List of Romanians
Note: Names that cannot be confirmed in Wikipedia database nor through given sources are subject to removal. If you would like to add a new name please consider writing about the person first. If a notable Romanian is missing and without article, please add your request for a new article here. However, this is not a list of all famous Romanians.
This is a list of some of the most prominent Romanians. It contains historical and important contemporary figures (athletes, actors, directors etc.).
Most of the people listed here are of Romanian ethnicity, whose native tongue is Romanian. There are also a few mentioned who were born in Romania and can speak Romanian, though not of Romanian ethnicity.
Historical and political figures
Medieval
- Basarab I the Founder, first voivode of Wallachia
- Mircea cel Bătrân (Mircea the Elder), voivode of Wallachia
- Neagoe Basarab, voivode of Wallachia
- Ioan Corvin voivode of Transylvania and Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary
- Nicolaus Olahus, Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Kingdom of Hungary
- Ştefan cel Mare, voivode of Moldavia
- Vlad Ţepeş (Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula), voivode, Dracula inspiration
- Alexandru cel Bun, voivode of Moldavia
- Petru Rareş, voivode of Moldavia
- Mihai Viteazul, prince of Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania
Renaissance Age
Modern era
Politicians
- Ion Antonescu, prime minister and Conducător (Leader) during World War II
- Alexandru Averescu, general and politician
- Nicolae Bălcescu, historian, revolutionary
- Antoine Bibesco, diplomat, writer
- Ion I. C. Brătianu
- Lascăr Catargiu
- Ion Duca, prime minister in interbellum Romania
- Petre Dumitrescu, general
- Avram Iancu, revolutionary
- Mihail Lascăr, WWII general, Minister of Defense
- Mugur Isărescu, economist, former Prime Minister
- Mihail Manoilescu, economist and politician
- Nicolae Rădescu, prime minister during WWII
- Dimitrie Sturdza
- Octavian Goga, writer, former Prime Minister
- Barbu Ştefănescu Delavrancea, former mayor of Bucharest
- Emil Constantinescu, former President of Romania
- Radu Vasile, economist and politician, former Prime Minister
- Gheorghe Ciuhandu, Mayor of Timişoara, National Peasants' Party
- Ion Raţiu, politician, National Peasants' Party
- Corneliu Coposu, politician, National Peasants' Party
- Doina Cornea, noted dissident and intellectual, National Peasants' Party
- Iuliu Maniu, politician, one of the creators of the National Peasants' Party
- Ion Mihalache, politician, National Peasants' Party
Former members before November 1947, when the Romanian Communists dissolved the party:
- Ion C. Brătianu, Prime Minister of Romania
- Ion I. C. Brătianu, politician, one of the founders of the Liberal movement in Romania, Prime Minister, son of Ion C. Brătianu
- Ion G. Duca, Prime Minister, assassinated by Iron Guard
- Ion Ghica, mathematician, diplomat, Prime Minister
- Mihail Kogălniceanu, lawyer, historian, publicist, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Internal Affairs
- C. A. Rosetti, publicist
Former members after 1989:
Current members:
Diplomats
- Alexandru Paleologu, diplomat,writer
- Theodor Paleologu, diplomat, son of Alexnadru Paleologu, politician
- Eugen Filotti, diplomat
- Grigore Gafencu, diplomat
- Savel Rădulescu, diplomat
- Nicolae Titulescu, diplomat, politician of the National Peasants' Party
- Constantin Vişoianu, diplomat
- Cristian Diaconescu, diplomat,politician, jurist
Arts
Architecture
Dance
Painting
Sculpture
Writing
