Lajos m HungarianHungarian form of
Louis. It was borne by two Hungarian kings, starting with the 14th-century Lajos I the Great, who was named after his French uncle.
Lara 1 f Russian, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, CroatianRussian short form of
Larisa. It was introduced to the English-speaking world by a character from Boris Pasternak's novel
Doctor Zhivago (1957) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1965). Between 1965 and 1969 it increased by almost 2,000 percent in the United States, however it is currently much more popular in the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Portugual, Italy, and Germany. Another famous fictional bearer is Lara Croft, first appearing in video games in 1996 and movies in 2001.
László m HungarianHungarian form of
Vladislav. Saint László was an 11th-century king of Hungary, looked upon as the embodiment of Christian virtue and bravery.
Laura f English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, French, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Lithuanian, Latvian, Late RomanFeminine form of the Late Latin name
Laurus, which meant
"laurel". This meaning was favourable, since in ancient Rome the leaves of laurel trees were used to create victors' garlands. The name was borne by the 9th-century Spanish martyr Saint Laura, who was a nun thrown into a vat of molten lead by the Moors. It was also the name of the subject of poems by the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch.
... [more] Lea f German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Italian, HebrewForm of
Leah used in several languages.
Levente m HungarianOld Hungarian name, possibly of Slavic origin, or possibly from Hungarian
lesz "will be". This name was used by the Árpád royal family since at least the 10th century.
Lili f German, French, HungarianGerman, French and Hungarian diminutive of
Elisabeth and other names containing
li. It is also sometimes connected to the German word
lilie meaning
"lily".
Linda f English, German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, French, Latvian, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, GermanicOriginally a medieval short form of Germanic names containing the element
lind meaning
"soft, flexible, tender" (Proto-Germanic *
linþaz). It also coincides with the Spanish and Portuguese word
linda meaning
"beautiful". In the English-speaking world this name experienced a spike in popularity beginning in the 1930s, peaking in the late 1940s, and declining shortly after that. It was the most popular name for girls in the United States from 1947 to 1952.
Magda f German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, Croatian, Slovene, Romanian, Portuguese, GreekShort form of
Magdalena.
Maja 2 f Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Slovene, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, HungarianDiminutive of
Maria.
Mari 1 f Estonian, Finnish, Welsh, Breton, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Georgian, ArmenianEstonian, Finnish, Welsh and Breton form of
Maria, as well as a Hungarian diminutive of
Mária. It is also a Scandinavian, Georgian and Armenian form of the French name
Marie.
Marika f Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, Greek, Finnish, Estonian, Swedish, Georgian, Italian, GermanDiminutive of
Maria and other names beginning with
Mari.
Martin m English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, FinnishFrom the Roman name
Martinus, which was derived from
Martis, the genitive case of the name of the Roman god
Mars. Saint Martin of Tours was a 4th-century bishop who is the patron saint of France. According to legend, he came across a cold beggar in the middle of winter so he ripped his cloak in two and gave half of it to the beggar. He was a favourite saint during the Middle Ages, and his name has become common throughout the Christian world.
... [more] Martina f German, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Hungarian, English, Swedish, Dutch, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Martinus (see
Martin). Saint Martina was a 3rd-century martyr who is one of the patron saints of Rome.
Melinda f English, HungarianCombination of
Mel (from names such as
Melanie or
Melissa) with the popular name suffix
inda. It was created in the 18th century, and may have been inspired by the similar name
Belinda. In Hungary, the name was popularized by the 1819 play
Bánk Bán by József Katona.
Nándor m HungarianOriginally this was a Hungarian word referring to a Bulgarian people that lived along the Danube. Since the 19th century it has been used as a Hungarian short form of
Ferdinand.
Olga f Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Czech, Slovene, Serbian, Bulgarian, GreekRussian form of the Old Norse name
Helga. The 10th-century Saint Olga was the wife of
Igor I, the ruler of Kievan Rus (a state based around the city of Kyiv). Like her husband she was probably a Varangian, who were Norse people who settled in eastern Europe beginning in the 9th century. Following Igor's death she ruled as regent for her son
Svyatoslav for 18 years. After she was baptized in Constantinople she attempted to convert her subjects to Christianity, though this goal was only achieved by her grandson
Vladimir.
