Romania

Capital : Bucharest (Bucaresti)

History

The Dacii were conquered by Rome in 106 and their lands became the province of Dacia which covers much the same area as modern Romania. In the later Empire, it was divided into three parts, Porolissensis, Dacia Superior and Dacia Inferior. After the fall of Rome in the C5th, it was over-run by the Huns under Attila who made their base in the region in AD 434-53. The eastern part of the Roman territories became the Byzantine Empire, but Dacia was not reconquered. It was part of the Bulgarian Empire under Krum (802-14) and remained outside Christian Europe although Transylvania became part of Hungary.

Eventually the whole area came under Hungarian control but as the Turkish Ottoman Empire spread, it took over most of the territories around the Black Sea. Under Ottoman rule, Romania was covered by the Turkish vassal states of Eflak (Wallachia) and Bogdan (Moldavia), added to the Empire in 1396 and 1455. They remained under Ottoman rule until being occupied by Russia in 1806-12. Semi-independent from 1929, Wallachia and Moldavia were united to form Romania in 1859, became independent in 1878 and a kingdom in 1881.

During the First World War, it was held by the central Powers (Germany and Austro-Hungary). After the war, many ethnic Hungarians and Turks left the country to move to their own countries, but territorially Romania was greatly enlarged, taking Transylvania from Hungary, Bukovina from Austria, Bessarabia from Russia and southern Dobruja from Bulgaria. In the 1920s it allied itself with Poland (against Russia) and France and made a Treaty of Friendship with Italy. The Balkan Pact of 1934 between Romania, Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey was made to fend of Russian and German expansion although Carol II tolerated and financed the fascist 'Iron Guard' from 1930-8. The country was an Axis satellite during the Second World War. It lost some territory to Russia and Bulgaria and became Communist in the 1940s which put it under Russian influence. After the break-up of the Soviet Union the hard-line Communist regime of Nicolae Ceaucescu was toppled and he was put to death. Free elections were held but the new government found difficulties in improving the economy and the west intervened with humanitarian aid sparked off by reports about the numerous orphanages and the bad conditions in them.

Romanian Names

The language is largely derived from Latin as is the name of the country. As a result, forms of names are quite similar to Spanish or Italian although names from the Slavonic areas nearby are also used as are borrowings from German and Hungarian. The names of Catholic saints and historical figures are also popular.

Male

Adrian	Alexander	Alexandru	Andre	Andrei	Anghel
Anton	Aurel	Bela	Benedikte	Bogdan	Boris
Carol	Cincinel	Circu	Claudiu	Constantin	Cornel
Corneliu	Cosmin	Cristofor	Damian	Dan	Dana
Daniel	Danila	Demetri	Dinu	Dominik	Dorinel
Dragos	Dumitru	Dvidiu	Emil	Enric	Eugen
Eugeniu	Felix	Ferdinand	Florin	Florinel	Frantisek
Gabi	Gabriel	Georghe	Georghiu	Gheorghe	Henric
Horia	Iancu	Ignatie	Igor	Ilie	Ioan
Ion	Ionel	Iorghu	Iorgu	Iosif	Janos
Jon	Ladislau	Liviu	Lucian	Lupul	Marian
Marius	Marku	Martin	Matai	Matatias	Michael
Mihai	Mihail	Mihas	Mirca	Miron	Mugur
Nae	Nandru	Nichifor?	Nicholae	Nicholas	Nicolae
Nicu	Octavian	Petar	Petre	Petru	Radu
Rafail	Robert	Robin	Sergiu	Silvestru	Silviu
Simion	Sislau	Sorin	Stanislav	Stefan	Teodor
Tiberiu	Tibor	Toma	Tomescu?	Tomic?	Tudor
Valeriu	Vasile	Vilhelm	Viorel	Virgil	Vlad
Yousef

Female

Adelina	Alexandra	Alicia	Ana	Angela	Angelika
Beatrix	Brigita	Carmen	Catalina	Caterina	Claudia
Corina	Dana	Daniela	Delia	Doina	Dominique
Dorota	Ecaterina	Elena	Elenuta	Elica	Elisabeta
Estera	Felicia	Filipa	Florica	Florina	Gabriela
Georgina	Gina	Ileana	Ioana	Iolanda	Ionela
Irina	Irini	Iulia	Joana	Julia	Laura
Lavinia	Leontina	Liana	Lorea	Lucia	Magda
Magdalena	Margarita	Maria	Mariana	Marica	Maricara
Marika	Marina	Martina	Mihaela	Mircea	Mirela
Monica	Nadia	Natalya	Natasa	Nathalie	Nicoleta
Oana	Olga	Patricia	Placinta	Reveka	Rodica
Rodicka	Romica	Roxana	Ruxandra	Simona	Sophie
Stefania	Steliana	Tereza	Thialda	Uzana	Viorica
Zaharia

