas, was King of Hungary from 1077 and King of Croatia from 1091. He was the second son of King Béla I of Hungary and ...
*
Ráhel: after the Biblical character
Rachel
Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...
*
Réka
Réka is a Hungarian female given name. It is of Hun descent, originally being Kreka, possibly derived from the Turkic Arikan. Over time it changed into Réka. Although it is very difficult to find an affectionate form, there are some which ar ...
: after the name of
Attila the Hun
Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and Ea ...
's wife
*
Tünde: coined by poet
Mihály Vörösmarty
Mihály Vörösmarty (archaically English: Michael Vorosmarthy 1 December 180019 November 1855) was an important Hungarian poet and dramatist.
Biography
He was born at Puszta-Nyék (now Kápolnásnyék), of a noble Roman Catholic family. H ...
in the 19th century in his work ''Csongor és Tünde'', derived from the word ''tündér'' ("fairy")
*
Zsófia: Hungarian form of the Greek ''
Sophia''
*
Zsuzsanna
Zsuzsanna is the Hungarian form of the feminine given name Susanna.
Notable bearers
*Zsuzsanna Budapest (born 1940), American author of Hungarian origin who writes on feminist spirituality
* Zsuzsanna Csobánki (born 1983), female Hungarian swim ...
: Hungarian form of the Greek ''
Susanna''
Male names
*
András
András () is a Hungarian masculine given name, the Hungarian form of ''Andrew''. Notable people with the name include:
* András Ádám-Stolpa (born 1921), Hungarian tennis player
* András Adorján (born 1950), Hungarian writer
* András Ágos ...
: a name that became popular after King
Andrew I of Hungary
Andrew I the White or the Catholic ( hu, I. Fehér or ; 1015 – before 6 December 1060) was King of Hungary from 1046 to 1060. He descended from a younger branch of the Árpád dynasty. After spending fifteen years in exile, he ascended ...
and was given to three monarchs and to several princes.
*
Attila
Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns
The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European traditio ...
: after
Attila
Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns
The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European traditio ...
, King of the Huns, from whom the Hungarian monarchs considered themselves direct descendants, which made this name become part of popular culture
*
Béla: a name of pagan origin that was given to four medieval Kings of Hungary and is still commonly used
*
Csaba
Csaba () is a Hungarian given name for males. Csaba is the native Hungarian name for Ernak, the youngest son of Attila the Hun.''Gesta Hungarorum'', Simon Keza, Edited and translated by Laszlo Veszpremy and Frank Schaer with a study by Jeno Szucs ...
: after one of the sons of Attila, the King of the Huns
*
Géza Géza is a Hungarian given name and may refer to any of the following:
* Benjamin Géza Affleck
* Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians
* Géza I of Hungary, King of Hungary
* Géza II of Hungary, King of Hungary
* Géza, son of Géza II of Hungar ...
: a name of pagan origin that was given to two mediaeval Kings of Hungary and to many princes and is still popular
*
György: after King (and Saint) Stephen I of Hungary honoured Saint Martin of Tours but also
Saint George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
, who has been since Hungary's early times one of its most important holy characters
*
István
István () is a Hungarian language equivalent of the name Stephen or Stefan. It may refer to:
People with the given name Nobles, palatines and judges royal
* Stephen I of Hungary (c. 975–1038), last grand prince of the Hungarians and first ki ...
: after the ffirst King of Hungary, Saint
Stephen I of Hungary
Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( hu, Szent István király ; la, Sanctus Stephanus; sk, Štefan I. or Štefan Veľký; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the ...
*
Imre
Imre is a Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and Henry ...
: after King Stephen's son,
Saint Emeric of Hungary
Emeric ( hu, Szent Imre herceg), also ''Emericus,'' ''Emerick, Emery, Emory'', and venerated as Saint Emeric (c. 1007 – 2 September 1031) was the son of King Stephen I of Hungary and Giselle of Bavaria.
Life Family
Emeric is assumedSause ...
*
János: after
John the Apostle
John the Apostle ( grc, Ἰωάννης; la, Ioannes ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ;) or Saint John the Beloved was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he was the son of Zebedee a ...
.
*
József
József () is a Hungarian masculine given name. It is the Hungarian name equivalent to Joseph.
Notable people bearing this name include:
* József Braun (also known as József Barna; 1901–1943), Hungarian Olympic footballer
* József Cserm ...
: after the Biblical characters called Joseph
*
Károly
Károly is a very common Hungarian male given name. It is also sometimes found as a Hungarian surname. The origin of this name is the Turkic Karul, which means hawk. Nowadays Károly is considered the equivalent of English Karl or Charles (beca ...
: after the king of French origin
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I, also known as Charles Robert ( hu, Károly Róbert; hr, Karlo Robert; sk, Karol Róbert; 128816 July 1342) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1308 to his death. He was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and the only son of ...
.
