Nagy : The Hungarian Name
Ranked #200 in Relationships & Family, #28,908 overall
Nagy is rather like a Smith or a Jones ** Although it translates to BIG or GREAT
This is a picture of me with my grandfather, Alexander John Nagy.  He was born on September 7, 1899 in Szatmar, Austro-Hungary. His birth city was later known as Satu Mare, Romania after the border change at the end of World War I. Alexander Nagy died in Cleveland, Ohio on April 21, 1967. Grandpa, I sure do miss YOU. See you soon!
Photo Credit: JaguarJulie and Grandpa Alex Nagy. Copyright JaguarJulie.
Nagy : The Hungarian Name was originally created on April 8, 2006.
Do not copy. Do not plagiarize the contents of this page!
Quick, answer this question about the Nagy name!
You probably do know a Nagy person!!!

Statue of Prime Minister Imre Nagy Standing on a Footbridge with the Parliament Building Photographic Print
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In May 2004, I traveled to Hungary and Romania to do some research about the Nagy name. It was truly amazing to see so many cemetary monuments in Satu Mare and Budapest bearing the Nagy name.
Nagy Cemetary Monuments
Satu Mare, Romania formerly Szatmar, Hungary
In May 2004, I took pictures of a number of Nagy cemetary monuments with my Nikon N75 35mm camera. I later scanned all the pictures with my Epson Stylus Photo Rx500 scanner.
Nagy Name
Nagy means large, super, grand and almighty in Hungarian. Traditionally, a person with the last name of the name of Nagy was the same as having the title "The Great".According to Ancestry.com, Nagy is "nickname for a large or powerful person, from Hungarian nagy 'big'."

Exiled Premier of Hungary, Ferenc Nagy and His Family Working on Farm Photographic Print
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Alexander Nagy Parents
Alexander Nagy's parents were married October 26, 1889 in Szatmar, Austro-Hungary, located near the border of Hungary. Today Szatmar is known as Satu Mare in Romania!
- Father: Nagy, Steve [possibly Istvan at birth] born August 20, 1864 in Hungary. Died September 1930 in Europe. He was thought to be of Turkish descent because of his dark good looks.
- Mother: Vereczki, Julia born April 8, 1873 in Szatmar, Austro-Hungary, [now known as Satu Mare, Romania, located near the border of Hungary]. Died April 19, 1940. Last known address: 1774 W. 28th Street, Cleveland, Ohio. Ashes in Highland Park.
Alexander Nagy Siblings
Julia Vereczki and Steve Nagy had 12 children; 5 of which died at or near birth in Hungary.

