131 Outstanding Romanian Last Names & Their Meanings

Most people associate Romania with Transylvanian vampire folklore, but the country offers much more than spooky stories. Stretching from the Black Sea to Bucharest, Romania holds a deep cultural history full of rich winemaking traditions, unique architecture, and fascinating naming customs.

Romanian last names often carry hidden meanings tied to ancient occupations, geographical regions, or Greek and Slavic roots. We put together 131 of the most interesting Romanian surnames to help you on your naming journey.

Read on to explore these unique family names.

131 Wonderful Romanian Last Names

These Romanian family names highlight the history and diverse culture of this Eastern European nation.

1. Acheron: With hints of the underworld, this Greek name means “rivers of sorrow.”
2. Albescu: Many Romanian last names sound medieval, like Albescu, meaning “white.”
3. Albu: Derives from the Latin Albus, meaning “white.”
4. Aldea: This Germanic name derives from Alda and means “old.”
5. Aldonold: A traditional Romanian name meaning “friend.”
6. Alnwick: Taken from the Old English name, meaning “settlement on a clear river.”
7. Ambrosia: A variant of the Greek Ambrosine, meaning “immortal.”
8. Andrei: Derived from the Greek Andreas, meaning “warrior, brave,” and “manly.”
9. Ardelean: This habitational Romanian name means “someone from Transylvania.”
10. Arnold: A masculine German, English, and Dutch name meaning “eagle, power,” and “brightness.”
11. Athanasia: Another popular Romanian name derived from Greek, meaning “immortal.”
12. Baciu: An occupational Romanian name meaning “leader of the shepherds.”
13. Balan: Of Romanian and Jewish origin, meaning “blond.”
14. Bancroft: This English-sounding name means “dweller by the bean field.”
15. Barbaneagra: This old Romani name means “black beard.”
16. Barbu: A classic Romanian name meaning “beard.”
17. Bathary: Derived from the Welsh patronymic name Bathory, meaning “son of.”
18. Bogdan: This mix of Slavic and Romanian means “gift from God.”
19. Bora: Formed from the Hungarian word “borbala,” meaning “foreigner” or “stranger.”
20. Botezatu: This religious name refers to “someone who baptizes” or “Christians at the church.”
21. Bucur: Related to the Romanian word “bucurie,” meaning “joy.”
22. Camelia: This nature-inspired name means “helper to the priest.”
23. Cazacu: A popular name in Bucharest, meaning “descendants of the Kazakhs.”
24. Celeste: A beautiful girl’s name of Latin origin meaning “heavenly.”
25. Cel Tradat: This Wallachian name translates to “the betrayed one.”
26. Ciobanu: An occupational Romanian name meaning “shepherd” or “one who rears sheep.”
27. Codrin: From the Romanian word “codru,” meaning “forest.”
28. Cojocaru: A Slavic occupational name for “a furrier.”
29. Coman: A rare Arabic name meaning “noble.”
30. Cosma: Derived from the Greek word “kosmos,” meaning “order” or “ordered universe.”
31. Costea: A short form of the Roman Constantine, meaning “steadfast.”
32. Craioveanu: Possibly means “handsome warrior” or “descendant from the city of Craiova.”
33. Cretu: This common Romanian surname means “Crete.”
34. Crimson: A unisex Old English name derived from the Kermes insect, meaning “deep red.”
35. Cristian: An alternate Romanian spelling of Christian, meaning “follower of Christ.”
36. Crudo: This Italian name means “raw” and “harsh” or “severe.”
37. Dalca: A striking Romanian name describing “lightning.”
38. Dan: The short form of the Hebrew boy’s name Daniel, meaning “God is my judge.”
39. Darius: Of Persian origin, meaning “maintains possessions well.”
40. Dascălu: This ancient Romanian name means “teacher.”
41. Dobrin: Derived from the Old Slavic “dobr,” meaning “good and kind.”
42. Dorian: Derives from an ancient Greek tribe and means “of Doris or Doros.”
43. Dragavei: Sounds mysterious, but Dragavei actually means “curly lock plant.”
44. Dragos: A classic Romanian name meaning “dear” and “beloved.”
45. Dumitru: Similar to the Greek Demetrious, meaning “devoted to the goddess Demeter.”
46. Eder: In Hebrew it means “the flock” and “handsome or beautiful” in Basque and Spanish.
47. Enache: Of Romanian origin, meaning “descendant of Ene.”
48. Erner: An occupational Yiddish name meaning “pail bucket” and “swift” in Irish.
49. Fieraru: An occupational Romanian family name that means “blacksmith.”
50. Fischer: Sticking with the occupational theme, Fischer means “fisherman.”
51. Floarea: For kids with a strong connection to nature, Floarea means “flower.”
52. Funar: Another Romanian occupational word meaning “rope maker.”
53. Georgescu: A highly popular name in Romania meaning “descendant or follower of George.”
54. Grigorescu: Named after the Armenian Saint Gregory the Illuminator, meaning “son of Grigore.”
55. Gheata: A unique name for cool kids; Gheata means “ice” in Romanian.
56. Grosu: A distinctive Romanian name meaning “stout, coarse” and “bulky.”
57. Hatmanu: A high-ranking occupational name meaning “general” in Romanian.
58. Hofer: Of German and Romanian origin, meaning “steward, farmhouse” or “courtyard.”
59. Iliescu: Continuing the patronymic name theme, this means “son of Ilie.”
60. Ionescu: The suffix “scu” denotes a descendant name, like Ionescu, meaning “son or descendant of Ion.”
61. Iordanescu: Following the same rule, Iordanescu means “son of Iordan.”
62. Ioveanu: Another patronymic Romanian last name meaning “son of Ivan.”
