HUNGARIAN SURNAMES and THEIR ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS

 

Names Collected from Genealogy Research

Please feel free to leave comments and additions.

Are you one of the Hungarian Americans 
who does not know
 the meaning of your surname?

HUNGARIAN SURNAMES
Some of these names are military related.
Some are professions.
Some indicate ownership of a place. 
Some are descriptive of a person's body or other characteristics.
Some indicate that a person is from a different ethnicity.
Sorry I cannot easily put in marks indicating pronunciation.

ACS or ATS - Carpenter (note occupational names ending with Acs or Ats)
ACEL - Steel
ALMASSY - Apple
ARANY - Gold
ARVAI/ ARVAY - from Arva County (Old Hungarian County)
BAN/ BANOS - Implies possession of a castle - ruler of territory
BATHORY/ BATHORI/ BATOR - Hero 
BERNATH - from person named Bernard
BOGDANY - Gift From God (Slavic origin.  Bog means God.)

BALOGH - Left Handed
BARNA - Brown 
HAJDU - An armed driver - pre automobile - on horse, cart, carriage.

HORVATH - Croatian 
HUSZAR - Rides horse fast - in military - or otherwise
JONAS - John (after Saint John of the Bible)
FARKAS - Wolf
FEHER - White
FEKETE - Black (Used to indicate Darkness such as a Dark Forest)
FODOR - Curly Haired
GERE - Gregory (From Gergely) 
GOMBOS - Comb or Comber - related to woodworking.
GOROG - Greek
GUBA - Overcoat (Nickname indicating Big Coat - Big Man on Campus)
GULYAS - Cattle herder
HAJOS - Sailor
HALASZ - Fisherman
HEGEDUS - Musician who plays Fiddle - Fiddler
ILLES - Ellis, Elijah, Giles
JOOS - Fortune Teller
JUHASZ - Sheep herder
KADAR - Cooper (Barrel Maker such as one used for Wine)
KATONA - Soldier
KEMENY - Difficult Person (Sorry!)
KERETES - Christian (Or from one of the many places that includes this word)
KERTESZ - Gardener (Think Tony and Jamie Lee Curtis)
KIRALY - KING
KISS or KIS - Small, Short, sometimes Junior 
KORIS - Ash Tree/Ash
KOSSUTH - Doe (Female deer) of Slavic origin
KOCSIS - Coachman
KOVACS - Smith
LAKATOS - Locksmith
LENGYEL - Polish, from Poland, Speaks Polish
LOVAS - Horse Rider (Messenger or Soldier)
LUKACS - Luke (after Saint Luke of the Bible) (may also be Jewish surname)
MARAI - Of Maria
MARKUS - Marks (after Saint Mark of the Bible) (may also be Jewish surname)
MESTER - Master (Craftsman, Teacher, or educated person)
MESZAROS - Butcher
MOLNAR - Miller
MORVAY - Moravian
NAGY - Large or Tall, sometimes Senior or Great
NEMES - Noble or Honorable - Person with Rights.  
NEMETH - German
ORASZ - Russian
OLAH - Vlach - Romanian
POGANY - Foreigner - Not Christian - Pagan
PALINKAS - Brandy (in particular Apricot Brandy) 
PATAKI - Place name also Living Near Creek
PAPP - Priest
RACZ - Serbian / Serb
RACKOCZY - From Rackoc (currently in Slovakia or Ukraine) SEBESTYEN - Sebastian
SEDER - Cranberry (Not the Jewish meal)
SIMON - Simon
SIMKO - Simon
SOOS - Salt (Miner, Seller...)
SZABO - Tailor
SZALAY/ SZALAI - From SZALA County (Old Hungarian County) - Sterling (Implies Silver)
SZANDOR - Alexander
SZASZ - German Speaker (implied from SZEPES)
SZEGO - Cutter such as Wood Cutter or Stone Cutter
SZENT - Saint --usually in front of the name of a saint i.e. 
SZENTANDRAS - Saint Andrew 
SZILAGYI - Place Name 
SUBA - Furrier (including Sheepskin Coats)
SVED - Swedish
SZAKACS - Cook
TAKACS - Weaver (Of cloth, probably started with linen weaving trade guild.)
TOTH (Sometimes TOT) Means Slavic or Slovak (And is one of the most common Hungarian surnames currently!)
TURAY - TURAN - Moslem
VARGO / VARGA - Shoemaker 
UVEGO - glassmaker
VERES - Red or Ruddy
VIRAG - Flower