Emperor Franz Joseph elevated John's father, Neumann Miksa, to the Hungarian nobility for his service to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Neumann family acquired the hereditary appellation Margittai, meaning 'of Margitta' (today Marghita, Romania). Neumann János became margittai Neumann János (John Neumann de Margitta), which he later changed to the German Johann von Neumann. This event represents a shift in the family's social standing and John's formal name.
