List of Romanian Names for Girls and Boys (Plus Their Meaning)

Curious about traditional Romanian names? This article helps you with some common Romanian names for girls and boys, as well as their meanings.

This list is also helpful if you want your baby to have a Romanian name. If you want to honor your Romanian heritage, if you are married to a Romanian, or simply because you like how these names sound, go ahead and choose the one you like the most. They’re all pretty cool, let me tell you that!

No matter what your reasons are – you can be just curious, too – I have below the largest list of Romanian names for girls and boys with their meanings too, so read on.

Traditional Romanian Girl Names

• Adelina: A beautiful Romanian name which means “Noble woman”.
• Adina: A name that comes from “Adelina” and also means “noble”.
• Adriana: Latin name, meaning “by the Adriatic Sea”. Even though Romania is close to the Black Sea, this name is still very popular. And beautiful.
• Alina: Another very popular Romanian name (this is my wife’s name, by the way!) It means “Noble”.
• Ana: A form of Anna, derived from the Hebrew name Hannah, it symbolizes gracefulness and beauty.
• Ana-Maria: A combination of two common Romanian names (Ana and Maria), symbolizing a blend of grace, beauty, and depth.
• Anca: the gracious one
• Andreea: Another very popular Romanian female name, meaning warrior.
• Andra: A feminine form of Andrei, the Romanian form of Andrew, meaning “manly” or “brave”, symbolizing courage and strength.
• Antonia: a female form of the Latin word Antonius. It is the name that one of the most beautiful Romanian women has (read about her here) and it means priceless or beautiful.
• Anisia: Derived from Greek, meaning “friendly” or “loved one,” this one is more popular in the Eastern parts of the country.

• Bianca: Most likely coming from Italian, it means “White”.
• Beatrice: Not extremely popular, but common enough. Coming from the Latin Beatrix, which means “blessed one”.

• Camelia: It’s the name of a flower (Camellia Japonica), it also meaning “the helping hand of the priest”.
• Carmen: a name of Hebrew origin, meaning flower garden.
• Catalina: Popular Romanian name, meaning pure.
• Carina: A name of Latin roots, meaning “beloved” or “dear”. Sometimes (but rarely), it will be written as Karina.
• Crina: The female version of the lily flower
• Cristina: the descendant of Christ.
• Claudia: a name with Latin roots, meaning “enclosure” or “lame”. It’s the female version of the more popular male name, Claudiu.
• Corina: Derived from the Greek name Korinna, which means “maiden”, symbolizing purity and youthfulness.
• Cornelia: a name of Latin origin which may symbolize dignity, strength, and maternal wisdom.
• Cosmina: A name of uncertain origin, possibly related to “cosmos”, symbolizing order, beauty, and the universe.

• Doina: unique Romanian name, based on the unique Romanian song with the same name.
• Dana: A popular Romanian name, meaning God is my judge.
• Daria: Of Persian origin, meaning “possessor of good”, symbolizing generosity and kindness.
• Delia: A name with ancient Greek origins related to Delos, the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, symbolizing visibility and clarity.
• Diana: It means “Goddess,” coming from the Roman goddess of Hunting and nature.

• Ecaterina: No longer very popular, but a nice name nevertheless, meaning pure, innocent.
• Elena: It means sun ray and it has Greek and Latin origins.
• Elvira: A name that means “the one who protects everybody”.
• Emilia: A name of Latin origin, derived from the Roman family name Aemilius, which means either “rival” or “striving”, symbolizing ambition and diligence.
• Eugenia: From the Greek “eugenes”, meaning “well-born” or “noble”. It represents nobility and excellence (and is also the name of a popular, highly appreciated biscuit brand here in Romania).

• Florina: A name that symbolizes a Flower.
• Felicia: A Latin name meaning “lucky” and “happy”, symbolizing happiness and good fortune.

• Gabriela: God is my Power.
• Georgiana: A feminine form of George, meaning “farmer.” It usually means “connected with nature”.

