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A family legend says that Orbán actually used to be a profession in the medieval ages that was widespread in Transylvania. Orbán's used to be something like travelling magicians, wandering from city to city, market to market, to make a living on tricks. Some say they were closer to the "dark side of the force" than innocent trickmasters..., but this is really something we cannot either prove or refute.
According to in a name interpretation book published in Hungary, the name Orbán means friendly and sophisticated. But a Canadian outfit that makes studies on the interpretation of first names for parents wishing to name their babies says: The name of Orban creates a very chaotic, restless nature, desiring peace and understanding. Under this name, you have been continually forced into activity which often creates mental turmoil. Misunderstandings with others often arise because they fail to understand your desire for freedom from binding restrictions and your intense desire for knowledge and for something worthwhile in your life. To you, life is very short and you have an intense, seeking urge that does not let you rest. You find it difficult to control your moods as you are very easily hurt or offended. This name is accident prone and you could experience mishaps and personal injuries. This name does not create good health due to its intensity and could bring such diseases as tuberculosis, pneumonia, stomach problems, heart attacks. Also you could experience many accidents.
No censo do 93 de Galicia figuran 71 Orbán con dereito a voto (maiores de 18 e censados). Hai outros dispersos por España adiante pero creo que deben vir todos de aquí. Os únicos topónimos con esa forma que atopei na Península con esa forma son ourensáns: unha aldea no cllo. de Celanova e a parroquia (Santa María) en Vilamarín. Outro lugar chamado Orbán en Cervantes, Lu, xa non aparece hoxe nos nomenclátores (teño que comprobar se desapareceu ou qué)... Vén do xenitivo dun nome de posesor URBANUS (Orbán < [Villa] Urbani). Estúdiao Piel en "Nomes de possessores latino-cristãos na toponímia asturo-galego-portuguesa", separata de Biblos, Coimbra, 1948). Aí coméntase (e dáse a referencia bibliográfica) que Schulze estudiou a presencia de derivados dun nome emparentado (Urbanius) na toponimia francesa. Se dis que o atopa en Hungría e en Francia, o máis probable é que etimoloxicamente sexan dúas cousas distintas. En Francia non debe de ser apelido demasiado común (non aparece no diccionario de Dauzat: Dictionnaire Étymologique des Noms de Famille et des Prénoms de France, Larousse, Paris, 1987), pero si como topónimo no Dictionnaire Étymologique des Noms de Lieux en France (de A. Dauzat e Ch. Rostaing, Librairie Guénégaud, Paris, 1978, 2ª), onde se di que vén dun antropónimo Urbanius (creo que seguindo a Schulze, pero igualmente podería vir de Urbanus, coma os galegos). Para min que tódolos posibles Urbán, Orbán e formas equivalentes que atope no dominio románico teñen a mesma orixe (é dicir, o nome persoal nacido do adxectivo derivado de urbe. Os húngaros se cadra non, pero podería ser un latinismo onomástico no maxiar, cousa ben probable tratándose dun nome relativamente común e seguramente difundido pola igrexa (mesmo foi nome de Papas...).
Another similar explanation is given by a correspondant in Galicia:
A orixe do nome ORBÁN
O topónimo e antropónimo ORBÁN é un deses nomes que denominamos transparentes por estár a súa orixe clara e poderse reconstruír no noso ámbito lingüístico -o galego- a súa evolución sen maiores complicacións.
É unha derivación do xenitivo do nome persoal latino URBANUS.
De xeito semellante:
Xenitivo de
SILVANUS: SILVANI > SILVÁN
Xenintivo de ALBANUS: ALBANI >
ALBÁN
Xenitivo de FLAVIANUS: FLAVIANI > CHAIÁN
Xenitivo de QUINTILIANUS: QUINTILIANI>
QUINTIÁN
Xenitivo de URBANUS: URBANI>
URBÁN
> ORBÁN
Lingüísticamente:
A apertura posterior en
medio punto dun u -vocal anterior pechada- a o -vocal anterior
semipechada-
é influencia da líquida lateral vibrante simple que traba
a sílaba na posición de marxe silábica implosiva.
