Ruthenian family names from Bereg County

Abstract

Ruthenian family names from Bereg County  

Many Hungarian inhabitants of the historical Bereg County bear family names of Ruthenian origin. The author presents the settlements where these people live. Relevant family names are discussed in the following groups: 1. surnames originating from the personal name of an ancestor (Monajló ‘Immanuel’, Geczkó < Geraszim, Fedics ‘Fedor’s son’); 2. surnames indicating the place of origin (Nizsalovszki ‘lowlander’, Remeczki ‘from the settlement known as Remete’, Zabolotnij ‘living beyond the marsh’, Lyach ‘Polish’); 3. surnames indicating an occupation, an office or a position (Murnyák ‘bricklayer’, Sztároszta ‘village magistrate’, Koroly ‘king’); 4. surnames indicating a personal characteristic (Lődár ‘lazy’, Seri ‘wide’, Udut ‘hoopoe’); 5. surnames of obscure or uncertain motivation (Dörény ’lawn, grass’, Kapincu ’little drop’, Szolomka ‘stalk of straw’).