63. Ivan: Of Slavic, Russian, and Hebrew origin, meaning “God is gracious.”
64. Jura: This Romanian name is of Old Norse origin and means “deer island.”
65. Kotzur: Thought to derive from the German word “kotze,” meaning “coarse woolen garment.”
66. Laurentiu: Derived from the Roman name Laurentius, meaning “from Laurentum.”
67. Lazarescu: This Hebrew-inspired name means “descendant or son of Lazarus.”
68. Luca: A gender-neutral name of Italian and Romanian origin, meaning “bringer of light.”
69. Luminita: Of Romanian origin, meaning “little light.”
70. Lungu: Derived from the Latin word “longus,” meaning “tall.”
71. Lupei: Derived from the Latin “lupus,” meaning “wolf.”
72. Lupu: Similar to Lupei, with the exact same meaning and origin.
73. Maga: A historical relationship name derived from the Germanic “māge,” meaning “blood relative.”
74. Magar: Of Armenian origin, meaning “lucky.”
75. Maier or Mayer: This common German and Romanian surname means “farmer, bright” and “greater.”
76. Maranda: Derived from the Latin Mirandus, meaning “admirable and wonderful.”
77. Marcu: A Romanian version of the Latin Marcus, meaning “follower of or dedicated to Mars.”
78. Matei: From the Hebrew “mattath,” meaning “gift of God.”
79. Merica: Possibly a derivative of America or from the Latin “meredies,” meaning “midday” or “south.”
80. Mitrea: An uncommon Romanian name meaning “administrator.”
81. Miu: Possibly a derivative of Mihaj, meaning “who is like God” in Hebrew.
82. Moldovan: A rugged Romanian name meaning “son of or descendant of one from Moldova.”
83. Morar: An occupational Romanian name meaning “miller.”
84. Muller: Similar to Morar, this German family name means “miller.”
85. Munteanu: Featuring Romanian and Moldovan influences, meaning “highlander.”
86. Murga: A Romanian nickname for someone with “dark skin or hair.”
87. Nastase: A popular family name derived from the Greek Anastasios, meaning “resurrection.”
88. Naum: Derived from the Hebrew Nahum, meaning “consolation” and “comfort.”
89. Nectaria: From the Greek name Nektary, meaning “of nectar.”
90. Negus: A version of the personal name Neagu, meaning “to care for” or “to nurse.”
91. Nicolae or Niculaie: Derived from the Greek Nikolaos, meaning “victory of the people.”
92. Nicolescu: Similar to Nicolae, meaning “son of Nicolae.”
93. Olarescu: Continuing the “son of” theme, this name translates to “son of Olaru.”
94. Oprea: This commanding Romanian name means “to stop” or “halt.”
95. Pekrul: Possibly of Polish and German origin, meaning “spear maker.”
96. Petrea: A Romanian version of the Greek Peter, meaning “rock” or “stone.”
97. Pichler: A Bavarian topographical and habitational name meaning “dweller who lives near a hill.”
98. Popa: Derived from the Greek “pappas,” meaning “father.” Popa means “priest of the Orthodox church.”
99. Popescu: This patronymic Romanian name simply means “son of a priest.”
100. Radu: A classic royal name meaning “happy” and “glad.”
101. Reiter: Derived from the High German “riter,” meaning “rider” or “mounted soldier.”
102. Romanescu: Some Transylvanian last names are patronymic, like Romanescu, meaning “son of Roman.”
103. Roşu: From the Latin Roseus, meaning “red.”
104. Rusu: A quirky Romanian name meaning “the Russian.”
105. Sala: Of Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese origin, meaning “at a hall or manor.”
106. Sandu: Derived from the ancient Greek Alexandros, meaning “defender of mankind.”
107. Sarafin: Possibly derived from the Hebrew Serafim, meaning “fiery.”
108. Schmidt: An occupational German name popular in Romania, meaning “smith.”
109. Sebastian: From the Latin Sebastianus, meaning “venerable” and “revered.”
110. Segarceanu: Named after the Romanian town, meaning “from Segarcea.”
111. Serban: A Hungarian and Romanian name meaning “serf” or “slave.”
112. Skutnik: Some Romanian names come from descriptive traits, like Skutnik, meaning “disgust.”
113. Stan: A short form of the Slavic Stanislav, meaning “become or stay.”
114. Stanislav: The long form of Stan with the exact same meaning and origin.
115. Stefan: The Romanian form of Stephen and Stephanos, meaning “garland” and “crown.”
116. Stoian: Derived from the Bulgarian Stoyan, meaning “to stand, stay” and “remain.”
117. Stoica: A perfect Romanian surname for “stoic” and serious individuals.
118. Suta: An unusual Romanian name given to people who use their “left hand” for their work.
119. Tarniceriu: According to some researchers, it means “powerful, capable” and “perfectionist.”
120. Tecuceanu: Named after the city, it means “inhabitant of Tecuci.”
121. Ungureanu: This Romanian surname refers to a “Hungarian man” and commonly appears in Transylvania.
122. Vacarescu: A Romanian surname given to “cow herders,” meaning “descendant of a cow herder.”
123. Vaduva: Meaning “widow,” this Romanian name is quite uncommon today.
124. Vasile: A regal Romanian name that means “king” or “royal.”
125. Vero: Of Italian and Romanian origin, meaning “truth” and “real truth.”
126. Vlad: A historical Romanian name popularized by literature, meaning “glorious rule.”
127. Vulpe: A classic gypsy name meaning “fox.”
128. Weber: Of German origin, this occupational name means “weaver.”
129. Zamfir: The perfect name for your little gem, as it means “sapphire.”
130. Zimbrean: Some Transylvanian surnames are animal-inspired, like Zimbrean, meaning “a bison.”
131. Zugravescu: This unusual Romanian surname translates to “son of the one who depicts or portrays the past.”

