109 Popular Hungarian Surnames Or Last Names With Meanings

By Samantha

Okay so if you have ever come across a Hungarian surname and thought it looked completely unlike anything else in Europe, you are absolutely right.

Hungarian is not a Slavic language, not a Romance language, not a Germanic language. It belongs to the Finno-Ugric family and its nearest relatives are Finnish and Estonian. That makes Hungarian surnames genuinely unlike anything else on the continent and once you start learning what they mean, they are absolutely fascinating.

One of the most unique things about Hungarian surnames is that Hungary uses the Eastern name order, meaning the family name comes first and the given name comes second. So a man named János Kovács would be called Kovács János in Hungarian. The surname leads. And the meanings behind those surnames? They come from occupations, from physical traits, from animals, from nature, from the land, and from the ancient Magyar tribal tradition that goes back over a thousand years.

Here are 109 popular Hungarian surnames with their full meanings.

The Most Common Hungarian Surnames

These are the names you will encounter most often if you spend any time around Hungarian people or Hungarian records. Every one of them has been carried by millions of Hungarians across centuries and the meanings behind them give a direct window into medieval Magyar life.

  1. Kovács
  • Origin: Hungarian, from kovács
  • Meaning: Blacksmith The single most common surname in Hungary. The equivalent of Smith in English. Every village had one and most of them left descendants.
  1. Nagy
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Big, great, tall The second most common Hungarian surname. Originally a nickname for someone unusually large or important.
  1. Tóth
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Slovak Originally given to families of Slovak origin living in Hungary. Reflects the long history of ethnic mixing in the Carpathian Basin.
  1. Szabó
  • Origin: Hungarian, from szabó
  • Meaning: Tailor One of the most common occupational surnames in Hungary. Every community needed a tailor.
  1. Horváth
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Croatian Like Tóth for Slovaks, Horváth was given to families of Croatian origin. One of the most common surnames in Hungary.
  1. Varga
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Cobbler or leather worker Someone who made or repaired shoes and leather goods.
  1. Kiss
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Small, little Do not let the English meaning confuse you. Kiss in Hungarian simply means small and was given as a nickname to shorter people.
  1. Molnár
  • Origin: Hungarian, from malom
  • Meaning: Miller Someone who operated a grain mill. Rivers powered mills across Hungary and the millers who ran them passed their occupation into their family name.
  1. Németh
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: German Given to families of German origin living in Hungary. Large German communities settled in Hungary after the Ottoman wars.
  1. Farkas
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Wolf One of the most powerful animal surnames in the Hungarian tradition. Wolves were deeply significant in Magyar mythology.
  1. Fekete
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Black A color nickname originally given to someone with very dark hair or a dark complexion.
  1. Papp
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Greek papas
  • Meaning: Priest, pope Given to families connected to the local Orthodox or Greek Catholic clergy.
  1. Takács
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Weaver Someone who wove cloth for a living. Weaving was one of the most important crafts in medieval Hungary.
  1. Juhász
  • Origin: Hungarian, from juh
  • Meaning: Shepherd Sheep herding was central to the economy of the Hungarian plain for centuries. A name of the open grasslands.
  1. Mészáros
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Butcher Someone who slaughtered and sold meat. One of the most common trade surnames in Hungary.

Hungarian Surnames From Nature And The Land

Hungary is a country of great rivers, flat plains, dense forests, and volcanic hills. Its landscape shaped the names of the people who lived in it for a thousand years.

  1. Erdős
  • Origin: Hungarian, from erdő
  • Meaning: Forested, of the forest A family from a forested area or someone who lived among trees.
  1. Kis
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Small A variant spelling of Kiss. One of the most widespread surname roots in Hungary.
  1. Balogh
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Left-handed Originally a nickname for someone who was left-handed. In medieval Hungary this was considered unusual enough to note.
  1. Fehér
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: White A color surname for someone with very fair hair or a pale complexion.
  1. Szőke
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Blonde A nickname for someone with light blonde hair. Very common across Hungary.
  1. Rácz
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Serbian Given to families of Serbian origin. Reflects the Serbian communities that settled in southern Hungary.
  1. Czibor
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Connected to the ancient Magyar tribal tradition A name with deep roots in the pre-Christian Magyar culture.
  1. Hegyi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from hegy
  • Meaning: Of the hill or mountain A family from a hilly area. Hungary has significant hill country in the north and west.
  1. Völgyi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from völgy
  • Meaning: Of the valley A family from a valley or low-lying area between hills.
  1. Pataki
  • Origin: Hungarian, from patak
  • Meaning: Of the stream or brook A family who lived near a small stream or river.
  1. Mezei
  • Origin: Hungarian, from mező
  • Meaning: Of the field or meadow The great flat meadows of the Hungarian plain. A name of open, agricultural land.
  1. Ligeti
  • Origin: Hungarian, from liget
  • Meaning: Of the grove or small forest A family from a small wooded area. Made internationally famous by composer György Ligeti.
  1. Halász
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Fisherman Hungary is crossed by the Danube and Tisza rivers and fishing was a vital occupation along both.
  1. Tóth
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Already appeared at number three. The most common ethnicity-based surname in Hungary.
  1. Berki
  • Origin: Hungarian, from berek
  • Meaning: Of the riverside thicket A family who lived near the dense vegetation along a riverbank.

