Some Hungarian surnames are hard enough to spell on their own. But the moment you try to attach a suffix, a plural marker, or an adjective ending, even native speakers freeze for a second.
Historical names are especially sneaky. They often carry old-fashioned spellings, double letters, or multiple parts — and each of those quirks changes the rule you're supposed to follow.
Below are eight classic examples that regularly cause hesitation. See how many you'd get right, then check the reasoning behind each one.
Babits + val (as in: "They walked into the café together with Babits.")
The correct form: Babitscsal.
Why? When you attach the -val/-vel suffix to a personal name ending in a consonant, you normally double the final letter. But with surnames ending in an old-fashioned letter, the rule from The Rules of Hungarian Spelling is to leave that archaic letter untouched, and replace the v of the suffix with the sound actually pronounced at the end of the name.
Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Endre + s (as in: "That's a truly Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Endre kind of thought.")
The correct form: Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Endré-s.
Why? When you add the adjective-forming -s ending to a single-element name or a hyphenated one, you write it in lowercase and attach it directly (for example, bajcsy-zsilinszkys). But if the personal name is made up of two or more separate elements, you keep the original capital letters and link the ending to the last part with a hyphen.
Szent-Györgyi + féle (as in: "This discovery required a Szent-Györgyi kind of genius.")
The correct form: Szent-Györgyi-féle.
Why? The suffix-like element -féle ("of the kind of") is always joined to personal names with a hyphen — including names that are already hyphenated and made of several parts.
If little grammar puzzles like these fascinate you, you'll probably enjoy our other everyday spelling mistakes almost everyone makes too.
Vörösmarty + é (as in: "You can instantly tell this poem is Vörösmarty's.")
The correct form: Vörösmartyé.
Why? As a rule, endings attach directly to Hungarian personal names — without a hyphen — exactly the way they do to ordinary words.
Petőfi + plural marker (as in: "It was the age of the fiery-souled Petőfis.")
The correct form: Petőfik.
Why? The plural marker -k attaches directly to the name's usual, unchanged, capitalized form.
(A lowercase spelling might occasionally appear for stylistic reasons — often to signal contempt toward the person bearing the name.)
Zichy + stílusú (as in: "This Zichy-style painting is very popular.")
The correct form: Zichy-stílusú.
Why? Adjectives formed from a personal name plus a common noun — usually with endings like -i, -beli, -s, -ú, -ű, -jú, -jű while keeping the base form — behave like compound constructions. In cases like this, the parts are linked with a hyphen.
Julianus + barát + szobor (Julianus the friar statue)
The correct form: Julianus barát szobor.
Why? When another noun is added to a construction that already consists of a separately written personal name and common noun, you do not place a hyphen in front of it.
Kiss + vel (as in: "Kovács soon arrived with Kiss at his side.")
The correct form: Kiss-sel.
Why? If a surname ends in a doubled consonant letter, you attach the appropriate form of the -val/-vel suffix with a hyphen, so the base form stays clearly visible. First names, on the other hand, are written with simplification — for example Bernadettel, Mariannal, Marcellel.
Why are these names so tricky to spell?
Historical Hungarian names often combine archaic letters, doubled consonants, and multiple parts. Each of those features triggers a different spelling rule, which is why even one added suffix can create real doubt.
Why don't we double the letter in "Babitscsal"?
Because the name ends in an old-fashioned letter. In these cases the archaic spelling is left unchanged, and the suffix simply reflects the sound actually pronounced at the end of the name.
When do you keep the capital letters before an ending?
When a personal name is made up of two or more separate elements. In that case you preserve the original capitals and attach the ending to the last part with a hyphen, as in Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Endré-s.
Why is "Kiss-sel" written with a hyphen?
Because the surname ends in a doubled consonant letter. The hyphen keeps the base form of the name clearly readable. Note that first names follow a simpler rule and are written without one.