*
Lajos
Lajos () is a Hungarian language, Hungarian masculine given name, cognate to the English Louis (given name), Louis. People named Lajos include:
Hungarian monarchs:
* Louis I of Hungary, Lajos I, 1326-1382 (ruled 1342-1382)
* Louis II of Hungary ...
: after the King of French origin
Louis I of Hungary
Louis I, also Louis the Great ( hu, Nagy Lajos; hr, Ludovik Veliki; sk, Ľudovít Veľký) or Louis the Hungarian ( pl, Ludwik Węgierski; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370 ...
.
*
László
László () is a Hungarian male given name and surname after the King-Knight Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary (1077–1095). It derives from Ladislav, a variant of Vladislav. Other versions are Lessl or Laszly. The name has a history of being frequen ...
: a name that was popularised by Saint
Ladislaus I of Hungary
Ladislaus I ( hu, László, hr, Ladislav, sk, Ladislav, pl, Władysław; 1040 – 29 July 1095), also known as Saint Ladislas, was King of Hungary from 1077 and King of Croatia from 1091. He was the second son of King Béla I of Hungary and ...
*
Lőrinc: After Saint
Lawrence of Rome
Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...
*
Márk: A£ter the evangelist
Saint Mark
Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Acco ...
*
Márton: After Saint Martin of Tours, who was born in the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
in the territory of modern-day Hungary, before it existed as a country
*
Mátyás: after a Christian saint, whose name became even more popular after the reign of the King
Matthias Corvinus
Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several mi ...
of Hungary (1458–1490)
*
Sándor: after
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...
, whose history was translated in medieval Hungary and made extremely popular during the 14th century.
*
Tamás: After the biblical figure
Saint Thomas.
*
Zoltán Zoltán () is a Hungarian masculine given name. The name days for this name are 8 March and 23 June in Hungary, and 7 April in Slovakia.
Zoltána is the feminine version.
Notable people
* Zoltán of Hungary
* Zoltan Bathory, guitarist of heavy ...
: a popular name of pagan origin that very common in modern times after
Zoltán of Hungary
Zoltánhttp://acta.bibl.u-szeged.hu/2733/1/historica_084_011-021.pdf (; 880 or 903 – 950), also Zolta, Zsolt, Solt or Zaltas is mentioned in the '' Gesta Hungarorum'' as the third Grand Prince of the Hungarians who succeeded his father ...
, a tribal chief in the early 10th century
*
Zsigmond: After King
Sigismund of Hungary
Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia (''jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1 ...
, a member of the House of Luxemburg who was the end of his life Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
Second given names and religious names
Only Americans commonly use
second given names or their corresponding initials. While it is increasingly frequent that Hungarians are given a second given name, they tend to choose one that they prefer to use.
When
baptised
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
, a child may get an additional name (baptismal name), especially if there is no saint who bears its name, and so they take a name associated with a patron saint. At
confirmation
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
, children receive another given name, but it is not used. Both baptismal and confirmation names have religious significance only and are not on any official records.
Married names
There is a wide range of selection of a married name. Until about the 18th century
noblewomen
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characterist ...
kept their names at marriage and their children received their father's name; it became compulsory only under the reign of
Joseph II. When Hungary was under
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
rule and became influenced by Western European traditions, women became known by their husbands' names. So for example
Szendrey Júlia, marrying
Petőfi Sándor Petőfi may refer to:
* Sándor Petőfi (1823–1849), a Hungarian poet and revolutionary
** Petőfi Bridge
** Petőfi Csarnok ("Petőfi Hall")
** '' Dem Andenken Petőfis'' ( hu, Petőfi szellemének, links=no, "In Petofi's Memory"), a piece for p ...
, became ''Petőfi Sándorné'' (the ''-né'' suffix approximately means "wife of", and this is the Hungarian equivalent of "Mrs." as in "Mrs. John Smith"). This was both the law and the tradition until the 1950s. During the
Communist rule of Hungary, great emphasis was put upon the equality of women and men, and from that time, women could either choose to keep their maiden name or take that of their husband. Most women did the latter except for artists.
Now, the alternatives for a woman when she marries are as shown below (using the examples of and – Júlia and Sándor are their given names):
* Júlia can keep her maiden name, as ''Szendrey Júlia'' (now very popular, especially among more-educated women).
* Júlia gives up her name, adds the suffix ''-né'' to her husband's full name, and will be called .
* Júlia adds the suffix to her husband's family name, adds her full name and will be called .
* Júlia adds the suffix to her husband's full name, adds her full name and will be called ''Petőfi Sándorné Szendrey Júlia'' (less popular these days, because it is long to write).
* Júlia takes her husband's family name, keeps her given name "Júlia" and will be called .
The applicable law, which used to give substantially different sets of options to women and men, was declared sexist and unconstitutional. The ensuing amendment, in force since 2004, also lists options for men. Thus:
* Sándor can keep his birth name, as ''Petőfi Sándor'' (the most common choice).
