Romanian Names

Deciphering names in an old handwritten document is not as easy as one might suppose. This could be due to the widespread use of abbreviations, the difficulty in reading the handwriting, or the unique practices found in the language. To make this process easier, below are glossaries of names and explanations of the naming practices you will encounter.

Romanian Naming Customs

Like much of Europe, today it is customary for a child to take their father’s last name and a wife to take her husband’s surname. That being said, historically naming practices were less standard. Until the 19th Century, it was common for the naming format to be [given name], [father’s name], [grandfather’s name] instead of having a firmly set surname for any given family.

Most names in Romania are of Latin origin, but influence from surrounding countries also added several names with roots in Slavic and Germanic languages as well.