• Ioana: A traditional Romanian name, meaning “the blessing of God”.
• Ileana: A Romanian name most likely derived from “Elena” (or Helen), meaning “light” or “sun ray”.
• Iulia: The Romanian form of Julia, based on an ancient Roman name meaning “youthful” and/or “dedicated to Jupiter”.
• Irina: a name meaning “peaceful”.
• Ina: Usually, a short form of some names ending in “-ina”, meaning “pure” or “joy”.

• Lacramioara: an original, beautiful Romanian name meaning teardrop. Also the name of the flower Lily of the Valley.
• Laura: Female version of “Laur” meaning victory.
• Lavinia: a name of Latin origin, meaning “legendary mother of the Romans”
• Larisa: A name of Greek origin, meaning “citadel” or “fortress”, symbolizing protection and strength.
• Liliana: A name that combines “Lily”, a flower symbolizing purity and beauty, with “Ana”, symbolizing gracefulness.
• Luisa / Luiza: It means “glourious”.
• Luminita: Traditional Romanian name, meaning “little light”.

• Madalina: A name with a reference to the biblical Mary Magdalene, known for her devotion and loyalty.
• Maria: the wanted child or the one from the sea.
• Marilena: A combination of “Maria” and “Elena”, symbolizing “the wanted child” and “sun ray”.
• Mara: A name of Hebrew origin, meaning “bitter”, often associated with a Biblical tale of resilient sorrow.
• Margareta: Derived from the Greek Margarites, meaning “pearl”, symbolizing beauty, purity, and value. It’s also the name of a flower.
• Mariana: the wanted child, basically another form of the name Maria.
• Mihaela: A beautiful name that I hold dear to my heart, as it’s my mother’s name. It means “Who is like God?”
• Mirabela: Of Latin origin, “of wondrous beauty”.
• Monica: Solitary.
• Mioara: Traditional Romanian name, a diminutive form of Maria in Romanian, symbolizing tenderness and affection. In Romanian, the word “Mioara” is also used as a synonym to “sheep”.

• Nadia: name of Russian origin, meaning hope.
• Narcisa: the name of a flower, symbolizing love.
• Nicoleta: it means victory.
• Nicola: a variation of the name above.

• Oana: the blessing of God. A very popular Romanian name.
• Olivia: coming from the Latin word “olive,” it symbolizes peace.
• Otilia: Derived from the Germanic name Otthild, meaning “prosperity in battle”, symbolizing strength and prosperity.

• Paula: small and humble.
• Petra: Of Greek origin, meaning “rock” or “stone”, symbolizing strength and durability.
• Petronela: traditional Romanian name meaning small rock – a longer form of the name Petra.

• Raluca: Romanian name based on the name of Romanian ruler Ion Caragea’s daughter, Ralu.
• Ramona: A feminine form of Ramon or Raymond, of Germanic origin, meaning “wise protector”.
• Rodica: coming from the Rhodos island. It could also be a name of Slavic origin, meaning “fertility”.
• Roxana: another popular Romanian name for girls, it means “sunshine” or “light”.
• Ruxandra: A Romanian variant of Roxana, meaning “sunshine”, symbolizing light and hope.

• Sabina: Derived from the Latin Sabine, it symbolizes historical depth and culture.
• Sanda: protector of men – shorter form of “Alexandra”.
• Simona: The feminine form of Simon, derived from the Hebrew name Shimon, meaning “he has heard”.
• Silvia: Of Latin origin, meaning “forest” or “wood”.
• Smaranda: A name of Greek origin, derived from the word “smaragdos”, meaning “emerald”. So it would mean something like “Rare beauty”.
• Sorina: A name that means peaceful, sunny and serene.
• Sorana: A name that means “sun”.
• Stefania: the female version of the Greek name Stefanos which means “crown.”

• Tatiana: A name of Russian origin, meaning “fairy queen”.
• Teodora: Gift of God.
• Tania: Also a name of Russian origin, coming from “Tatiana” and also meaning “fairy queen”.

