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ArchivesRe: what do my name Béla Ponyi mean
in reply to a message by Béla Franklin Ponyi Jr.
Dear Béla:
Béla is one of the most difficult Hungarian names to interpret. The following interpretations have been proposed so far:
1. From the archaic Hungarian word bél 'internal parts of the body' (Present meaning 'intestines') plus the deminutive suffix -a. 2. From the Turkic languages where it means 'noble'. 3. The endearing form of the Slavonic Beloslav. 4. From the Hebrew Bela 'swallower of the earth'. 5. The endearing form of the German Berta or Bella. 6.
The most probable source of the name is the Sumerian BE 'lord, nobleman'. The Akkadians, a Semitic people, borrowed it and changed it to BELU. The Turkish bey 'sir, ruler'may have also been derived from the Sumerian BE.
As for your surname Ponyi, it appears to be an irregular form of the Hungarian Punyi which means 'undersized'. Another variant is pinyi.
The word-final-element -i suggests that the preceding word may be a place name, but I would need more time to find it out.
Hope it gives you an idea about your identity.
Béla is one of the most difficult Hungarian names to interpret. The following interpretations have been proposed so far:
1. From the archaic Hungarian word bél 'internal parts of the body' (Present meaning 'intestines') plus the deminutive suffix -a. 2. From the Turkic languages where it means 'noble'. 3. The endearing form of the Slavonic Beloslav. 4. From the Hebrew Bela 'swallower of the earth'. 5. The endearing form of the German Berta or Bella. 6.
The most probable source of the name is the Sumerian BE 'lord, nobleman'. The Akkadians, a Semitic people, borrowed it and changed it to BELU. The Turkish bey 'sir, ruler'may have also been derived from the Sumerian BE.
As for your surname Ponyi, it appears to be an irregular form of the Hungarian Punyi which means 'undersized'. Another variant is pinyi.
The word-final-element -i suggests that the preceding word may be a place name, but I would need more time to find it out.
Hope it gives you an idea about your identity.
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