Surnames

Agafitei	Albusel	Amanar	Antonescu	Artenie	Baboescu
Balcescu	Balitiu	Banciu	Banica	Barbu	Barnutiu
Belododia	Biaram	Blaga	Blandiana	Blerinca	Bochinsky
Bogoescu	Bojin	Boroi	Bratiano	Bratianu	Bumbescu
Butacu	Cantacuzino	Capraru	Cardei	Carp	Ceaucescu
Cernea	Chirila	Chisca	Chitul	Christinel	Ciobotaru
Ciora	Ciorbea	Ciumak	Codreanu	Cojocaru	Comaneci
Comeaga	Constantinescu	Conta	Cornea	Cosma	Cosmescu
Costache	Crainic	Cristea	Cristescu	Croditier	Cuza
Dancescu	Dimir	Dimitru	Dinescu	Dobos	Dobra
Dobre	Dobrogeanu	Dodos	Dodrescu	Dragomir	Dudnic
Dumitrescu	Eliade	Eminescu	Ene	Enescu	Fidatof
Fidatov	Filipescu	Floca	Galca	Georgescu	Georghiou
Georghiu-Dej	Gherea	Ghezzo	Gilca	Goga	Gogean
Gogoasa	Gorie	Grasu	Grul	Hagi	Hasdeu
Hila	Hobai	Ianculescu	Ibanescu	Ilica	Ilie
Ilionescu	Ioanid	Ionescu	Iordache	Iordanescu	Iorga
Istok	Istratescu	Jonker	Kazaku	Kinczllers	Kisslinger
Kobori	Kogalniceaunu	Korzha	Kreanga	Lacatus	Lacusta
Lazarovici	Leonte	Lior	Lixandroiu	Lonaies	Luca
Lüceanu	Lucescu	Lupescu	Macek	Madgearu	Mandruleanu
Maniu	Marandici	Marga	Marinescu	Mateescu	Mazilu
Mechitbayeva	Melinte	Mihaili	Mihalcea	Mihnea	Milcu
Milea	Milosovici	Mircea	Miriuta	Mironescu	Moceanu
Moldovan	Morariu	Munteanu	Munteaunu	Murgu	Nastase
Neacsu	Neagoe	Nechita	Negura	Negutesco	Nica
Nicolae	Nistor	Noica	Nutiu	Ojacarcu	Olteanu
Osadci	Osmochescu	Ovidiu	Ozera	Pangratiu	Parasca
Patrescu	Pauker	Pavel	Pavlenco	Pescariu	Petrescu
Petri	Pirvu	Pitu	Plescan-Popa	Popescu	Popovici
Preda	Presecan	Prodan	Profis	Prunea	Puravet
Radacanu	Radu	Raducioiu	Radulescu	Ragar	Randa
Rapanu?	Roman	Sabau	Saguna	Sandulescu	Savu
Selezeanu	Selymes	Serban	Serbanescu	Silivasi	Sima
Simeonescu	Siperco	Sollomovici	Spirlea	Stanasila	Stanciu
Stanescu	Stefoniou	Stelea	Stelymes	Sterescu	Stinga
Stoichita	Tatarescu	Tere	Tilea	Tirlea	Tomescu
Torok	Trelles	Troester	Tudor	Tugurlan	Urzica
Vadim	Varias	Vlad	Vladimirescu	Vladoiu	Vladu
Voinea	Vulpes	Yonescu	Zeklos

Rulers

Alexander Cuss	-1886 dep
Carol I	1886?-1914 elected	Hohenzollen-Sigmaringen	Elizabeth (Carmen Sylva)
Ferdinand	1914-1927	nephew of Carol I
Carol II	(abd 1925) 1930-40	son of Carol I	1 Zizi Lambrini 2 Helen of Greece
Michael	1927-30 1940-7	son of Carol II (2)
Margarita		daughter of Michael

Moldova

This region of Romania borders the independent state of Moldavia which was formerly part of the Soviet Union.

Surnames

Axelrod	Bivol	Cebotaru	Davtian	Dergatchev	Gernot
Glik	Imbir	Kostash	Kuperman	Pomrenkel	Varshavsky

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This collection of names compiled by Kate Monk. Copyright January 1997, Kate Monk. Last updated February, 98. Copies may be made for personal use only.