Romanian Last Names FAQs

Which Romanian Last Names Derive from Greek?

Many Romanian last names derive from Greek, including Stefan, Popa, Nectaria, Sandu, Dorian, and Dumitru. Other examples like Acheron, Ambrosia, and Andrei also stem from traditional Greek names.

What Are the Most Common Romanian Surnames?

Some of the most common Romanian last names include Popa, Radu, Dumitru, and Stan. You will also frequently see names ending in the patronymic suffix “scu,” such as Popescu or Ionescu.

Why Do Many Romanian Last Names End in “Scu”?

The suffix “scu” means “son of” or “descendant of” in Romanian. For example, Ionescu translates directly to “son of Ion,” making it a classic patronymic surname.

Are Romanian and Italian Last Names Similar?

Yes, Romanian and Italian share strong Latin roots. You can find several surnames that exist in both languages and cultures, such as Luca, Celeste, and Crudo.

Do Romanian Surnames Reflect Occupations?

Many Romanian family names tell you exactly what a person’s ancestors did for a living. Names like Fieraru for a blacksmith, Ciobanu for a shepherd, and Morar for a miller are prime examples of occupational surnames.

What Is the Origin of the Name Vlad?

Vlad is a traditional Romanian name of Slavic origin that means “glorious rule.” It gained global recognition due to the historical figure Vlad the Impaler and the famous fictional character Count Dracula.

Can Romanian Last Names Come from Animals?

Nature and animals heavily influence Romanian naming conventions. Examples of animal-based surnames include Lupu for a wolf, Vulpe for a fox, and Zimbrean for a bison.