Borbély Szilárd

I am intrigued by names, trying to figure them out, find their source, if you will…a friend recently asked me if I knew of the Hungarian poet, Borbély Szilárd…I do not, but the name caught my eye…in Hungary, I find it a challenge when trying to sus out the first & last name…example: Gábor can be either a first or last name…Zsa Zsa Gábor is a famous example; yet one of Beni's friends is named Gábor, his first name…and in Hungary, the last name is written first, except when it is written for a western audience, when it is reversed…the Hungarians do it in an attempt to be 'helpful'…because the article my friend sent was from Wikipedia, I assumed the first name leads: 'Szilárd'…going to Google Translate, it says it means 'solid'…not always believing GT, I go to my dictionary, which confirms its meaning: strong, firm, solid…why someone would name their child, Solid, is for another discussion…the last name I recognized immediately, as 'Borbely' means 'barber' in Hungarian…Solid Barber.

I find the name humorous, but no more than an American named Black or White or Smith or Jones…one of my nephew, Cameron's, girlfriends is named 'Dorka'…upon hearing it the first time, I thought, "oh, what a terrible thing to call a little girl," but I've since seen it used many times, so it's a traditional Hungarian name, despite what I may think about a 'dork.'

And speaking of Google Translate, it has embarrassed me more times than I wish to admit…'anyad' means 'your mother'…when I used it, Alexandra was mildly shocked and warned me that that particular word, anyad, is a mild oath here in Hungary, like saying, "you mother"…she said the proper noun is 'anyakud'…confused, I went home and typed 'anyakud' into GT; it came back 'motherfucker' (I kid you not; you can check it yourself)…when I showed this to Alex, it was her turn to be shocked & confused…I don't know the answer to how to tell the difference, other than going to a printed dictionary & double-checking, or having a Hungarian friend to ask…