103 Romanian Last Names With Meanings And History
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This is a long list of Romanian last name options from various sources, including the Romanian Orthodox calendar, Roman heritage, tradition, history, romance, and Slavic influence.
These surnames could be for a character in your fictional fantasy story set in Romania, or maybe you're looking for the meaning and history of your own Romanian name. Whatever your need is, these names will make you look "mișto" (that means awesome in Romanian!) and show the influence of the rich Romanian history and the Romanian language.
There are some tips about Romanian naming conventions. The quickest way to distinguish a girl’s Romanian surname and a boy’s Romanian surname is to check their ending.
Boys’ names usually end in a consonant, and girls’ names end with an -a. However, there are exceptions to this. Another interesting practice among Romanian naming conventions is the addition of ancestral Romanian suffixes such as -escu, -eanu, -anu, -an, -aru, and -atu to name a few.
This is usually added to fathers’ and mothers’ names to carry the lineage forward and keep the ancestral surnames strong. Perhaps the most popular addition is that of -escu, added to one’s father’s name.
For example, if a man is named Ion, his son can be named Ionescu (Ion + escu). This translates to ‘Ion’s son (child).’ The ‘escu’ suffix is similar to the French-origin ‘esque’ suffix commonly used in the English language. In English, the combination results in adjectives like Kafkaesque, burlesque, grotesque, and picturesque.
In Romania, it is used to create surnames. Sometimes, such combinations can also signify ethnic or country origin.
Take a look at these varied Romanian surnames, and find out which ones you love the most. Grouped in distinct themes, these last names are sure you keep you fascinated and enthralled.
We hope this helps with your search but if you want more inspiration why not look at Lebanese last names or Vietnamese last names, right here on Kidadl.
Popular Last Names From Romania
Several last names are derived from famous people, their sons, and occupations. There are many common, popular last names. Below we have listed some of the most popular names in Romania.
1. Albescu a Romanian surname that means "white".
2. Albu is a Romanian name meaning "white". An interesting short Romanian last name.
3. Aldea it is a topographic surname meaning "village".
4. Andrei Romanian form of Andrew, which means "manly" or "masculine".
5. Aurel pronounced ow-REHL – another form of Aurelius, possibly inspired by the surname of Marcus Aurelius.
6. Baciu it is one of the ancient Romanian names meaning "shepherd".
7. Bucur a common last name meaning "happiness, joy".
8. Cazacu is a lesser-known Roman last name referring to someone from along the river Cazacu.
9. Cel Tradat is a Romanian last name that means "the betrayed one".
10. Craioveanue refers to a person from the Romanian city Craiova.
11. Cristian Romanian form of Christian, which means "a Christian". It is attributed only to men.
12. Dan is a Romanian surname that is the shortened version of the name Daniel.
13. Daniel, (Hebrew origin)means "God is my judge".
14. Darius, (Greek origin) means "possessing goodness".
15. Dascalu is an occupational surname derived from the word dascal meaning "teacher".
16. Eder is a short surname that means "handsome".
17. Enache, (Hebrew origin) is found as a first and last name among Romanian people, means "comforter".
18. Gabriel it has religious connotations; translates to "God is my strong man".
19. Hatmanu, an occupational surname that is equal to a General.
20. Hofer means "steward".
21. Iacob pronounced YEY-cub – Romanian form of Jacob, which is a Biblical word and given name.
22. Ion also Ioan, Ionela, and Ionuţ, is a diminutive version of Johnson, the Romanian form of John.
23. Iordanescu meaning "Jordan's son".
24. Ioveanu is a last name that means "Ivan's son."
25. Laurentiu, (Italian origin)means "from Laurentum". Laurentum was a city in ancient Italy.
26. Lazarescu is a last name derived from Lazar, means "son of Lazar".
27. Luca is a last name derived from Luke.
28. Maier means "farmer".
29. Marcu Romanian form of Marcus, which is derived from the name of the Roman god, Mars.
30. Matei Romanian form of Matthew; it means "a gift".
31. Mitrea (Greek origin) meaning "administrator".
32. Net, (Latin origin) means "superior".
33. Nicolae also Niculaie, it is the Romanian form of Nicholas; it means "victory of the people".
34. Nicolescu means "son of Nicolae".
35. Răzvan it means "bringer of good news".
36. Sebastian the surname of a famous saint; translates to "venerable".
Traditional Surnames
Tradition has a massive influence on names in this country. Some of the most famous European countries' names are derived from traditional sources such as the Romanian Orthodox calendar and historical references.
