Hungary tightens baby names: new ministerial list in force
Despite efforts by ruling-party politician Lajos Kósa to weed out “ridiculous” baby names, the newly published official naming list still includes Legolas, Orália, and Mohamed.
“Given names are part of national identity. They express a nation’s sense of unity and carry its linguistic culture and traditions,” states the decree published on Wednesday in the Hungarian Gazette.
Approved baby names now fixed by ministerial decree
Signed by Balázs Hankó, the legislation takes effect on Thursday and establishes an official list of Hungarian names and those of 13 minority groups by ministerial decree. The 36-page document includes 2,691 female and 2,012 male names — among them Ahmed, Mustafa, and Mohamed. The latter has drawn particular attention following a recent controversial remark by the mayor of Oroszlány involving the name.
Lajos Kósa pushed for tighter controls
The new regulations were introduced in Parliament this spring by Fidesz MP Lajos Kósa. He sharply criticised the decisions made by linguists, arguing that the new rules would finally eliminate names he deemed “ridiculous” or “demeaning.”
“It’s absurd that children in Hungary can officially be named Legolas or Orália,” Kósa said during the parliamentary debate. He described these names as undignified and incompatible with Hungarian naming traditions, insisting that stronger political oversight was necessary.
“At least this new system assigns responsibility for the name list. Currently, you can give a Hungarian girl the name Kandida or Orália, and a boy the name Késav, Orda, Gida, or Legolas,” Kósa noted.
The law has shifted naming authority from a scientific body to the minister. Surprisingly, however, all the names Kósa labelled as “ridiculous” remain on the list and are still officially registrable.
Highlights from the 2025 name list
Naming a baby often blends family history with imagination, which explains why unusual names continue to appear.
Among the approved names for girls are Mogyoró (Hazelnut), Psziché (Psyche), Sakira, Szaraszvati (named after a Hindu goddess), the medieval-sounding Teudolinda, and the biblical Sosána. Other modern additions include Annarózsa, Elora, Serina, Lisza, and Lile.
The boys’ list is equally imaginative, featuring Vulkán (Volcano), the chivalric Galahad, the fairy-tale-like Dagobert and Pippin, as well as Gandalf and Kürt (Horn). The names Ramszesz and Jusztinusz draw inspiration from the ancient world, while Arszalan and Briszéisz add mythological flair.
Ministers now call the shots on names
Until now, the approval of new given names was managed by the HUN-REN Research Centre for Linguistics. Parents seeking unique names submitted applications, and linguists evaluated them for compliance with Hungarian orthography, international trends, and potential offensiveness. The list was updated regularly, which is how names like Jettike, Gandalf, or Legolas became official entries.
Under the new amendment, parents must now choose from the names published in the ministerial decree. Although the list is still compiled with input from experts — including religious, ethnic, and cultural representatives — the final decision lies with the minister rather than the linguists.
Once approved, hard to erase
However, this change has not resulted in a significant purge. Names already registered by individuals cannot be easily removed. Unique entries such as Legolas remain in the system because they were previously approved at parental request. Once recorded in a child’s official documents, a name becomes a permanent part of the official registry. For now, Legolas and Orália are here to stay in Hungary’s naming landscape.
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As we women tend to be sensative to having to keep being reminded of our ages as we have passed 3 5 or so, I am glad that my name day is celebrated in August…and prefer that to a birthday acknowledgement. Although Ilona is a real problem for Maritimers to pronounce sometimes due to the stupid font choices businesses and governments have made where the capital I is often not showing the sticks at top & bottom, making my name look like it starts with a double ll instead of ilona…and so I have to put my chosen alternate name on all name tags or I get ignored when I should be introduced or when my hand is up. I see them look at me, then my nametag llona…and they look away. So I use Kateherine. I tell all of this so parents think hard about nameing babies, think about them as a professional adult…what name would sound distinguished and make a person proud to have it on a desk plate as a CEO or on a university dipoloma…or embroidered on personal clothing? For instance, what if they immigrate to another country…I see one of the names for female babies is actually a desease of the vagina… And when I immigrated to Canada, a school chum had the name of Pina…my parents refused to have her at our home although I really liked the Italian girl. So choose wisely, not smart-ass. My boyfriend, from Ukraine is thinking of what Canadianized name to choose in the light of anti-immigrant feelings here now. His name, Dmytro, immediatly targets him as not being of our culture, like mine, when I am not using Katherine. I am retired now, have properties, houses…but he is much much younger, still has career building to do…name is as important as dressing like those successful people he would like to be counted amongst as ‘friend’ or ‘co-worker’. Not enough that as a world traveler specialty electrician (previously) his English is super. Plan far ahead when naming your babies, give them a legacy to be proud of. To start, that every kid in class can spell, pronounce. And perhaps not easy to make fun of cus it rhymes with some awful words kids like to sneak into mean phrases.
Interesting article about Hungary’s new regulations on baby names — it really highlights the importance of thoughtful name‑choice. If you’re exploring meaningful options, you might also like our list of Muslim boy names with meanings and pronunciations.