19th-century historian János Karácsonyi considered the clan rose from the social status of castle warriors to the Hungarian nobility,[1] while his contemporary, Mór Wertner identified them of noble origin.

Although they were referred to as "iobaiones" ("serfs") in 1228, when the kindred first appeared in historical documents, historian Attila Zsoldos argued there is no indication that any member of the clan was in the service in the system of castle districts in Hungary.

[4] In his later monograph, Zsoldos considered the early members of the Nánabeszter clan were initially royal servants, who were subordinate only to the king and rose to the nobility due to their loyalty and faithful service.

[5] The Nánabeszter kindred was first mentioned in contemporary records in 1228, when several members of the clan – Nana (II), Beszter, Csom, Koka, Joanz, Latizko and Radbod – separated their estate in Nána from the landholdings of the cathedral chapter of Esztergom.

Based on the kindred's name, Nána, which situated in north of the Danube in Esztergom County (present-day in Slovakia) is considered the ancient estate of the kinship.

), Demetrius, son of Beszter – who also owned a portion in Sóskút – filed a lawsuit against the donation already in 1266, because, being the closest living relative, he should have inherited the estate after the death of the childless Nana.

[11] Accordingly, Demetrius could retain the estate until his death as a usufructuary, but if he dies without a legitimate heir, the portion would automatically fall into the possession of the Dominican nuns.

In addition to his landholding in Sóskút, Demetrius also owned portions in the ancient estates Nána and Berki, and, furthermore, a land called Teremecs in Nyitra County (present-day Chrenová, a borough of Nitra in Slovakia) as a royal endowment.

He secured other vineyard as a morning gift to his unidentified wife, while the land Teremecs was inherited by his brother-in-law Andrew Hont-Pázmány, the husband of Maria.

[8] Michael bought a portion of Érd with half of the island and six servants belonging to it from John, son of Thaddeus Érdi before the collegiate chapter of Buda in 1243.

King Charles I endowed the majority of his property – portions in Berki, Sóskút, Érd (two), Tárnok, Ében (two), Keszi and Sasad – to his influential confidant Thomas Szécsényi in 1323.

[10] Based on the name – Beszter – of the first known member of the kinship, historians Dezső Csánki and János Karácsonyi considered the Haranglábi noble family, which possessed landholdings in Transylvania (primarily Küküllő County) by the mid-14th century, descended from the Nánabeszter clan.