Find out how popular the last name Magyar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Magyar.

Magyar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Magyar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Magyar in America

Magyar is the 14274th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Magyar surname appeared 2,098 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Magyar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Magyar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Magyar

The surname Magyar is of Hungarian origin and is derived from the name of the Magyar ethnic group, which settled in the Carpathian Basin in the late 9th century. The Magyar people were known as the "Hungarians" and their language became the Hungarian language.

The name Magyar is believed to have originated from the Old Bulgarian word "madʒar," which means "wanderer" or "migrant." This reflects the nomadic history of the Magyar people, who migrated from the Eurasian Steppe region to Central Europe.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Magyar can be found in the Byzantine historian Konstantinos Porphyrogennetos' work "De Administrando Imperio," written around 950 AD. He mentions the "Megyer" people, which is believed to be the same as the Magyar.

In the 11th century, the name Magyar appeared in various Latin chronicles and documents, such as the "Gesta Hungarorum" (Deeds of the Hungarians) written by an anonymous author around 1200 AD.

Notable historical figures with the surname Magyar include:

1. János Magyar (1589-1616), a Hungarian Calvinist pastor and writer who translated the complete Bible into Hungarian.

2. Sándor Magyar (1837-1891), a Hungarian novelist and playwright, known for his works depicting rural life in Hungary.

3. Dezső Magyar (1879-1938), a Hungarian architect who designed several notable buildings in Budapest, including the Vigadó Concert Hall.

4. Zoltán Magyar (1858-1904), a Hungarian painter and illustrator, known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life.

5. Lajos Magyar (1891-1976), a Hungarian-American inventor and engineer, best known for developing the first functional computer memory system using magnetic recording technology.

The name Magyar is still commonly found in Hungary and among the Hungarian diaspora worldwide. It reflects the rich cultural heritage and history of the Magyar people, who played a significant role in shaping the region and contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Magyar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Magyar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Magyar was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Magyar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Magyar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Magyar, please contact us.

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