Nadas (or originally Nádas) is the Magyar (or equivalently Hungarian) word for a swamp filled with reeds. Each of these reeds is called a "nád". Their Latin name is "Scirpo - Phragmitetum." According to family legends our ancestor adopted this surname when he came to Hungary after the French Revolution.   Interestingly enough, we have contacted several dozen other individuals who bear this name, and it appears that their families also took up this name for a variety of similar reasons although none of them came from France nor do they appear to be related to us.

One of my mentors and a major contributor to this site, Istvan Imre Szappanos, told me that he has a different theory for the origin of the Nádas name based on his Hungarian genealogical research. According to him original Hungarian names are usually one of two types. They can be names of places followed by an ending like (-i, or -y) which conveys the same meaning as the German "von". They can also be names of occupations such as Kovács (meaning Smith). He thinks that Nádas might have at one time been an occupation like that of Zsúpos (meaning Thatcher) or someone who covered roofs with reeds. I guess if I have a choice I'd prefer to be a thatcher than to be someone who resides in a swamp.

Although the English form of the name appears to be related to the Spanish word nada, meaning nothing, we have no reason to believe that our ancestor considered this. Continuing in this vein, we have read a suggestion the the decade that comes after the nineties be called the nadas (instead of the zilches or the naughts).   Would this have made 2000-2009 "our decade"?    ; )

This web site is dedicated to anyone who bears our surname and is an attempt to forge an electronic link among us.