The following list will further showcase the influence of tradition on Romanian last names and meanings.
37. Ardeleanu another form of Ardal or Ardghal, which means "valour".
38. Ionescu meaning "son of Ion".
39. Mahbed (Roman origin) meaning "sacrifice" or "honesty".
40. Muller is a last name for people who work in mills.
41. Munteanu meaning "from the mountains".
42. Nectaria is a name derived from "nectar".
43. Neculcuea could be a form of Nicholas.
44. Oncea its meaning could be "a pioneer".
45. Petrescu Another form of Petre or Peter.
46. Romanescu means "the son of Roman".
47. Tarniceriu is a common occupational last name for "people who make saddles".
48. Tecuceanu is a Romanian last name for people from Tecuci.
49. Ungureanu is a common reference for people from Hungary.
50. Zamfir is an occupational surname for jewelers. The name means "sapphire".
51. Zugravescu means "someone portraying the past".
Surnames Inspired By Nature
Nature, music, and everyday things also have some influence on Romanian surnames. Romania is also a country with much natural beauty so, of course, it would influence its names. Here are some of the trendiest Romanian names of this fashion.
52. Anemona derived from the name of a flower.
53. Barbaneagra is a unique Romanian surname meaning "black beard".
54. Barbu means "bushy-bearded".
55. Bălan means "a blond".
56. Botezatu means "baptised".
57. Camelia meaning a type of flower.
58. Codrin also Codrina for girls, it means "the woods".
59. Cojocaru is a surname that means "sheepskin".
60. Cretu meaning "curly".
61. Croitoru means "a tailor".
62. Dalcais an interesting Romanian last name that means "lightning".
63. Dragavei a Romanian variant for the Curly Dock plant.
64. Fieraru means "a smith" and is usually given to babies born in a smith’s household.
65. Fischer is a Romanian word for "fisherman".
66. Floarea is a surname meaning "flower".
67. Florescu, a variant of the surname Floarea.
68. Grosu means "think".
69. Luminița means "light" or "faint light".
70. Păcuraru means "a shepherd".
71. Pichler is a surname given to "people who live near a hill".
72. Roșu means the color "red".
Romanian Last Names Derived From Animals
Animal and plant names can also be stylized as Romanian surnames. But these are more rare, though we think they're beautiful and very cool. Take a look at these animal-inspired Romanian last names below.
73. Bourean means "an ox".
74. Căpreanu means "a goat".
75. Lupu means "a wolf".
76. Lupei is a last name that is a variant of Lupu.
77. Ursu means "a bear".
78. Vulpe means "fox."
79. Zimbrean means "a bison".
Surnames Influenced By Neighbouring Countries
These mainly include names born out of Slavic and Russian influence. Since Siberia and Ukraine are Romania’s immediate neighbors, these names are widely used in the country and are actually very common.
80. Bucinschi its meaning is "wealth".
81. Chirilov it could mean "a thousand" or "a unit".
82. Covaci diminutive term of Covadonga, the name of an old Spanish village.
83. Net, (Latin origin)means "superior".
84. Erner is a Romanian reference to a Serbian.
85. Radu means "happy".
86. Sala means "hall".
87. Schmidt (German origin) means "a smith".
Occupational Surnames
These are names that come from a profession that someone in the family lineage practised. In many cases, Romanian surnames are appended to first names. These may also be considered names for families that are given very high importance in officialdom. These names are usually unisex and apply to everyone in the family. Here are some examples.
88. Andrea feminine form of Andrew means "manly". So, Andrea translates to "womanly".
89. Ilie Romanian form of Elias or Elijah, which means "a God" in Hebrew.
90. Sandu is a surname that is short for Alexander.
91. Vasile another form of Basil; it means "kingly".
92. Vacarescu is among common and popular Romanian last names for those who were in the cattle business of cattle.
93. Ciobanu means "a shepherd".
94. Dumitru Romanian form of Demetrius; derived from the name of the Greek goddess Demeter.
95. Funar is a common occupational surname given to ropemakers.
96. Jurovschi (Polish origin) Derived from the Polish word Żurowski.
97. Lungu means "long".
98. Mayer means "officer, sheriff".
99. Popa means "a priest" and is drawn from the word/profession, "pope".
100. Reiter (German origin) means "cleared land", may refer to people living on it.
101. Rusu Could mean "a Russian".
102. Stanislav means "to become glorious".
103. Stoica means "stoic" or "impassive".
Kidadl has lots of great names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for Romanian Last Names then why not take a look at Greek last names, or for something different take a look at cool last names.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.
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