Paula f German, English, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Croatian, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Paulus (see
Paul). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman saint who was a companion of Saint
Jerome.
Petra f German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Swedish, Finnish, EnglishFeminine form of
Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.
Regina f English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Late RomanMeans
"queen" in Latin (or Italian). It was in use as a Christian name from early times, and was borne by a 2nd-century saint. In England it was used during the Middle Ages in honour of the Virgin
Mary, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A city in Canada bears this name, in honour of Queen Victoria.
Rita f Italian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Hungarian, Spanish, Portuguese, Latvian, LithuanianShort form of
Margherita and other names ending in
rita. Saint Rita (born Margherita Lotti) was a 15th-century nun from Cascia, Italy. Another famous bearer was the American actress Rita Hayworth (1918-1987).
Roland m English, French, German, Swedish, Dutch, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Albanian, Georgian, Medieval FrenchFrom the Old German elements
hruod meaning "fame" and
lant meaning "land", though some theories hold that the second element was originally
nand meaning "brave".
... [more] Rudolf m German, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Dutch, Russian, ArmenianFrom the Germanic name
Hrodulf, which was derived from the elements
hruod meaning "fame" and
wolf meaning "wolf". It was borne by three kings of Burgundy and a king of West Francia, as well as several Habsburg rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria. Anthony Hope used this name for the hero in his popular novel
The Prisoner of Zenda (1894).
Sarolt f Hungarian (Rare)From the Old Hungarian name
Saroldu, probably of Turkic origin meaning
"white weasel, ermine". This was the wife of the 10th-century Hungarian grand prince
Géza.
Simon 1 m English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, Romanian, Macedonian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom
Σίμων (Simon), the New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name
שִׁמְעוֹן (Shim'on) meaning
"hearing, listening", derived from
שָׁמַע (shama') meaning "to hear, to listen". This name is spelled
Simeon, based on Greek
Συμεών, in many translations of the Old Testament, where it is borne by the second son of
Jacob. The New Testament spelling may show influence from the otherwise unrelated Greek name
Simon 2.
... [more] Soma m HungarianFrom Hungarian
som meaning
"dogwood, cornel tree".
Szabolcs m HungarianMeaning unknown, possibly from a Slavic word meaning
"marten". It was borne by a leader of the Magyars at the time of
Árpád. This is now the name of a region in Hungary.
Tamara f Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Hungarian, English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Lithuanian, GeorgianRussian form of
Tamar. Russian performers such as Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978), Tamara Drasin (1905-1943), Tamara Geva (1907-1997) and Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) introduced it to the English-speaking world. It rapidly grew in popularity in the United States starting in 1957. Another famous bearer was the Polish cubist painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980).
Tímea f HungarianCreated by the Hungarian author Mór Jókai for a character in his novel
The Golden Man (1873). The name is apparently based on the Greek word
εὐθυμία (euthymia) meaning
"good spirits, cheerfulness".
Tünde f HungarianDerived from Hungarian
tündér meaning
"fairy". The Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty created this name in the 19th century.
Vera 1 f Russian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian, GeorgianMeans
"faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word
verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.
Veronika f Russian, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Lithuanian, LatvianForm of
Veronica in several languages.
Viktor m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, GreekForm of
Victor used in various languages.
Vilma f Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, German, Swedish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, CroatianForm of
Wilma in several languages.
Viola f English, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, SlovakMeans
"violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke
Orsino, she attempts to convince
Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.
Vivien 2 f Literature, HungarianUsed by Alfred Tennyson as the name of the Lady of the Lake in his Arthurian epic
Idylls of the King (1859). Tennyson may have based it on
Vivienne, but it possibly arose as a misreading of
Ninian. A famous bearer was British actress Vivien Leigh (1913-1967), who played Scarlett O'Hara in
Gone with the Wind.
Zalán m HungarianPossibly from the name of the region of Zala in western Hungary, itself named for the Zala River. This name used by the Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty in his 1823 epic
Zalán Futása.
Zétény m HungarianPossibly from the old Slavic root
zeti meaning
"son-in-law".
Zoltán m Hungarian, SlovakPossibly related to the Turkish title
sultan meaning
"king, sultan". This was the name of a 10th-century ruler of Hungary, also known as Zsolt.