Moldovan Last Name Generator

Browse 500 Moldovan surnames in Moldovan spelling: trade names like Rotari, Cebotari and Morari, everyday names like Rusu, Lungu and Sîrbu, and Ukrainian, Russian, Gagauz and Bulgarian families such as Covalenco, Cuznețov, Dudoglo and Dimitrov.

About Moldovan last names

A Moldovan surname list starts with the names shared with Romania and then goes its own way. The clearest sign is the trade name in -ari, where Romania usually writes -aru: Rotari (wheelwright), Cebotari (bootmaker), Cojocari (furrier), Morari (miller), Olari (potter) and Botnari (cooper). Ceban comes from the word for shepherd. Origin names say where a forefather came from, as in Munteanu, Ungureanu, Codreanu and Sorocean, and nicknames did the rest: Lungu (tall), Ursu (bear), Lupu (wolf), Bivol (buffalo).

Spelling matters here. Many Moldovan documents keep the letter î inside a name, so the list has Sîrbu, Spînu and Bîrcă where Romania writes Sârbu, Spânu and Bârcă. Ukrainian surnames end in -enco, -ciuc and -iuc (Covalenco, Șevcenco, Tcaciuc), and Russian ones are written Cuznețov, Cozlov and Volcov, with a feminine form for women, so a daughter of Ivanov is Ivanova.

The south adds two more groups. Gagauz families carry surnames with Turkic roots such as Uzun, Terzi and Caraman, or names ending in -oglo, which means "son of", like Dudoglo and Curoglo. Bulgarian surnames such as Dimitrov, Stoianov and Todorov come from the towns and villages around Taraclia. Surnames of Romanian origin make up the larger part of the list.

How to choose Moldovan last names

• Match the surname to the part of the country. Dudoglo, Uzun or Terzi points to the Gagauz south around Comrat, Dimitrov or Stoianov to the Taraclia area, and Rotari, Ceban or Guțu fits anywhere.
• Use the feminine form for a woman with a Russian or Bulgarian surname: Ivanova, Cuznețova, Dimitrova. Surnames such as Rusu, Covalenco and Arnaut stay the same for men and women.
• Keep the Moldovan spelling and the diacritics: Șevcenco and Cuznețov with c, ș and ț, Sîrbu and Spînu with î inside the word.
• Pair the surname with a given name of the same layer for a believable character: Ion with Rotari, Veaceslav with Rusu, Serghei with Volcov, Todur with Dudoglo.
• For a real business, a pen name or a published book, search the name yourself first. Most of these surnames are shared by many living people.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common Moldovan last names?

Rusu, Ceban, Ciobanu, Țurcan, Cebotari, Sîrbu, Lungu, Munteanu and Rotari are among the surnames you meet most often in Moldova. All of them are in this list, next to less frequent ones such as Frecăuțan, Șaptefrați and Prepeliță.

How are Moldovan surnames different from Romanian ones?

A large part of the stock is shared, so Popa, Munteanu and Ungureanu are at home in both countries. Moldova stands out for trade names in -ari such as Rotari and Morari, for the letter î kept inside names like Sîrbu and Spînu, and for its many Ukrainian, Russian, Gagauz and Bulgarian surnames. The -escu names that are so typical of Romania are left out here.

What does -oglo mean in a Moldovan surname?

It is a Turkic ending that means "son of", and it marks a Gagauz family name. Dudoglo, Curoglo, Ianioglo, Popazoglo and Tanasoglo are in the list. Other Gagauz surnames end in -ji or -lî, such as Arabadji, Gaidarji and Capaclî.

Are these the surnames of real people?

They are surnames in everyday use, so each one belongs to living families, but the list is about the names and not about any person. It was de-duplicated and screened. If a surname matches someone you know, that is a coincidence.

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