Allegheny River in the Heart of the City Photographic Print
Bourke-White, Margaret
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- 1893 - Margaret Nagy born January 16, 1893 in Hungary. Died August 1934 in St. John's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, of appendicitis. Ashes in Highland Park. Married Elmer Klimko and later divorced to marry William Roberts. No children.
- 1897 - Arthur Steve Nagy born October 11, 1897 in Hungary. Naturalized a U.S. Citizen. Honorable Discharge from U.S. Army. Married Florence Polan [born March 16, 1908] on January 12, 1927 in Dayton Ohio. They had 3 children, Florence Margaret [born July 8, 1929], Arthur Raymond [born September 11, 1935], and Connie Elaine [born September 4, 1946].
- 1902 - Helen Nagy born July 22nd in Hungary. Came to the U.S. in 1921. Married Anthony Linhart on July 11, 1925 in Cleveland. Children: premature daughter died in 1926; Dolores Julia born October 24, 1930.
- 1904 - John William Nagle born January 28th in Hungary. Married Dorothy Abel on August 22, 1925 in St. Stephen's Church, Cleveland, Ohio. Children: Marilyn Rose [born November 25, 1929] and Patricia Ann [born October 22, 1932]. Moved to Los Angeles, CA in 1941.
- 1907 - Mary Agnes Nagy born June 8, 1907 in Northside, PA [now Allegheny and located near Pittsburgh]. Married George Searle on August 14, 1926 in Rev. Norris' home on Franklin Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. Child: Lawrence George [born June 17, 1927].
- 1909 - William Nagy born July 15, 1909 in Allegheny, PA. Married Ann Horvath on June 18, 1932. Divorced in September 1935. She married a Mr. Hayek. William moved to California.
Alexander Nagy Timeline
An overview
- 1899 - Born September 7th in Szatmar, Hungary [today known as Satu Mare, Romania].
- 1900s - Alexander often spoke to his daughter about working on his grandfather's estate; his mother Julia Vereczki's father's family.
- 1928 - Naturalized in the U.S. on September 14th. #2839658, U.S. Dept. of Labor, Northern District of Ohio. Listed as citizen of Romania.
- 1928 - Married Julia Kovach on October 2nd at St. Mary's in Cleveland, Ohio.
- 1929 - Daughter Lillian born August 21st.
- 1930 - His father dies in September in Europe.
- 1931 - Son Robert John born May 12th.
- 1949 - Daughter's wedding in June.
- 1967 - Died on April 21st. Last address: 16605 Chatfield Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio [house sold in 9/1979]. Funeral by Victor Sepsi. Buried: Section 11, Lot 4640, Grave 2 in Holy Cross Cemetary, Cleveland, Ohio.
Alexander, a Man of European Birth
In the words of his only daughter
He spoke "high" Hungarian language and would not indulge in conversation with people who did not speak the same...there are different levels of language in Europe which indicate the education level of the person.
He would not let my mother teach us any languages, even though she spoke 5, as we were to be only true Americans and not have any accents."

John Nagy: Certificate of Declaration - 1896
Recent Acquisition: Certificate of Declaration 1896
I acquired this from an eBay seller in July 2008
Certificate of Declaration: The State of Ohio, Trumbull County, ss.
Be it Remembered, that on the 28 day of October A.D. 1896 John Nagy an Alien and native of Hungary personally appeared before me, Samuel B. Craig, Judge of the Probate Court, in and for said County, and declared, on his solemn oath, that he first arrived in the United States in the month of [blank], A.D. 1885, and that it is his bona fide intention to become a Citizen of the United States, and to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to any Foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatever, and particularly to Francis Joseph Emperor of Austria and subscribed his name to said declaration, which remains on file in the office of the Judge of said Court.
In Testimony Whereof, I hereunto set my hand and affix the seal of said Probate Court, at Warren, this 28 day of Oct. A.D. 1896 S. B. Craig Judge, By [blank] Deputy Clerk.
###
I've not been able to obtain any further information about the origin of this document as the eBay seller said that this paper was acquired with a number of unrelated documents.
Alexander Nagy 1899-1908
In Hungary, Europe
There must have been some money in the family, either or both parents' families, to account for this activity."
Update: Speaking with my mother recently, she elaborated about my grandfather's Vereczki mother's family being wealthy and having much land. She also said that my grandfather used to carry an elderly ladies' religious books when she went to Synagogue.
Alexander Nagy 1908-1914
In America
The rooming houses and rental property were located in 'Ohio City,' a very well known historical section of Cleveland, located on the Cuyahoga River.
In America, he went to schools and finally college but when World War I broke out, he was probably of the age to go into military service.
World War I: 1914-1918
The war caused the collapse of four empires and a radical change in the map of Europe and the Middle East. Before 1917 the Allied powers are sometimes referred to as the Triple Entente, and the Central Powers are sometimes referred to as the Triple Alliance."
--From Wikipedia.
Alexander Nagy 1914-1918
His school years
I don't know how he got out of serving in WWI, except that his older brother Art was already serving in the army. It's possible he was officially excused from serving so that he could care for his mother.
By that time, his father had left the family to return to Europe."
Alexander Nagy 1919-1928
His single years
This picture of Alexander in the swimsuit, of the 'Roaring Twenties' era, [circa 1920] is when he belonged to the Cleveland Athletic Club. His sister, Margaret's husband, Elmer Klimko, was a member there, as well.
As a single man, Alexander also played in his brother-in-law's orchestra while he was in his twenties. You could say he was a musician."

