Petrescu

Petrescu is a patronymic surname common in Romania, meaning "son of Petre" in Romanian. Petre is the Romanian, Macedonian, and Georgian form of the name Peter, which itself derives from the Greek Πέτρος (Petros) meaning "stone" (see Matthew 16:18 and John 1:42). The surname Petrescu reflects the common Eastern European patronymic suffix -escu, cognate with the Latin -iscus, meaning "belonging to" or "descendant of". As such, Petrescu was originally a family name for the son or descendant of a man named Petre.

Notable Bearers

Petrescu is borne by many notable Romanians across various fields. Among the most prominent are Anca Petrescu, architect and politician who contributed to the design of the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest; Camil Petrescu, an influential playwright and novelist known for works such as Ultima noapte de dragoste, întâia noapte de război (The Last Night of Love, the First Night of War); Cezar Petrescu, a writer whose novels include Întunecare (Darkening); Constantin Titel Petrescu, a social-democratic politician who served as a member of the Romanian government in the 1940s; and Dan Petrescu, a former footballer and current manager (several other notable Bearers bear the same name as per the disambiguation page). Additional notable personalities include Nicoralee Petrescu-Comnen, a diplomat; Gică Petrescu, a famous folk singer; and amateur artist or other in different time periods.

Distribution

The surname Petrescu is highly concentrated in Romania and among Romanian diaspora communities. Related names in other languages include Petrov (Russian, meaning "son of Peter", using the suffix -ov) and Bedrosian (Armenian, meaning "son of Bedros", the Armenian equivalent of Peter). But Petrescu through its distinct Romanian suffix secernats but remains among those patronyms.
The suffix -escu often emphasizes Romanian descent, paralleling even more generally such changes of ultimate...

Meaning: "son of Petre" (Petre = Romanian form of Peter, meaning "stone")
Origin: Patronymic Romanian surname
Type: Surname
Usage Regions: Romania (widespread), Romanian diaspora

Notable Bearers

Distribution

Roots

Variants

Other Languages & Cultures