Hungarian Surnames From Occupations

Just like across the rest of Europe, a huge number of Hungarian surnames came directly from what a person did for a living. These occupational names are some of the most historically rich in the entire tradition.

  1. Bíró
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Judge or magistrate Someone who served as a local judge or village magistrate. A name of authority and legal power.
  1. Csizmadia
  • Origin: Hungarian, from csizma
  • Meaning: Bootmaker Someone who made the tall leather boots that were central to Hungarian traditional dress.
  1. Kádár
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Cooper, barrel maker Someone who made wooden barrels. Wine production was vital in Hungary and barrel makers were in constant demand.
  1. Lakatos
  • Origin: Hungarian, from lakat
  • Meaning: Locksmith Someone who made and repaired locks. A skilled metal craft that produced one of the most distinctive Hungarian occupational surnames.
  1. Ács
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Carpenter Someone who worked with wood in construction. One of the shortest Hungarian occupational surnames.
  1. Bognár
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Wheelwright Someone who made and repaired wooden wheels for carts and wagons. Essential in a pre-industrial agricultural society.
  1. Fazekas
  • Origin: Hungarian, from fazék
  • Meaning: Potter Someone who made clay pots and vessels. Pottery was one of the oldest crafts in Hungary.
  1. Pék
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Baker A direct occupational name. One of the shortest Hungarian surnames.
  1. Pintér
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Cooper or cask maker Similar to Kádár. A barrel or cask maker. Two different words for the same essential trade.
  1. Szűcs
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Furrier Someone who made and sold fur garments. Hungary’s cold winters made the fur trade vital and profitable.
  1. Arany
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Gold Originally a goldsmith or someone connected to the gold trade. Made famous by the great nineteenth century poet János Arany.
  1. Kerékgyártó
  • Origin: Hungarian, from kerék and gyártó
  • Meaning: Wheel maker A descriptive compound occupational name. Literally the person who manufactures wheels.
  1. Csaplár
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Innkeeper or tavern keeper Someone who ran a roadside inn or local tavern. A central figure in any Hungarian village.
  1. Sütő
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Baker, one who bakes A variant of the baking trade. Different from Pék in etymology but the same occupation.
  1. Vadász
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Hunter Someone who hunted game professionally. Hungary’s forests and plains provided abundant hunting grounds.

Hungarian Surnames From Physical Traits And Nicknames

Hungarians were refreshingly direct about physical descriptions when it came to nicknames that became surnames. These names tell you exactly what the first person to carry them looked like.

  1. Erős
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Strong A nickname for someone of exceptional physical strength.
  1. Hosszú
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Long or tall Given to someone unusually tall or long-limbed. Made internationally famous by Olympic swimmer Katinka Hosszú.
  1. Kopasz
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Bald A blunt nickname for a bald man that became a permanent family name.
  1. Sovány
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Thin, lean A nickname for someone noticeably thin.
  1. Kövér
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Fat, stout A physical nickname that became a family name. Completely direct in the Hungarian tradition.
  1. Szép
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Beautiful, handsome A flattering nickname for someone considered particularly good-looking.
  1. Csúf
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Ugly The opposite of Szép. A nickname that was far less flattering but stuck just as firmly.
  1. Vén
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Old Given to an elder or someone who seemed older than their years.
  1. Fiatal
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Young The opposite of Vén. Given to distinguish a younger family member.
  1. Gyors
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Fast, quick A nickname for someone known for their speed, either in running or in their work.
  1. Sánta
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Lame, limping A nickname for someone who walked with a limp.
  1. Vak
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Blind A nickname for someone with impaired vision.
  1. Görbe
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Crooked, bent A physical nickname for someone with a curved spine or unusual posture.
  1. Szabad
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Free A name given to someone who had been freed from serfdom. A name of liberation.
  1. Vörös
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Red A color nickname for someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion.

