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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Choice of three Hungarian boys names...

70 replies

Pixbix · 01/02/2023 20:40

My partner is Hungarian, so we'd like to give our little boy a simple to pronounce Hungarian first name (with my English surname).

We're down to three choices and I'd love to hear other's thoughts. They are Levente, Lehel and Kende.

We're really struggling to choose a favourite. I'm haven't been able to find a name I really love (including English names) and he's a week old already!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
minipie · 01/02/2023 22:32

Kende is great.

I like Levente but the historic issue mentioned by a pp would bother me. Also not hugely keen on Lev.

Lehel is ok but the most awkward to say and no easy short form.

mathanxiety · 01/02/2023 22:29

I would avoid Levente because of the negative historic associations.

Kende is a nicer sound to my English speaking ear than Lehel.

WetBandits · 01/02/2023 22:28

Levente 🙂

Also just throwing Imre out there for consideration!

ThirtyThreeTrees · 01/02/2023 22:27

Levente is lovely.
I also like Kende.

I don't like Lehel at all.

Congratulations!

CatAssTrophic · 01/02/2023 22:26

My Hungarian friend is called Victor. I don't know if he changed the spelling at all.

parrotonthesofa · 01/02/2023 22:24

They are all nice! I prob have a preference for levente.

I have a Hungarian friend whose son is called Benedec, of Hungarian origin I assume. It's nice too Imo. We often call him Ben or Benny for short.

Pollywoddles · 01/02/2023 22:24

We have Sandor and Gergo in our family. Sandor is Alexander and Gergo is Greg I think.

TakeTheShiteOutYaMouth · 01/02/2023 22:21

MyCreation · 01/02/2023 22:05

Huge congrats on your little boy. If you are staying in the UK indefinitely he will be forever having to correct pronunciation of his name pretty much constantly with all 3 of your choices. Until you explained how they’re said, I was wrong about all of them and I worked with kids from lots of different heritages.

I like Levente nn Lev best.

So people should deny their heritage to suit those who are too lazy to learn how to pronounce a person's name?

TakeTheShiteOutYaMouth · 01/02/2023 22:19

Twizbe · 01/02/2023 21:05

Leventel is likely to be the easiest to use day to day.

My Hungarian friend is called Peter ... that works well in both?

Peter is dull and OP didn't list that as one of her choices.

OP, I like Kende the most but expect xenophobic "I think you should go for William as it is easy to say and spell" types posting on here...

Longdistance · 01/02/2023 22:18

Lehel is to breathe 🥴 strange choice.

HerbalTeaAndChocolate · 01/02/2023 22:13

Kende

Peridot1 · 01/02/2023 22:10

I lived in Hungary for 7 years and have never heard of any of those names. As others have said don’t pick something too hard to say or spell here. Zoltan is a fab name. I also like Gabor or Laszlo.

MyCreation · 01/02/2023 22:05

Huge congrats on your little boy. If you are staying in the UK indefinitely he will be forever having to correct pronunciation of his name pretty much constantly with all 3 of your choices. Until you explained how they’re said, I was wrong about all of them and I worked with kids from lots of different heritages.

I like Levente nn Lev best.

PlaitBilledDuckyPuss · 01/02/2023 21:53

Kende

Floralnomad · 01/02/2023 21:52

Levente is the best of the three .

Abzs · 01/02/2023 21:51

The Hungarian boy I know is Dominik.

dogmum93 · 01/02/2023 21:49

GoldenCagedBird · 01/02/2023 21:12

Levente

i love nn Lev

Yes, this is lovely

Eastereggsboxedupready · 01/02/2023 21:48

I know a Zolte
. Fab name!

CeeceeBloomingdale · 01/02/2023 21:47

Kende is probably the easiest to pronounce correctly

Madwomanuptheroad29 · 01/02/2023 21:45

Levente was the name of the Hungarian Fascist youth organisation (hungarian equivalent to Hitler youth) in the 1930s and 40s.
Lehel is okay or some of the other that were suggested such as Gabor or Zoltan.
Adam is quite popular and is a safe bet internationally.
Being from a bi national family please do not underestimate how much children want to fit in.

saraclara · 01/02/2023 21:30

There are so many cool Hungarian names, but you don't seem to have chosen any of them!
None of those three are easy for someone new to them to pronounce. Kende is probably closest, but he's still get Kend, Kenduh and Kenday

JellyKatty · 01/02/2023 21:29

Adam, Dominik, Tamas

Justhereforaibu1 · 01/02/2023 21:28

GoldenCagedBird · 01/02/2023 21:12

Levente

i love nn Lev

Yes this, lovely

Longdistance · 01/02/2023 21:24

My parents chose English names for us as this is where we live and they had no intentions of going back home.

My brother is Leslie (Laci, Lacika, László)

The names you list I’ve not heard of myself, but names change over the years.
Péter is a safe bet. Zoli (Zoltán), Attila, Ádám, Daniel.

whatwouldAnnaDelveydo · 01/02/2023 21:23

Lev is lovely, so I vote for Levente