- Ion Luca Caragiale
- Andrei Codrescu, poet and essayist
- Andrei Pleşu, writer, philosopher, essayist, journalist
- Bogdan Petriceicu-Hasdeu, philologist, linguist
- Horia-Roman Patapievici, writer, philosopher, essayist
- Ion Pillat, poet, publicist, academic
- Lucian Blaga, philosopher, poet, playwright
- Marin Sorescu, poet, playwright
- Nae Ionescu, philosopher, writer, logician
- Nichita Danilov, poet, essayist, novelist
- Nichita Stănescu, poet and playwright
- Petre Ţuţea
- Vasile Alecsandri, poet and playwright
- Vasile Voiculescu, poet, writer, playwright
- Virgil Nemoianu, essayist, literary critic, philosopher of culture
- George Cǎlinescu, literary critic
Philosophers
Poets
- Mihai Eminescu, poet and journalist
- Nichita Stănescu, poet
- Mircea Dinescu, poet, journalist
- Tudor Arghezi, poet
- George Bacovia, poet
- Ion Barbu, poet
- Paul Celan, poet (German language)
- George Coşbuc, poet
- Octavian Goga, poet and political figure
- Radu Gyr, poet
- Iulia Hasdeu, poet
- Isidore Isou, poet
- Irving Layton , poet
- Gherasim Luca, surrealist poet
- Andrei Mureşanu, poet and revolutionary
- Gellu Naum, poet
Writers
- Marthe Bibesco, writer
- Ion Luca Caragiale, playwright
- Mateiu Caragiale, novelist
- Mircea Cărtărescu, writer, essayist
- Ioan Mihai Cochinescu, writer, essayist
- Ion Creangă, writer, especially of children's stories
- Ioan Petru Culianu, historian of religion
- Mircea Eliade, historian of religion; also novelist
- Mihail Fărcăşanu, writer, novelist
- Virgil Gheorghiu, novelist
- Paul Goma, writer
- Vintilă Horia, prominent writer
- Eugène Ionesco, playwright
- Petre Ispirescu, writer
- Herta Müller, writer, 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature
- Oskar Pastior, writer
- Marin Preda, novelist
- Vasile Pogor, writer
- Doina Ruşti, novelist
- Liviu Rebreanu, writer
- Mihail Sadoveanu, novelist
- Mihail Sebastian, writer, playwright
- Ioan Slavici, writer
- Panait Istrati, novelist
- Nicolae Iorga, historian, politician
- Gabriel Liiceanu, writer, editor
- Nicolae Milescu, writer, diplomat
- Urmuz, writer
- Richard Wagner (novelist), writer
Literary critics
Historians
Journalists
Linguists
Music
See also Music of Romania, especially for contemporary pop musicians.
Composers
- George Enescu, composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, teacher
- Pascal Bentoiu, composer
- Tiberiu Brediceanu, composer and conductor
- Nicolae Bretan, opera composer
- Nicolae Brânzeu,composer and conductor
- Eduard Caudella, composer
- Paul Constantinescu, composer
- Dimitrie Cuclin, composer
- Constantin Dimitrescu, composer, cellist
- Sabin Dragoi, composer
- Iancu Dumitrescu, composer, conductor, musicologist
- Iosif Ivanovici
- Dinu Lipatti
- Liviu Marinescu, composer
- Nonna Otescu, composer
- Anton Pann, composer
- Ciprian Porumbescu, composer
- Cornel Trailescu, composer
Musicians
- Dan Andrei Aldea, rock guitarist, composer, singer
- Christian Badea, conductor
- Lucian Ban, jazz composer & pianist
- Sergiu Celibidache, orchestra conductor
- Marin Constantin, conductor of the Madrigal chamber choir
- Nicu Covaci, rock guitarist, composer, vocalist
- Michael Cretu, musician (Enigma)
- Grigoraş Dinicu, violinist, composer
- George Georgescu, orchestra conductor
- Valeriu Găină, ghitarist
- Clara Haskil, pianist
- Hugo Jan Huss, orchestra conductor and violinist
- Ovidiu Lipan, drummer (Phoenix)
- Dinu Lipatti, pianist, composer
- Radu Lupu, pianist
- Cristi Minculescu, rock singer and composer
- Jonel (Ionel) Perlea, conductor
- Valentin Radu, conductor, Vox AmaDeus
