Surname Szabo - Meaning and Origin

Szabo: What does the surname Szabo mean?

Szabo is a common Hungarian surname. In the Hungarian language, "Szabó" means "tailor". Therefore, it is widely believed that this surname was originally an occupational name for people who worked as tailors. Like in many cultures, surnames in Hungary often evolved from professions, patronymics, and geographical locations among other sources. Today, Szabo is one of the most common Hungarian last names, signifying the widespread existence of the tailoring profession in the society in the past when the surname culture developed in Hungary. The "Sz" in Hungarian is pronounced like the "s" in English words such as "sure" or "measure", so the correct pronunciation of Szabo is closer to "SAH-bo". The surname can also be found among people of Hungarian ancestry living in other countries.

Szabo: Where does the name Szabo come from?

The last name Szabo is most commonly found in Hungary and Romania today. In Hungary, the name is the 8th most popular surname, and disseminated across the entire country. In Romania, the name is a little less common, and more concentrated in the Transylvania region of the country.

In the United States, the last name Szabo is quite rare, although the census bureau did estimate that more than 2000 people in the US carry this surname. The states with the highest concentration of people with the surname Szabo are Ohio, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey and New York.

The surname is most likely of Magyar origin from the medieval name for Sabo. Magyar is the Hungarian language and derives from the original Slavic tribal language like Slovakian and Czech.

Apart from Hungary and Romania, the surname is also found in Australia and Canada. Canadian Szabos tend to come from Hungary, while those in Australia typically come from Romania.

Overall, Szabos today are concentrated mostly in Hungary and Romania, although there are some in the United States, Canada and Australia as well. The surname is of Magyar origin and is attributed to the original Slavic tribes.

Variations of the surname Szabo

Szabo is a Hungarian surname of Slavic origin. Historically, it has been spelled and pronounced in various ways, and there are a number of variants and surnames of the same origin.

The most common variations of Szabo include Szabó, Szabó, Szabó, Szabo, Szabò, Szabo, Szaby, Zabo, Sabo, Zabó, Sabó, Saba, Saba, Sábó, and Csabó. All of these derivatives stem from the same Slavic root, and thus are of a similar origin.

In some cases, different parts of Hungary can also have their own particular versions of the same surname, such as Toszabo, which is a version of Szabo found in the Northwestern region of Transylvania, and Szeberényi, which is a version of Szabo found in the Northeastern region of Hungary.

Additionally, there are a few other names of Hungarian descent that are similar to Szabo, but are actually a separate surname altogether, such as Szabóc and Csabai.

The orthographic variations of Szabo can also have different effects on how the name is pronounced, and the common pronunciation in Hungarian is “za-boh”. Other dialects, however, may spell the name differently yet still pronounce it the same, like “shah-boh” or “tza-boh”.

Overall, Szabo is a very unique and distinct Hungarian surname that has a number of variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. In addition to its multiple variations, it is also pronounced differently in different dialects, adding to the list of diverse spellings for this surname.

Famous people with the name Szabo

• András Szabó: Hungarian Olympic sprint canoer
• Gábor Szabó: Hungarian jazz guitarist and composer
• Erzsébet Szabó: Hungarian synchronized swimmer and six-time Olympic medalist
• Zsolt Szabó: Hungarian football manager and former player
• Kálmán Szabó: Hungarian Colonel-General and Chief of the General Staff
• Mária Szabó: Hungarian journalist and writer
• Gábor Szabó: Hungarian economist
• József Szabó: Hungarian footballer
• Árpád Szabó: Hungarian film director
• Tibor Szabó: Hungarian ice hockey player
• Endre Szabó: Hungarian swimmer
• Maceo Parker: American funk and soul jazz saxophonist
• Billy Idol: English musician, singer, songwriter, and actor
• Mike Szabo: Canadian voice actor
• Greg Szabo: Canadian novelist and playwright
• Malina Szabo: German actress
• Zola Szabo: Australian musical theatre actress and singer
• Eric Szabo: former Canadian Olympic volleyball player
• Marcell Szabó: Hungarian lawyer, teacher, and politician
• Marton Szabo: Hungarian theatre director

Other surnames

Szabol