Alexander Nagy: Certificate of Naturalization - 1928
Certificate of Naturalization - September 14, 1928
The official document ...
This original document is affixed with the official seal. B. C. Miller, Clerk.
Alexander Nagy 1928
His marriage
The date October 2nd was of particular interest as Julia's birthday was October 1st, the day before.
And, less than one month earlier, on September 14th, Alexander was naturalized as a U.S. citizen one week after his birthday on September 7th!
The Great Depression: 1929
"Economic indicators show the American economy reached nadir in summer 1932 to February 1933, then steadily went up until a downturn in 1938."
--From Wikipedia.
Alexander Nagy 1929
His first child is born
"He was doing well until 1929 when the depression hit and killed off his business. The stock market crash of 1929 caused him to lose the business.
He then joined forces with the decorating contractor, Flore, whom he had previously sold materials to while he had his own business. He was doing decorating including painting and paperhanging."
Alexander Nagy 1930
His father dies in Europe
Alexander Nagy 1931
His second child is born
World War II: 1939-1945
--From Wikipedia.
Alexander Nagy 1941-1945
The war years
I think he thought it would be the best move to see that our family would have our needs taken care of while rationing was vogue during the war years.
I remember that he was involved with local politics as we had a candidates sign positioned in our attic window during one election year. I think he was a conservative."
Alexander Nagy 1945-1949
After the war
He celebrated July 4th in a big way with lots of fireworks and always said he would not go back to Europe, even on a visit, as there was nothing there for him. He was a true American.
Later when I was 16, my mother and I were driven, by him to local halls on weekends where dances were held. He later picked us up.
He also drove my mother and me to parks which were popular in the 40s where local bands played. We had a great time dancing while he sat and watched.
He didn't particularly socialize, or seek entertainment outside of his family. But, my mother just loved films so she would take me along for the early evening showing at the local moviehouse. I grew into quite a movie buff because of this early contact with Hollywood."
Alexander Nagy 1949
His daughter's wedding
"He was very adept and lifted the roof up on the first 2 houses we lived in, making a second floor. Later, after he was in his early 50s he didn't do any more since having a heart attack while visiting out west on a trip.
He was in charge of maintenance on government housing off Rocky River Drive in Cleveland, Ohio, for the last years of his life."
Alexander Nagy 1954
Christmas celebration
Alexander sure liked to smoke his pipe--you can see the ashtray to the left in the picture.
Alexander Nagy 1957
His son's wedding
Alexander Nagy 1967
His death
His last residence was a 2-bedroom brick bungalow on 16605 Chatfield Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio. His wife, Julia, survived him and lived in the house until her death. The house was sold in September, 1979.
His funeral service was handled by Victor Sepsi. He was buried in Section 11, Lot 4640, Grave 2 in Holy Cross Cemetary, Cleveland, Ohio.
Istvan Nagy 1909-1976
Could he be a distant relation?
Istvan Nagy 2004
Could he be related?
We had returned from a one-day trip to Satu Mare, Romania, to do a little research on my grandfather's parents.
Upon our return to The Marriott in Budapest, we met the doorman there, Istvan Nagy! What a coincidence as my great-grandfather was Steve [Istvan] Nagy! Which just goes to show there are a lot of Nagys out there!!