Hungarian Surnames From Animals

Animal names were deeply embedded in the Magyar naming tradition long before surnames became fixed. Many of them come from the shamanistic and totemic beliefs of the ancient Magyars who arrived in the Carpathian Basin in the ninth century.

  1. Farkas
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Wolf Already appeared above. Worth noting here that the wolf was the most sacred animal in the ancient Magyar tradition and Farkas is the most powerful animal surname in the Hungarian language.
  1. Medve
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Bear Bears were revered across the Eurasian steppe cultures from which the Magyars came.
  1. Szarvas
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Deer or stag The white stag is one of the founding symbols of Magyar mythology. It led the legendary ancestors of the Hungarians to the Carpathian Basin.
  1. Nyúl
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Rabbit or hare A quick, nimble animal whose name became a family name.
  1. Holló
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Raven The raven was the heraldic bird of Hungary’s greatest king, Matthias Corvinus. A name of royal and mythological significance.
  1. Sas
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Eagle The eagle is a symbol of strength and freedom across Central European heraldry.
  1. Bárány
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Lamb A gentle animal name associated with shepherding and Christian symbolism.
  1. Ökör
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Ox A working animal name from the agricultural tradition.
  1. Kakas
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Rooster A farmyard animal name that became a family name.
  1. Kígyó
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Snake Snakes in Magyar mythology were associated with protection of the home and ancestral spirits.
  1. Hattyú
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Swan A graceful water bird name found in Hungarian heraldry and folk tradition.
  1. Bika
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Bull A powerful animal name associated with strength and agricultural life.
  1. Daru
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Crane The crane migrates through Hungary in great numbers every spring and autumn. A name of passage and freedom.
  1. Bagoly
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Owl The owl in Hungarian tradition was associated with wisdom and also with the supernatural.
  1. Gólya
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Stork The white stork nests on Hungarian chimneys and rooftops and has been a symbol of good luck and new life for centuries.

Hungarian Surnames From Place Names And Regions

A significant portion of Hungarian surnames tell you exactly where a family originally came from. These geographic surnames carry the whole landscape of the Carpathian Basin inside them.

  1. Budai
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Buda
  • Meaning: From Buda Buda was one of the twin cities that merged to become Budapest in 1873. A name from the royal capital.
  1. Pesti
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Pest
  • Meaning: From Pest The other half of Budapest. Together Budai and Pesti cover both sides of the Danube.
  1. Miskolci
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Miskolc
  • Meaning: From Miskolc Hungary’s third largest city in the northeast of the country.
  1. Győri
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Győr
  • Meaning: From Győr A major city in northwestern Hungary near the Austrian border.
  1. Debreceni
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Debrecen
  • Meaning: From Debrecen Hungary’s second largest city and the spiritual heart of Hungarian Calvinism.
  1. Egri
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Eger
  • Meaning: From Eger The city famous for the siege of 1552 when Hungarian defenders held off the Ottoman army. A name carrying one of Hungary’s greatest moments of military heroism.
  1. Pécsi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Pécs
  • Meaning: From Pécs One of Hungary’s oldest cities with Roman, Ottoman, and Hungarian layers of history.
  1. Kecskeméti
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Kecskemét
  • Meaning: From Kecskemét A city in the heart of the Hungarian plain famous for its apricot brandy and Art Nouveau architecture.
  1. Szegedi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Szeged
  • Meaning: From Szeged Hungary’s southern city on the Tisza river, known for paprika and Pick salami.
  1. Tatai
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Tata
  • Meaning: From Tata A historic town in northwestern Hungary with a famous castle and lake.
  1. Pannonhalmi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Pannonhalma
  • Meaning: From Pannonhalma Home to the oldest Benedictine monastery in Hungary, founded in 996 CE.
  1. Veszprémi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Veszprém
  • Meaning: From Veszprém An ancient city in the Transdanubian hills with one of Hungary’s oldest bishoprics.
  1. Esztergomi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Esztergom
  • Meaning: From Esztergom Hungary’s most sacred city, where Saint Stephen was crowned first King of Hungary in the year 1000.
  1. Kassai
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Kassa
  • Meaning: From Košice Kassa is the Hungarian name for Košice in Slovakia, which was a major Hungarian city before 1920.
  1. Kolozsvári
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Kolozsvár
  • Meaning: From Cluj The Hungarian name for Cluj-Napoca in Romania, historically one of the most important Hungarian cities.

Famous And Historically Significant Hungarian Surnames

Hungary has produced some of the most remarkable people in history and these surnames carry that legacy. Scientists, composers, poets, athletes, and kings.