* Sándor takes his wife's family name, keeps his given name "Sándor" and will be called (often considered when the wife's family name sounds remarkably better than the husband's one).
* A further new option is hyphenation. In our example, the family name or will be introduced for one or both parties. A sole party not assuming the hyphenated form keeps his or her original family name.
Note that using opposing hyphenations (i.e. Szendrey-Petőfi Sándor and Petőfi-Szendrey Júlia) and exchanging names (i.e. Petőfi Sándor and Szendrey Júlia become Szendrey Sándor and Petőfi Júlia) are not allowed. Also, one can have a maximum of two last names. If one or both partners-to-be come to the marriage with more than one surname, they will have to agree which ones to keep.
Both the bride and groom have to declare at the wedding which name they will use, and they have to declare which family name their children will get (which can be changed until the birth of the first child). Children can get either parent's surname, if it is on the marriage certificate, but all children must have the same surname. Since 2004 they can also get a hyphenated name, but only if both parents kept their birth names at least as one part of their new name. Children usually get their father's surname, but hyphenated names are becoming more common.
Couples of the same sex are not allowed to marry in Hungary, so they cannot legally use each other's names unless they change their names through a
deed of change of name
A deed of change of name is a legal document used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and some other countries with legal systems based on English common law, to record an intended name change, change of name by a person or family. It is one use of a ...
.
Women's names in everyday life
When a woman takes her husband's name in the traditional way, as in ''Petőfi Sándorné'', her female first name no longer forms part of her official name, yet this is the name she will be called by even after her wedding, in all but the most formal contexts. Thus, Hungarian radio speakers and others often resort to a compromise like ''Kovács Jánosné, Juli néni'' (Mrs. János Kovács, aunt Juli) to indicate how the woman should be called by others. (''Néni'' and ''bácsi'', "aunt" and "uncle", are traditional polite forms to address older people, and, for children, to address all adults; it does not indicate a family relationship.)
Some women who officially bear the -né form will nevertheless introduce themselves with their husband's family name and their own first name (in our example, ''Kovács Júlia'' or ''Kovácsné Júlia'', rather than ''Kovács Jánosné''), to avoid confusion about how to address them.
If the woman takes her husband's full name, the couple can easily be referred to in writing as ''Petőfi Sándor és neje'' (Sándor Petőfi and wife), equivalent to the English form "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith". This can be seen on older tombstones in Hungarian cemeteries.
Hungarian law on names
By law, children born as Hungarian citizens may bear no more than two surnames (most people have only one; those who have two may hyphenate them). They can also have only one or two given names (religious names not included since they are not official: see above). Given names may be chosen by the parents from an official list of several thousand names (technically, one list for each gender). If the intended name is not on the list, the parents need to apply for approval. Applications are considered by the
following a set of principles. Thus, names are approved if they are not derogatory or overly diminutive, can be written and pronounced easily, can be recognised as either male or female etc. Approved names expand the official list, the newest edition of which is regularly published. Many recent additions are foreign names, but they must be spelled following Hungarian phonetics: ''Jennifer'' becomes ''Dzsenifer'' or ''Joe'' becomes ''Dzsó''.
Those who belong to an officially recognized
minority in Hungary may also choose names from their own culture, and a register of given names maintained by the respective minority governance must be observed.
If one or both parents of a child to be named are foreign citizens, the given name(s) may be chosen in accordance with the respective foreign law.
Treatment of Hungarian names in English and other languages
Outside Hungary, Hungarian names are usually rendered by the Western convention of other European languages. In English language academic publishing, archiving and cataloguing, different
manuals of style treat Hungarian names in different ways. The ''
Chicago Manual of Style'' 16th Edition (2010) reverses the Hungarian order to put the given name first but allows all of the diacritics in the name:
When indexing names, Hungarian names are re-inverted so that the surname comes first in English indexes, like for English names.
[Indexes: A Chapter from The Chicago Manual of Style]
." Chicago Manual of Style. Retrieved on December 23, 2014. p. 26 (PDF document p. 28/56).
Hungarian treatment of foreign names
This way of writing names is not used for people who are not Hungarian and not from another country that uses the Eastern name order. For example, "
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
" will stay as "Tony Blair" in Hungarian texts. However, names of historical importance are generally translated and written in the Hungarian way: ''Kálvin János'' for John Calvin. Names from languages using a different script (Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, Greek etc.) are transcribed according to pronunciation.
Leaders of countries are translated only in the case of
monarch
A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...
s and members of their families. For example, "
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during h ...
" becomes , and "
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
" becomes , but "
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
" is not changed.
Before the 20th century, foreign names were often translated, for example,
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
's name was written as "", and a Hungarian pronunciation was used.
See also
*
Most common Hungarian surnames
References
Further reading
*''Unconventional Anthroponyms: Formation Patterns and Discursive Function'', Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014,
External links
Hungarian Names 101
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hungarian Names
Names by culture