# Esterhazy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 13, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esterhazy/299055 "2005-04-13T00:50:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esterhazy/299055/1 "2005-04-13T00:50:43Z")
Just a casual question, from sheer curiosity: There is a relatively-famous Hungarian surname variously spelled Esterhazy or Eszterhazy. I’m just curious as to the _literal_ meaning of it, what it literally translates to in the same way as the English surname “Cooper” means “barrelmaker” or the French “Lenoir” literally means “the Black.” ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esterhazy/299055/2 "2005-04-13T01:24:05Z")
From looking at this Hungarian to English [dictionary](http://dict.sztaki.hu/dict_search.php?L=HUN%3AENG%3AEngHunDict&O=ENG&W=Eszter&E=1&C=1&A=0&S=H&T=1&D=0&G=0&P=0&F=0&MR=100&orig_lang=HUN%3AENG%3AEngHunDict&orig_word=Eszter&flash=&sid=c30d7e8654174ad51324ae4a8e8f71b9&M=1) it appears that Eszter used as a prefix in Hungarian refers to a lathe or turning a lathe, which I imagine gives some clue as to the original profession of the Eszterhazy family. I tried to find a translation of “hazy” but got nowhere, I think the lathe reference is useful, however. ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esterhazy/299055/3 "2005-04-13T01:31:25Z")
Whilst searching for the answer I found a lot of information about a particular Eszterhazy family famous for it’s association with the composer Haydn. It may be worth noting that the family seemed to have taken the name upon aquisition of an estate rather than having it’s origins in the profession suggested by the name: > [@](#): > > ESTERHAZY OF GALANTHA, a noble Magyar family. Its origin has been traced, not without some uncertainty, to Salamon of Estoras, whose sons Peter and Illyes divided their patrimony in 1238. Peter founded the family of Zerhazy, and Illyes that of Illyeshazy, which became extinct in the male line in 1838. The first member of the family to emerge definitely into history was Ferencz Zerhazy (1563-1594), vice lord-lieutenant of the county of Pressburg, who took the name of Esterhazy when he was created Freikerr of Galantha, an estate acquired by the family in 1421. Taken from [www.encyclopedia.org](http://www.encyclopedia.org) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/esterhazy/299055/4 "2005-04-13T04:05:40Z")
You mean that it doesn’t come from the early Fall weather when the air is redolent of the acids and alcohols of ripening fruit mxiing to create an actually visible miasma across the fields? \*::: d & r ::: \*