polgár

Polgár is a Hungarian noun meaning citizen or townsman. In modern Hungarian it denotes a member of an urban community or, more broadly, a citizen of a country in compounds such as állampolgár (citizen) and polgárjog (civil rights). The term also appears in everyday words like polgármester (mayor) and polgárőrség (citizen patrol).

Historically, polgár referred to freemen of a town who possessed certain privileges not enjoyed by peasants or nobility. In medieval and early modern Hungary, the concept helped define social structure, distinguishing townspeople and the rising urban bourgeoisie from nemes (nobles) and jobbágy (serfs). The word reflects the important shift toward urban self-government and civic rights in Central Europe.

Etymology and usage notes: the exact origins are debated, but polgár has long been tied to the idea of a free or resident urban inhabitant. It is related to the broader notion of municipal status and has given rise to terms describing citizenship and urban life in Hungarian, as well as the surname Polgár.

As a surname, Polgár denotes family lineage and is borne by several notable Hungarians. The Polgár sisters—Zsuzsa (Susan) Polgár, Judit Polgár, and Sofia Polgár—are renowned in chess for their competitive achievements and for promoting chess education, especially for girls. Judit Polgár, born in 1976, became the strongest female chess player in history. The name Polgár thus appears both as a common noun in Hungarian and as a distinguished family name.