Kárpáthy is a Hungarian surname, functioning as a variant of Kárpáti. The root name, Kárpáti, is derived from the Kárpátok, the Hungarian name for the Carpathian Mountains, indicating a geographical origin near this mountain range. The suffix -i in Kárpáti is a common Hungarian adjectival ending denoting 'of' or 'from,' making the surname mean 'of the Carpathians.'