  1. Liszt
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Flour Ferenc Liszt was one of the greatest pianists who ever lived. His surname simply means flour in Hungarian.
  1. Bartók
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Bertók, a form of Bartholomew
  • Meaning: Son of Bartholomew Béla Bartók was one of the most important composers of the twentieth century. He traveled the Hungarian countryside recording folk music and turned it into art.
  1. Petőfi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Petőfalva
  • Meaning: From the village of Petőfalva Sándor Petőfi is Hungary’s greatest poet and national hero. He died at 26 fighting for Hungarian independence in 1849.
  1. Hunyadi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Hunyad
  • Meaning: From the castle of Hunyad János Hunyadi was the great military commander who defended Hungary against the Ottoman Empire in the fifteenth century. His son became King Matthias I.
  1. Kossuth
  • Origin: Hungarian, possibly from a place name
  • Meaning: Unknown etymology Lajos Kossuth led the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and became one of the most celebrated freedom fighters in nineteenth century Europe.
  1. Deák
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Student, clerk, literate person Ferenc Deák negotiated the Compromise of 1867 that created the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A name of learning and diplomacy.
  1. Széchenyi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Szécsény
  • Meaning: From the town of Szécsény István Széchenyi was called the Greatest Hungarian. He funded the Chain Bridge in Budapest and modernized the country in the nineteenth century.
  1. Pázmány
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Unclear, possibly connected to an old Magyar word Péter Pázmány was the great Cardinal and writer who led the Catholic Counter-Reformation in Hungary. He founded Budapest’s oldest university.
  1. Puskás
  • Origin: Hungarian, from puska
  • Meaning: Gunmaker or musketeer Ferenc Puskás was the greatest footballer Hungary ever produced. His left foot was called the Golden Boot.
  1. Rubik
  • Origin: Hungarian
  • Meaning: Unknown etymology Ernő Rubik invented the Rubik’s Cube in 1974. One of the best-selling toys in human history and a name known in every country on earth.

Rare And Unusual Hungarian Surnames

These Hungarian last names appear less frequently but carry some of the most interesting stories and meanings in the entire tradition.

  1. Ábrahám
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Hebrew
  • Meaning: Father of many nations The biblical Abraham. A name of enormous theological and historical significance.
  1. Bocskai
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Bocskó
  • Meaning: From the village of Bocskó István Bocskai led the first major Hungarian uprising against Habsburg rule in 1604.
  1. Rákóczi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Rákóc
  • Meaning: From the village of Rákóc Ferenc Rákóczi II led the great Hungarian war of independence against the Habsburgs from 1703 to 1711. His name became a symbol of Hungarian freedom.
  1. Zrínyi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Zrin
  • Meaning: From the fortress of Zrin Miklós Zrínyi died defending the fortress of Szigetvár against Suleiman the Magnificent in 1566. One of Hungary’s greatest military heroes.
  1. Kinizsi
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Kinizsó
  • Meaning: From the village of Kinizsó Pál Kinizsi was one of the greatest Hungarian military commanders of the fifteenth century, famous for his extraordinary physical strength.
  1. Anonymus
  • Origin: Latin used in Hungarian records
  • Meaning: Anonymous, nameless The twelfth century chronicler who wrote the Gesta Hungarorum, the first account of Hungarian history, is known only as Anonymus.
  1. Csontváry
  • Origin: Hungarian, invented
  • Meaning: Possibly from csont meaning bone Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka was one of Hungary’s greatest painters and one of the most extraordinary visionary artists in European history.
  1. Munkácsy
  • Origin: Hungarian, from Munkács
  • Meaning: From the city of Munkács Mihály Munkácsy was Hungary’s greatest realist painter of the nineteenth century. Munkács is now called Mukachevo in Ukraine.
  1. Semmelweis
  • Origin: Hungarian, from German
  • Meaning: Possibly from Semmelweiss, white bread roll Ignaz Semmelweis discovered that doctors should wash their hands before delivering babies, saving countless lives. He was ignored for decades and died in a mental institution. One of the most tragic and important names in the history of medicine.

Wrapping Up

One hundred and nine surnames from a nation that arrived in the Carpathian Basin on horseback a thousand years ago and built one of the most distinctive cultures in Europe.

From the universal Kovács and Nagy to the mythological Farkas and Holló. From the poetic Ligeti and Erdős to the heroic Hunyadi and Rákóczi. Hungarian surnames carry a history that is unlike anything else on the continent, written in a language that stands entirely apart from its neighbors.

Pin this one. It is unlike any other surnames list you will find anywhere.

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