The Magyars or Hungarians speak a language of the Uralic group known as Finno-Ugric. Despite claims of Hunnic descent, it is thought that they came from the Ural Mountains in Russia and migrated east, then south in contact with Turks and Iranians, taking on a nomadic, herding lifestyle. The evidence of their origins, through language, has been traced back to their ancestors, the Finno-Ugrian family of peoples who once lived between the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains. Their original homes were densely forested, and the people lived a primitive existence as hunters and fishers. They barely even knew about agriculture, and had a primitive organization.

The Magyars are called Turks in several other Byzantine and Arabic sources from the 9th Century onwards. In other sources they are called Ungri, Hungar, Ugri, Bashkir or even Huns, Avars or Scythians. This great variety of names is in contrast with how the Hungarians named themselves. There is data on the fact that the Hungarians called themselves Magyars at least since the 8th Century, but this has undoubtedly been their self-denotation since much earlier times. The self-nomination Magyar is of Finno-Ugric origin. It consists of two parts.

The first part magy- goes back to an earlier form mans, which is identical with Manysi, the name of the Voguls, now living in Western Siberia, and with Mos, the name of one of the two main groups of their relatives, the Ostyaks. The second part, which sounded earlier er, is also an ethnic name, with the meaning "man, creature" and was the name of another Ugric group. From the two groups with Finno-Ugric names and languages was formed the name of the Hungarians mans+er> magy+er> magyer (this form, lacking the vowel harmony, is recorded until the 13th Century) > magyar.

The Magyars consisted of six amalgamated Turkish tribes and one other Turkish tribe. The dynasty of the Arpad (one of the ruling families with strong military ties), which founded the present-day Hungary, was descended from the dynasty of Attila. The very name of the country comes from the name On-Ogur (Ten Arrows), which is a Turkish term. An alternate theory suggests that the name is derived from Hun Ogur (Hun Tribes), which is also plausible. The Onogurs and Magyars had long lived together as almost a single nation — the name 'Hungarian' was fastened upon the Magyars by the Slavs, and the Slavs continued to call them 'Onogurs' (Ugri, Ungari).

Although the Magyars, a very mixed people, were not originally of Turkish stock, they were or became close relatives of the Onogurs. The Magyars maintained, from the middle of the 5th to the middle of the 7th Century, very close, indeed symbiotic, relations with the Onogur Bulgars, which explains the markedly Bulgaro-Turkish imprint apparent upon the Magyar language and early social organization. This name is appropriate as there were three other tribes that joined the Magyars before the confederation moved to Hungary.

In the 5th Century AD the Magyars migrated - some west to the Don River, others south to the Caucasus Mountains. About 800 AD, the seven Magyar tribes contributed 20,000 men to the Khazar army. The Magyar were moved to the western frontier of the Khazar khanate, where they came into contact with the Rus and Slavic peoples, who spoke similar languages.

Eurasian Nomads: Part 2

Magyars
Székely
Pechenegs
The Uighur Empire (744-840)
Xueyantuo
Kirghiz or Kyrgyz
Kipchaks
Kimeks
Tatars or Tartar
Steppe Kingdoms (840-1278)
Khitan or Kidan
Tanguts
Jurchen or Jurchid
Turks or Turkmen
Mongol World Empire (1206-1368)
Steppe Peoples' Political Decline (14th C. onward)
Descriptions of Non-Mongolian Physiques

Eurasian Nomads: Part 1

Background
Indo-European Period (4,000 BC-300 AD)
Hsiung-nu Period (250 BC-450 AD)
Turkic Kaganate (552-744)