• Valentina: Name of Roman origins, meaning “strong and healthy”.
• Vasilica: A traditional Romanian name, not very common nowadays though. It means “ruler or queen”.
• Violeta: This is the name of a flower in Romania (the Violet), it means spiritual and wise.
• Viorica: A Romanian name meaning “bluebell flower”.
• Virginia: Derived from the Latin Virgo, meaning “maiden” or “virgin”, symbolizing purity and innocence.

• Zoe: A name of Greek origin, meaning “life”, symbolizing vitality and vivacity.

Traditional Romanian Boy Names

• Adrian: Latin name, meaning “by the Adriatic Sea”. It can and usually is used in its shorter form “Adi“.
• Alex / Alexandru: The protector of men.
• Alin: Nobleman. A very popular name among Romanians.
• Andrei: coming from a Greek word that means warrior.
• Anton: a name coming from the Latin word Antonius, meaning “he was lost”.
• Aurel: name of Latin origin, meaning the golden one.

• Bebe: Usually used as a word for “baby,” it’s also a common name (usually a nickname).
• Bogdan: name of Slavic origin, meaning “gift from God”.

• Calin: The name of yours truly, a name of Greek origins, meaning “very good”. I take it!
• Catalin: another Greek name, meaning “pure”.
• Carol: free man.
• Cezar: from the Latin word Caesar, meaning king, autocrat.
• Ciprian: A popular Romanian name, rarely used in other countries, meaning “coming from Cyprus”.
• Claudiu: word of Latin origin, meaning… “enclosure” or “lame”.
• Constantin: A name of Latin roots, coming from the name of the Roman Emperor Constantine, meaning Constant. In Romanian, it is usually shortened to “Titi” or “Costica” or “Costel” – the latter being also a popular name here.
• Cornel: a name of Latin origin, coming from the Roman family name Cornelius. It symbolizes dignity, strength, and wisdom.
• Costel: a diminutive form of Constantin, a name of Latin origin meaning “constant” or “steadfast.”
• Cosmin: It means “beautiful”.
• Cristian: A name of Latin origins, meaning Descendant of Christ.

• Dacian: Unique Romanian name, derived from the name of an ancient people from the territory of modern Romania, the Dacians.
• Dan / Daniel: meaning “God is my judge”.
• Doru (or Dorin): the gift of God.
• Dragos: Slavic name, meaning “Sweet glory”.
• Dumitru: Romanian form of Demetrius, meaning “follower of Demeter”, symbolizing a connection to the earth.

• Emil: Of Latin origin, from the name Aemilius, which means “rival” or “trying to equal or excel”.
• Eugen: member of the aristocracy.
• Eusebiu: Derived from the Greek name Eusebius, meaning “pious” or “devout”.

• Filip: man who loves horses.
• Flaviu: From the Latin name Flavius (which can also be seen as a name here in Romania), meaning “golden” or “blond”.
• Florin: A name that means “flower”.

• Gabi / Gabriel: God is my power.
• George: Farmer
• Gheorghe: The Romanian form of George, meaning “farmer” or “earth worker”, and one of the most popular names in Romania in the past.
• Grigore: The Romanian form of Gregory, derived from the Greek name Gregorios, meaning “watchful” or “alert”

• Horia: the head of the family.

• Iancu: A Romanian form of John, meaning “God is gracious”; emphasizes the grace and kindness of God.
• Ion / Ioan: the blessing of God.
• Iulian: The Romanian form of Julian, from the Latin name Julius, symbolizing youth and vitality.

• Laurentiu (diminutive: Laur): it means “from Laurentum” (a city in ancient Rome), or “laurelled”, symbolizing victory and honor.
• Liviu: the envious one
• Lucian: Derived from the Latin name Lucianus, meaning “light” or “born at dawn”.

• Marian: it means “from the sea” or “of the sea”
• Marius: name that coming from Mars – the God of War (not the planet, haha).
• Matei: one of the apostles of God
• Mihai: one of the seven archangels, meaning “Who is like God?”
• Mihnea: A unique Romanian name, possibly derived from Mihai.
• Mircea: meaning “peaceful”.