- Constantin Silvestri, orchestra conductor and composer
- Laura Stoica, pop-rock singer and composer
- Cristian Vasile, tango singer
- Dorin Liviu Zaharia, composer and singer
- Gheorghe Zamfir, pan flute musician
- Vlad Gheorghiu, guitarist of the band Jet Lag Gemini
- Matei Gheorghiu, bassist of the band Jet Lag Gemini
- Tudor Gheorghe, musician, composer and singer
Classic
Folk and derivatives
Hip hop
Instruments
Pop/Techno
Film and theatre
- List of Romanian Actors
- Mircea Albulescu, actor
- Ştefan Bănică, Jr., actor
- Monica Bârlădeanu, actress
- Radu Beligan, actor, director
- Joana Benedek, actress
- Ion Luca Caragiale, playwright
- Ion Caramitru, actor
- Mircea Crișan, actor, comic, cabaretist
- Gheorghe Dinică, actor
- Maria Filotti, actress
- Luminiţa Gheorghiu, actress
- Marcel Iureş, actor
- Elena-Cristina Marchisano, actress
- Alexandra Maria Lara, actress
- Anamaria Marinca, actress
- Nicolas Masson, director
- Nicolae Massim, director
- George Mihăiţă, actor
- Cătălin Mitulescu, film director
- Maia Morgenstern, actress
- Florentina Mosora, movie actress and later scientist and professor of medical biophysics
- Cristian Mungiu, film director
- Jean Negulescu, film director, Oscar nominee
- Sergiu Nicolaescu, film director
- Amza Pellea, actor
- Florin Piersic, actor, movies
- Florian Pittiş, actor
- Elvira Popescu, actress
- Corneliu Porumboiu, film director
- Cristi Puiu, film director
- Victor Rebengiuc, actor
- Edward G. Robinson, actor
- Andrei Şerban, director of theatre and opera
- Sebastian Stan, actor
- Saviana Stănescu, playwright
- Constantin Tănase, cabaretist, comic and poet, shot by the soviet army of occupation in Bucharest, in 1945
- Grigore Vasiliu Birlic, actor
- Tora Vasilescu, actress
- Johnny Weissmuller, actor
Religion
- Arsenie Boca
- Teoctist Arăpaşu, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
- Miron Cristea, first Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
- Iuliu Hossu, Greek-Catholic bishop of the Cluj-Gherla Diocese and later cardinal
- Justinian Marina, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
- Iustin Moisescu, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
- Nicodim Munteanu, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
- Dumitru Stăniloae, priest, translated the Philokalia into Romanian
- Vasile Suciu, Greek-Catholic Metropolitan bishop of the Archdiocese of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia
- Alexandru Todea, Greek-Catholic Metropolitan bishop of the Archdiocese of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia and later cardinal
- Lucian Turcescu, Orthodox theologian teaching at Concordia University (Montreal, Canada), president of the Canadian Society of Patristic Studies, 2004–2008
- Richard Wurmbrand, pastor, author of Tortured for Christ
- Daniel Ciobotea, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Sports
Athletics
Basketball
Boxing
Canoe
- Leon Rotman, sprint canoer, 2-time Olympic champion (C-1 10,000 meter, C-1 1,000-meter) and bronze (C-1 1,000-meter), 14 national titles
Chess
Gymnastics
Rowing
Tennis
Other sports
Science
Biology
- Grigore Antipa, hydrobiologist
- Ana Aslan, geriatrics researcher
- Victor Babeş, biologist
- Dimitrie Brândză, botanist
- Ioan Cantacuzino, microbiologist
- Wilhelm Knechtel, botanist
- Andy Lehrer, entomologist
- Nicolae Leon, biologist
- Gheorghe Marinescu, neurologist
- Mina Minovici, forensic scientist
- Constantin Parhon, endocrinologist
- George Emil Palade, 1974 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine winner
- Nicolae Paulescu, discovered insulin
