A -fi végű magyar családnevek típusai és története

Absztrakt

The types and history of Hungarian surnames ending in -fi (‘son of’)

This paper presents the types, the history and some related problems of surnames including the element -fi (‘son of’), originally a posterior constituent of compounds, which developed into a derivative suffix producing surnames in Hungarian. This surname type has not been discussed frequently in the literature, so its comprehensive survey, which reconsiders earlier remarks as well, is justifiable. The author examines the role of the relevant family names among the Hungarian historical surnames that have evolved naturally; among the artificial surnames formed in the 19th–20th centuries in the process of official name changes; and among contemporary surnames. Characteristics and relations of these different layers of the Hungarian surname stock are explored by analysing statistics based on some large corpora of representative value. The author also searches for explanations behind the observed differences. The paper examines the origins, the development and the possible changes of this name type, identifying many influential background features in language, name and cultural history. The author presents the occurrence and the frequency of the name type and its important representatives, taking name geographical, temporal and social factors into consideration. Relations to other name types as well as to surnames seemingly ending in -fi are also treated. By elaborating a comprehensive approach to this type of surname structure, the author wishes to point out the importance and efficiency of the separate and joint examinations of the different layers of the surname stock.