De xeito semellante, aínda que máis
documentado
URSARIA > OSEIRA
Estes topónimos
correspóndense cos nomes
dos fudadores das “vilae” con que se ocuparía o espacio
xeografico
galego en época romana e xermánica. Daquela, o
topónimo
correspóndense cunha fundación do século II
ó
VI a.D. É imposible concretar máis pois os
antropónimos
latinos continúan utilizándose durante época
xermánica.
De todas maneiras, a humanización do espacio
xeográfico
concreto no que se asenta o lugar de Santa Mariña de
Orbán
- o noroeste da provincia de Ourense- no Concello de Vilamarín
é
moi antiga.
Existen restos paleolíticos -cantos rodados
traballados-
duns 250.000 mil anos de antigüidade, algúns restos
megalíticos
-dolmens- de ano 2000 a.C., moitos “castros” que os ingleses denominan
“hill-forts”, poboados prerromanos e logo romanizados, (s. VIII b.C.-
III
a.D)
No lugar de Orbán existe un fermoso “PAZO”,
modesta
casa noble construída no século XVII.
According to the Facebook page called "The
Orban Family" the history of the English Orban family name begins after the
Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Normandy where it was derived from the
ancient English given name Albin, meaning white.
First found in St. Taurin, Evreux, Normandy, in the year 980 as St. Aubyn.
The distinguished name arrived with the Conqueror though Sir John Aubyn and
settled in Barnstable, Devon, where he became a patron of Barnstable abbey.
The family were granted many estates and they were recorded under the name
Alban in the Domesday Book.
Variations of the name Orban include: Albone, Allibone, Hallibone, Albin,
Allbahn, Alibone, Alban, Aubin, Aubyn, Auban, Ellibone, Elbin, Ellban, Ellbone
and many others.
El-Orbany is an Arabic word. Its root Orban which means "Arab", the El before "Orbany" means "the" and the "y" after "Orban" associates the person with the name "Orban" therefore, El-Orbany means one who belongs to the Orbans or "the Arabs". The Egyptian name El-Orbany one seems to be of Saudi origin.
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Orbán in Szarföld, Hungary, was sometimes changed to Orbany around 1730.
Orbanes in the USA results from the modification of Urbanus or Urban. Orbane was found in the Philippines, probably a variation of Orbanes.
Orbansen in Denmark means "son of Orban".
Orbanek, Orbanic and Orbank all come from the simplification of the Polish name Urbanowicz in the USA. Orbanic is also found in Croatia.
Orbin is a US modification of Orban, but in some cases it could also be the other way around! Orbin has also derived from the Lithuanian Urbonas.
The name Orbann finds its origin in Germany, Horban in Austria and/or in Poland, and Orbaneja in Spain (Andalusia, where it is an very old surname, and Asturias).
The name Urban is very common in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and has the same etymology as Orban. In Hungary, it was often written Vrban during the XVth and XVIth centuries: the name later evolved into Orban, and finally Orbán. In Hungary, one also can find the names Orba, Orbai, Orbay, Orbanc, Orbancz and Orbantz.
For one family named Orbanz in the US, the name originates in either the most eastern part of Germany or in Poland during the last century.
Orbon is a common Spanish name, also known in Cuba (where a famous composer was Julián Orbón De Soto) and in the Philippines.
Oirbans is found exclusively in the Netherlands. I do not know the etymology. The Oirbans's might be descendants from French Huguenots.
Oriben is a name found in Scotland, where it also appears under the spellings Orben, Orban, Oriban, Horriben and the most recent Horribine. The name might originate in Germany.
I am still looking for the origin of the following names: Orbanac, Orbanus, Orbanski (all from the USA), Orpen and Orben (the latter exists in Massachusetts, USA, since at least 1800, coming from France?), Orbani and Orbana (from Italy), Orbant in Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria (from Jewish origin, probably not related to Orbant in Belgium - see above).
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Last updated on 7 February 2011