- Emil Racoviţă, biologist and speleologist
Chemistry
Physicians
- Carol Davila
- Iuliu Haţieganu
- Raed Arafat, the founder and of Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication (SMURD), (a Syrian-born Palestinian refugee , he has been living in Romania for several decades)
- David Wechsler, psychologist
- Daniel O David, professor, psychologist, and psychotherapist
- Adrian Bejan, inventor of constructal theory
- Alexandru Ciurcu, inventor, with M.M. Just Buisson, of the first reactive engine
- George Constantinescu, inventor
- Anastase Dragomir, inventor – parachute cell, predecessor of the ejection seat
- Rodrig Goliescu, inventor – the first airplane with a tubular fuselage
- Petrache Poenaru, inventor
- Elie Radu, architect, engineer
- Anghel Saligny, engineer
- Nicolae Vasilescu-Karpen, engineer
- Vasile Vasilescu, professor, neurophysiologist specialized in membrane biophysics
Aerospace
Astronauts
Mathematics
Physics
- Ion Cristescu, reproduction of cancerous tumors, first Romanian industrial robots
- Emanoil Bacaloglu, physicist, chemist and mathematician
- Victor Albert Bailey, physicist (Romanian on his mother's side)
- Cristian Constantinescu, solid-state physicist, professor
- Peter George Oliver Freund, physicist
- Mihai Gavrilă, theoretical quantum physicist, professor, Corresponding Member of the Romanian Academy
- Horia Hulubei, atomic physicist, professor, Member of the Romanian Academy
- Theodor V. Ionescu, plasma physicist, professor, Member of the Romanian Academy
- Alexandru Marin, physicist, professor
- Florentina I. Mosora, biophysicist and nuclear medicine professor, Member of the Royal Academy of Belgium
- Horaţiu Năstase
- Alexandru Proca, theoretical physicist, Member of the Romanian Academy
- Ștefan Procopiu, theoretical physicist, Member of the Romanian Academy
- Dr. Carmen Sabău, Member Emeritus of the American Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Mircea Sabău, high-energy physicist and nuclear medicine imaging, Member of the American Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Ionel Solomon, solid-state physicist, professor, Member of the French Academy, former President of the French Physics Society
- Șerban Țițeica, theoretical physicist, founder of the Romanian modern school of theoretical physics, Member of the Romanian Academy
- Radu Pârvan, plasma physicist, Professor Emeritus.
- Voicu Vlad Grecu, Ph.D., nuclear physicist, professor[3]
Computer Science
- Ştefan Odobleja, scientist, precursor of cybernetics
- Mihai Nadin, computer scientist
- Victor Toma, computer engineer, born in Romanian Bessarabia
Others
- Dimitrie Gusti, sociologist
- David Mitrany (1888–1975), political theorist
- George Pomutz (1818–1882), ethnic Romanian United States general in the Civil War, and a diplomat
- Emil Racoviţă, polar explorer
- Henri Stahl, stenographer
- Henri H. Stahl, cultural anthropologist, ethnographer, sociologist, social historian
Polymaths
- Simion Bărnuţiu, jurist, priest, politician, publicist, lawyer, writer, professor
- Matyla Ghyka, famous polymath, architect, mathematician and author
- Mihail Kogălniceanu lawyer, historian, publicist, politician, cultural pacemaker
Business
- Dinu Patriciu, former CEO of Rompetrol
- George Becali, owner of FC Steaua Bucharest
- Octav Botnar, Nissan UK chairman, billionaire
- Iosif Constantin Drăgan, gas tycoon, billionaire and academic
- John DeLorean, US car industry executive, engineer, inventor of Pontiac GTO Muscle car and Delorean DMC-12
- Darius Muica, famous banker
Miscellaneous Famous People
References
See also