Surname Tokay - Meaning and Origin

Tokay: What does the surname Tokay mean?

The origin and meaning of the surname Tokay is still a matter of debate among researchers. It is believed to have derived from the Walloon strikes hakija, which means “to cut.” This suggests that the name may have been used to refer to someone who worked as a cutter of stone or wood. Another theory suggests that the name may have roots in the French province of Duchy of Lorraine, where the commonly spelling of the name is 'Toci'. It is believed that the name is derived from 'toci' which means “leader” or “commander”.

The surname Tokay is most commonly found in Slovakia, parts of Hungary and Poland, and in Central Europe. It is most commonly found in areas around the Tokaj region of Northern Hungary. This wine production area has produced wines for centuries, creating a significant wine-producing economy and may have contributed to the origin of the name.

Today, the surname is also found in other parts of Europe such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia. In the United States, the Tokay family is among the oldest and most established ethnic families of the nineteenth century. The number of people who have the name Tokay living in the U.S. is about three thousand people.

The name Tokay carries with it a sense of tradition and history. To be of Tokay background is to hold a certain amount of reverence and respectability for the past, connecting individuals from all around the world.

Tokay: Where does the name Tokay come from?

The last name Tokay is most commonly found in Hungary, and to a lesser extent Slovakia. The Tokay surname is derived from the Hungarian wordtacskó, which means "dachshund". The name was likely given by Hungarian nobility to individuals who owned these types of dogs. The Tokay surname is now a fairly common last name, though not as widespread as some other Hungarian surnames.

Today, the largest concentration of people with the Tokay surname live in Hungary. According to Hungary’s latest census, over 6,000 people bear the Tokay surname. Other countries with sizable populations of Tokays include Slovakia and the United States.

In the United States, the Tokay surname is the 2,720th most common last name. Less than 6,000 individuals reside in the US with the Tokay name. The majority of Tokays living in the US are of Hungarian descent. The Tokay name also occurs in some other countries, including Canada, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, and Romania.

Overall, the Tokay surname is most significantly distributed in Hungary, where it is the 319th most-common last name. In Slovakia, it is the 350th most-common last name. The Tokay surname has a long and illustrious history, tracing back to Hungarian nobility. Today, the Tokay name is known both in Hungary and abroad.

Variations of the surname Tokay

The surname Tokay is of Hungarian origin and is derived from an older variation of the name Takac which means ‘steppes’ or ‘plains’ in Hungarian. The surname Tokay is also spelled as Toke or Toki, and alternative surnames of the same origin include Tokai, Tohay, and Tokaj.

The Tokay spelling is the most common today in Hungary and is found in other countries due to Hungarian emigration which took place throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The most commonly seen variation of the surname is Toke, which is an Anglicised form of the surname, popular among Hungarian immigrants to the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries.

The Tokai and Tohay variants are usually encountered in East Asian countries, such as Japan and China, as these versions derived from the Hungarian immigrants in the first half of the 20th century. An offshoot of the Tokai and Tohay variant is Tokaj, which functions as both a surname and a place name in modern-day Hungary. It is believed that Tokaj is derived from the Hungarian pronunciation of the surname Tokay. The spelling Tokay has also been encountered in Jewish documents from the 1700s, indicating that the surname has a long and varied history.

In conclusion, the surname Tokay is of Hungarian origin and found in many parts of the world. Its most commonly seen variations in different parts of the world are Toke, Tokai, Tohay, and Tokaj, which are all derived from the same Hungarian surname of Tokay.

Famous people with the name Tokay

• David Tokay: Israeli Paralympic swimmer
• Gyula Tokay: Hungarian Olympic judo athlete
• Simona Tokay: Israeli Paralympic swimmer
• Olga Tokay: Slovakian Paralympic shooter
• George Tokay: Hungarian Olympic wrestler
• Philippe Tokay: French swimmer and Olympic medalist
• Sandor Tokay: Hungarian sculptor
• Dávid Tokay: Hungarian actor
• Gábor Tokay: Hungarian handball player
• Martin Tokay: Slovakian ice hockey player
• Balázs Tokay: Hungarian football player
• Anna Tokay: Slovakian Paralympic javelin thrower
• Kristina Tokay: Brazilian film director
• András Tokay: Hungarian fencer and Olympic medalist
• Julián Tokay: Hungarian water polo player
• Attila Tokay: Hungarian table tennis player

Other surnames