According to data from the Hungary’s Ministry of the Interior, the most popular baby names in the country in 2020 were (again!) Hanna and Bence.
Below are Hungary’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names for each of the last four years (since 2016):
Girl Names
2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
1 | Hanna | Hanna | Hanna | Hanna |
2 | Anna | Zoé | Anna | Anna |
3 | Zoé | Anna | Zoé | Zoé |
4 | Luca | Emma | Luca | Léna |
5 | Emma | Luca | Léna | Luca |
6 | Zsófia | Léna | Emma | Emma |
7 | Jázmin | Zsófia | Zsófia | Zsófia |
8 | Nóra | Boglárka | Lili | Boglárka |
9 | Boglárka | Jázmin | Boglárka | Lili |
10 | Léna | Lili | Mira | Mira |
Boy Names
2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
1 | Bence | Bence | Bence | Bence |
2 | Máté | Máté | Máté | Máté |
3 | Levente | Dominik | Levente | Dominik |
4 | Noel | Marcell | Dominik | Levente |
5 | Ádám | Levente | Marcell | Noel |
6 | Marcell | Noel | Noel | Dániel |
7 | Dominik | Ádám | Ádám | Zalán |
8 | Dávid | Dániel | Dániel | Marcell |
9 | Dániel | Milán | Dávid | Olivér |
10 | Milán | Dávid | Olivér | Ádám |
Finally, here are a few of the interesting names I noticed in Hungary’s recent top-100 lists (2017-2020):
- Boróka (f), pronounced BO-ro-kaw , from the Hungarian word boróka, meaning “juniper.”
- Csenge (f), pronounced CHENG-geh, derived from the Hungarian word cseng, meaning “to ring, clang.”
- Csongor (m), pronounced CHONG-gor, possibly derived from a Turkic word meaning “falcon.”
- Emese (f), pronounced EH-meh-sheh, possibly derived from the Finno-Ugric word eme, meaning “mother.”
- This was the name of the grandmother of Árpád (845-907), considered by many Hungarians to be the founder of the country.
- Hanga (f), pronounced HAWNG-gaw, from the Hungarian word hanga, meaning “heather.”
- Szabolcs (m), pronounced SAW-bolch, of unknown meaning but possibly derived from a Slavic word meaning “marten.”
Sources: Statistics – Hungary’s Deputy State Secretariat for the Administration of the Ministry of the Interior, Behind the Name
Image: Adapted from Flag of Hungary (public domain)