View Over Chain Bridge and St. Stephens Basilica, Budapest, Hungary Photographic Print
Hellier, Gavin
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Dr. Peter Nagy
Recently doing some online research, I came across the "Eastern Slovakia Research Strategies Website" and found a contact name of:Dr. Peter Nagy
Cilistovská 20
931 01 SamorÃn
Slovak Republic
E-mail: nagy@centroconsult.sk
Faxmodem: +421 31 560 0642
GSM: +421 905 490 552
On April 28, 2006, he emailed me:
Dear Julie,
This is the first time when I receive an email from a Nagy who could be at least a very distant relative. Actually my Nagy ancestors are from Akos (in Rumanian Acis), what is about 40 miles SE of Satu Mare. For more details see my worldtree entry: Dr. Peter Nagy Genealogy.
I did not manage yet to do progress in Romania myself. The old church records are now not available for research.
Nagy Genealogy Records.
Famous Nagy's
- Agnes Nagy - Miss Hungary 1998
- László Moholy-Nagy - 1895-1946, was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the Bauhaus school.
- Imre Nagy - 1896-1958, Hungarian Communist leader was a symbol of the 1956 Hungarian revolt against the Soviet Union.
- Ivan Nagy - 1943, born in Debrecen, Hungary. Former ballet dancer, now artistic director of the Ballet de Santiago, Chile.
Laszlo-Moholy Nagy in the news
- Photography curator Lisa Hostetler's legacy at the Milwaukee Art Museum
- These include works by Shimon and Lindemann, Leiter, Evans, Stieglitz, Robert Frank, László Moholy...
- High expectations for first auction entirely dedicated to photography in Russia
- The most hotly anticipated lots of the auction are those by Soviet Constructivist artist, draftsman and...
- Original London Underground posters offered for sale at Christie's
- ... was such that the company had no problem in attracting the leading poster designers of the time such...
- Bauhaus, at the Barbican – Seven magazine review
- By 1923, however, Itten had been replaced by László Moholy-Nagy, the Hungarian Constructivist. Theo...
A very special lens on Laszlo Moholy-Nagy
Nagy Info
- Broadmining Search
- List of related Nagy searches through Broadmining.
- Geocities--Famous Nagy's
- Check out this page which lists a number of "famous" Nagy's in history.
- Imre Nagy
- Imre Nagy, the son of peasants, was born in Kaposvar, Hungary in 1896.
- Nagy Family Genealogy
- Genealogy forum with messages for Nagy family.
- RootsWeb
- RootsWeb archive for Nagy.
- The Moholy-Nagy Foundation
- The Moholy-Nagy Foundation is a private family organization that promotes further research on László Moholy-Nagy and his work.
- House of Names
- Buy Nagy coat of arms, family crest and history packages.
Nagy Books
Nagy Stuff
Researching Links