• Narcis: in love with his own beauty
• Nelu: the blessing of God – this is a Romanian form or diminutive of sorts of the also common “Ion”
• Nicolae: the victorious man (also used and seen as “Nicu“)

• Octavian: it means the eight (also can be seen as Octav).
• Ovidiu: From the Latin name Ovidius, the name is symbolizing fertility or creativity.

• Pavel: The Romanian form of Paul, meaning “small” or “humble”, emphasizing modesty and virtue.
• Petre: The Romanian form of Peter, from the Greek Petros, meaning “rock”.

• Radu: A name meaning “joy” or “happy”.
• Razvan: Traditional Romanian name, meaning “bringer of good news”.
• Remus: Along with Romulus, one of the mythical founders of Rome.
• Romulus: Along with Remus, one of the founders of Rome. Usually used diminutive: Romica.
• Robert: Name of Germanic origin, from Hrodebert, meaning “bright fame”, symbolizing renown and brilliance.

• Sabin: Derived from the Sabines, an ancient Roman tribe. It symbolizes strength and resilience.
• Sebastian: coming from the city of Savaste.
• Sergiu: savior.
• Silviu: From the Latin Silvius, meaning “wooded” or “forest”, symbolizing nature and wilderness.
• Silvian: Derived from Silvanus, the Roman god of forests; symbolizes nature and the wild, most likely also a form of “Silviu”.
• Sorin: meaning “little sun”, symbolizing warmth and life.
• Stefan: It means “crown”

• Teodor: the gift of God.
• Tiberiu: Derived from Tiberius, it’s a name symbolizing flow and continuity.
• Traian: Latin name, coming from the famous Roman Emperor.
• Tudor: A name of Welsh origin, Tudur, meaning “ruler of the people”.

• Valeriu: Derived from Valerius, a Roman family name meaning “to be strong”.
• Vasile: the leading king. It used to be a very popular name in Romania, but not anymore.
• Vlad (means glorious rule, although it’s usually associated <<wrongfully>> with vampires since it was the name of Vlad Tepes aka Vlad Dracul)
• Victor: A name of Latin origin, meaning “conqueror”
• Viorel: Derived from Viorea or Viorica, the name of the “bluebell flower”.

A note about Traditional Romanian names

Traditional Romanian names are – strangely or not – starting to lose popularity in the country.

I don’t really know why, but one of the reasons could be the fact that parents want their children to have unique names (when I was in school, we had three Oana, three Ioana and no less than four Mihai in our class).

We chose a non-Romanian name for our child and we thought we’re a minority, but the one we chose (Eric) is actually extremely popular among kids nowadays and there are tons of Erics out there. Yup, totally unexpected!

Either way, Romanian names sound unique for foreigners, drawing inspiration from all regions – you have names with Latin roots, Russian roots, German roots and so on. You can read more about the Romanian culture here.

It is impossible not to find something you like, so let’s not waste a single second and instead let’s check out below some Romanian names for girls and boys and see what they mean (where I have that info)!

Note: the details that I have in brackets are not the direct “translation” of the names, since that is generally impossible.

It just represents a brief summary of the meaning of each name – although most are chosen for the way they sound, and not meaning. Let’s check them out below!

Wrapping up

While the during the past 10 years or so, as I already said in the intro, the trend here in Romania was to move a bit away from the traditional Romanian names in search for uniqueness (but still failing to achieve that), I see that lately people are going back to traditional Romanian names once more.

But in the end, it doesn’t matter what the trends are. All that matters is that you like the name and are happy to know that your child will be happy with it for life.

And with such a long list above, I am sure you won’t have any problems finding an appropriate name for your daughter or son.

Then, you have to prepare for the Christening of your baby. I wrote about that as well, so you’re covered!

What other traditional Romanian names for boys or girls do you know or like? Let us all know by sharing your thoughts below!

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Calin

Having lived in Romania for almost 4 decades, I am here to tell you everything about this beautiful country. I hold a bachelor's degree in Journalism, I love traveling and I've been writing about Romania since 2013. Currently living in Constanta.

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