100 Hungarian Last Names with Meanings

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Pick the perfect last name for a fictional character or explore your own heritage

Co-authored by Annabelle Reyes

Last Updated: April 8, 2026 Fact Checked

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Common

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Unique

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More Last Names

Many Hungarian last names have truly unique and beautiful sounds to them—no wonder you’re looking to explore them more! Whether you have roots in Hungary and you’re hoping to learn more about your heritage or you’re a writer trying to find the perfect last name for a Hungarian character, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for in this thorough list! Read on for both common and unique Hungarian last names, along with their meanings.

What are some common Hungarian surnames?

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An illustrated list of common Hungarian last names.

Common Hungarian last names include Kovács (“blacksmith”), Varga (“cobbler”), Farkas (“wolf”), Tóth (“Slovak”), Nagy (“large and powerful person”), Szabó (“tailor”), Kiss (“small”), Molnár (“miller”) and Balogh (“left-handed”).

Section 1 of 3:

Common Hungarian Last Names

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Hungarian last names often originated from a person’s trade or occupation, so they’re a great place to start if you’re looking for information on your family’s history.^{[1]
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Research source} For example, the surname Halasz means “fisherman,” and Lakatos means “locksmith.” Here are some more well-known Hungarian last names and their meanings:
- Ádám: Hungarian form of “Adam.”
- Adami: Variant of Ádám.
- Alberti: Someone from a village called Alberti in Pest county.
- Balogh: “Left-handed.”
- Dávid: From the first name David.
- Farkas: “Wolf.”
- Feher: “Fair complexion.”
- Fekete: “Dark hair.”
- Ferenc: From the name Franciscus.
- Fodor: “Curly hair.”
- Gorog: “Greek.”
- Habsburg: From the 11th-century German dynasty in Austria.
- Halasz: “Fisherman.”
- Horvath: For a Hungarian person who lived in Croatia.
- Janos: From the name Johannes.
- Jónás: From the first name Jonas.
- Juhasz: “Shepherd.”
- Kiraly: “King.”
- Kiss: From a nickname that means “small.”
- Kovacs: “Blacksmith.”
- Lakatos: “Locksmith.”
- Laszlo: “Rule” or “glory.”
- Magyar: For a Hungarian person who lived in a rural area.
- Mészáros: “Butcher.”
- Molnár: “Miller.”
- Nagy: From a nickname for a large and powerful person.
- Német: A variant of the last name “Nemeth.”
- Nemeth: “German.”
- Olah: “Speaker of a romance language.”
- Papp: From a nickname meaning “priest.”
- Péter: From the first name Peter.
- Racz: From the Serbian city Ras.
- Simon: From the first name Simon.
- Szilágyi: Someone from the region of Szilágyi.
- Szabo: “Tailor.”
- Szűcs: “Furrier.”
- Takacs: “Weaver.”
- Tamas: “Twin.”
- Tímár: “Tanner.”
- Török: “Turkish.”
- Tot: Variant of the last name Toth.
- Tóth: “Slovak.”
- Varga: “Cobbler” or “shoemaker.”
- Vass: “Iron.”
- Vincze: From the first name Vince.
- Voros: “Red hair.”

Section 2 of 3:

Unique Hungarian Last Names

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There are tons of truly unique and striking Hungarian surnames out there, and Hungarian naming customs themselves are unique among other European countries. In Hungary, a person’s surname comes first, and their given name comes last.^{[2]
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Research source} For example, the Hungarian version of a name would be Jankovics Mária, while the English version would be Mária Jankovics. Here are a few unique Hungarian last names to explore:
- Almássy: “From the apple orchard.”
- Arany: “Golden.”
- Bajusz: “Moustache.”
- Bakó: “Axeman.”
- Bárány: “Lamb.”
- Baráth: “Friend.”
- Báthory: Someone from the village of Bátor in Hungary.
- Borbély: “Barber.”
- Császár: Hungarian version of Kaiser.
- Csintalan: “Mischievous” or “naughty.”
- Csorba: “Chipped” or “jagged.”
- Dobos: “Drum,” or someone who played or made drums.
- Erdős: “Forester.”
- Erős: “Strong.”
- Eszes: “Clever” or “bright.”
- Fábián: From the first name Fabian.
- Faragó: “Woodcutter.”
- Fazekas: “Potter.”
- Filep: From the first name Fülöp.
- Gulyás: “Herdsman” or “tender of cows.”
- Hajós: “Boatman” or “sailor.”
- Halmi: “Mound” or “small hill.”
- Hegedűs: “Fiddler.”
- Ignácz: From the first name Ignác.
- Jankovics: “Son of Jankó.”
- Jó: “Good.”
- Kádár: “Cooper” or “barrel maker.”
- Kalmár: “Merchant” or “shopkeeper.”
- Kardos: “Sword.”
- Katona: “Soldier.”
- Kedves: “Nice” or “kind.”
- Kóbor: “Wanderer” or “ranger.”
- Lantos: “Bard,” “lutist,” or “minstrel.”
- Lovász: “Groom,” “stableman,” or “ostler.”
- Nemes: “Noble” or “gentle.”
- Nyilas: “Archer” or “bowman.”
- Olasz: “Italian.”
- Pásztor: “Shepherd.”
- Pethes: From the name Pete.
- Pintér: “Cooper” or “barrel maker.”
- Rigó: “Thrush.”
- Samsa: From the first name Sámuel.
- Sas: “Eagle.”
- Sipos: “Whistle” or “pipe.”
- Sólyom: “Hawk” or “falcon.”
- Sörös: “Beer” or “beer brewer.”
- Sovány: “Thin” or “lean.”
- Szép: “Beautiful” or “lovely.”
- Tarr: “Bald.”
- Tisza: From the river name Tisza.
- Tolvaj: “Thief.”
- Vadas: “Wild.”
- Virág: “Flower.”
- Zsoldos: “Mercenary.”