Hungarian is unusual in Europe: like Japanese or Korean, the family name comes first, then the given name. So a person known internationally as “Viktor Nagy” is “Nagy Viktor” in Hungary.

Trades, places and nicknames

Most Hungarian surnames come from occupations (Kovács “smith,” Szabó “tailor,” Molnár “miller”), descriptions (Nagy “big,” Kiss “small,” Fekete “dark”) or an ethnic or regional origin (Tóth “Slovak,” Horváth “Croatian,” Németh “German”), reflecting the region’s mix of peoples.

Frequently asked questions

Does the surname come first in Hungarian?

Yes u2014 Hungarian places the family name first, then the given name, unlike most of Europe.

What is the most common Hungarian surname?

Nagy, meaning u201cbigu201d or u201cgreat,u201d is the most common Hungarian surname.

What do Hungarian surnames mean?

Many come from trades (Kovu00e1cs u201csmithu201d), descriptions (Kiss u201csmallu201d) or an ethnic origin (Horvu00e1th u201cCroatianu201d).

All last names A–Z