The Emperor Otto 1 Defeats the Hungarian Magyars at the Lechfeld Giclee Print
Sachse
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- 1828 Hungarian Census
- Download the 1828 Hungarian Census and do a search on "Nagy" you will find 234 results!
- 1869 Nagy Villages
- Amazing web page! The bottom of the pages lists Hungary Slovak names of villages from the 1869 Census. A lot of Nagy names!
- 1869 Magyar Settlement Names
- Download a 31-page PDF of Hungarian Settlement names from 1869 census.
- CentroConsult
- Genealogical research of former Austria-Hungary.
- Hungarian Census Info
- Magyar (Hungarian) Census--For present day Slovakia and most pre-1918 Hungary territories.
Kinizsi utca. Sign
Budapest, Hungary
This particular road sign shows Kinizsi, Raday, Lonyay, Kozraktar utca. and Petofi HID. We happened to be walking this route to see what building were on Kinizsi utca.
35 Kinizsi utca.
Budapest, Hungary
Imagine my surprise when I actually found a building with this same address in Budapest, Hungary, when we visited there. I think this building was a gymnasium or sports facility.
Kinizsi Warrior Medal
On eBay
I am sure that Kinizsi utca. in Szatmar and Budapest were both named after this famous Hungarian warrior, Kinizsi.Interesting that I found this item on eBay: Hungarian warrior Kinizsi with sword armour millstone 1869 medal!
Learn more about Pal Kinizsi's castle in Nagyvázsony.
Kinizsi Beer
Salute!
Would you believe, a lager beer with the name Kinizsi?The name Kinizsi is a man's name in Hungary as well like Dreher. But Pál Kinizsi lived a little earlier, in the 15th century. He was a legendary soldier and troop leader by the side of Hungary's greatest king, King Matthias. Brewery: Brau Union Hungary.
OK ... I realize I've gone off on a tangent in this lens. It's rather like researching a topic on Google. Don't you know how many times have you started searching for a specific item and then you end up someplace entirely different. Then you find you've maybe got to buy something you didn't know you needed. And, before you know it, it's 5:00pm and time to go home!
Well ... this reminds me of that Jim Buffet song, "It's 5 o'clock somewhere!" Amen.
Kick off your shoes, grab the remote, and have a beer!
Everything Hungarian
Hello all my favorite people! Welcome to the directory of Everything Hungarian! Oh my! We hope you enjoyed reading about Nagy, the Hungarian Name! I remember sitting with my grandpa, Alexander Nagy, as a child and often times snapping his suspenders! Oh how he would laugh. Spending time with my grandparents was a precious time. Looking back, I sure wish I had asked him MORE about his Hungarian heritage.Today, I am naturally intrigued by anything and everything Hungarian. Gosh, Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage and Hungarian Goulash became food favorites of mine thanks to the influence of my Hungarian grandpa Alexander Nagy and my Eastern European grandma Julia Nagy.
Today, I am a very proud Hungarian who writes a lot about Hungarian topics. It's actually pretty cool to be of Hungarian heritage. Hungarians can and are sexy too. Thanks for dropping by and I hope you will take time to check out the various Hungarian topics I've presented.

Caravans Encampment of Gypsies Framed Art Print
van Gogh, Vincent
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It's Everything Hungarian You All!
An alphabetical listing of related topics by JaguarJulie -- It's genealogy too!
Some related lenses you might like ...
Thank you for visiting!
In closing, I'd like to say that when I think of my grandfather, I have fond thoughts. Didn't they describe Gary Cooper as a quiet man; well they didn't meet my grandfather. Because he was rather introspective, it made us grandkids pay that much more attention to him.
I remember him for the suspenders that he wore along with the hat that completed his dress and his trademark pipe. I remember him for being able to complete the challenging Cleveland Press crossword puzzles along with massive intricate jigsaw puzzles.
He was quite the gardener and would dry marigold buttons down the basement along with other flowering seeds. His flower garden was impeccable and could have been featured in House and Garden magazine.
I wish that my grandfather had told us grandkids more about his past, his feelings, and his birthplace of Szatmar, Hungary.
Drop me a note -- The Nagy Fan Club!
Are you a Nagy or know of a Nagy? Let's hear it for Nagy!!!

Kiss Me I'm Hungarian T-Shirt by jaguarjulie
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Are you a Nagy? I've heard from many who may be a potential relation. Do you like visiting cemetaries to research headstones? Are you into genealogy? Did you enjoy this lens?
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brynimagire
Mar 27, 2012 @ 6:45 am | delete
- Very interesting lens ! Awesome.
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virtualboy
Mar 25, 2012 @ 6:48 am | delete
- I really enjoyed this lens, personally I think you deserved to have more traffic, take care
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kaposzta
Mar 17, 2012 @ 5:25 pm | delete
- I have many relatives with the name "Nagy" :)
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WriterJanis
Feb 3, 2012 @ 3:25 am | delete
- This is all new info for me. Thanks for the informative lens!
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sotiro Dec 3, 2011 @ 9:34 pm | delete
- I am a Nagy also.. Christine Nagy.... My father is from Hungary. His name is Lester Nagy it use to be Lazlo, but he changed it when he became a citizen. I have never been to Hungary and I hope I can visit one day. Thanks for this wonderful lens it was an interesting read!
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About the Genealogical Author JaguarJulie
I've been digging into Nagy genealogy for quite a while!
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Nagy : The Hungarian Name was originally created on April 8, 2006.
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