Surname Bratu - Meaning and Origin
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Bratu: What does the surname Bratu mean?
The last name Bratu is thought to be of Roman aptronymic origin, meaning that the family was named after an ancestor with the personal name Bratu or a related name. This type of naming was common amongst some ancient Roman families and could refer to a number of words, such as "strong" or "resolve," among others. Based on these meanings, the last name Bratu was typically associated with strength and determination.
The name Bratu was also sometimes used as a first name, especially by Romanian and Slavic families. In Romania, many families who lived near the Carpathian Mountains or in Transylvania were of Slovenian, Slovak, Romanian, or Hungarian origin, and the last name Bratu was used in this area. The name is also found in areas of Croatia and Bosnia, where it is also sometimes used as a first name in the present day.
In the past, those with the surname Bratu were often associated with warriors or herdsmen due to their strength, bravery, and determination. It is also possible that some may have been involved in farming and other trades.
Overall, the last name Bratu was attractive to those of Roman origin due to its references to strength, determination, and courage. It is likely that these qualities were put into practice by people of many backgrounds in order to help build their communities and prosper. The last name continues to be used today, albeit rarely.
Order DNA origin analysisBratu: Where does the name Bratu come from?
The surname Bratu is most commonly found in Romania. It can also be found in other countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Canada, and the United States.
In Romania, the surname Bratu is most often found in the Transylvania region, an area located in the center of the country. Transylvania was formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the inhabitants were predominantly Romanian and Hungarian, as well as German, Armenian, and Roma. The name Bratu is of Romanian origin and it is most likely derived from the word for brother.
In Russia, the surname Bratu appears most often in the Primorsk Krai region, which is located in the Far East of the country. It is an area of mixed ethnicity, having a predominantly Slavic population, as well as other ethnic minorities such as Koreans, Chinese, Japanese, and Central Asians.
Another region where the surname Bratu is quite common is Ukraine. In particular, it is found in the Lviv Oblast region, an area located in the western part of the country and bordering Poland. This area is home to many ethnic minority groups such as Poles, Jews, and Germans who have lived there since the late 19th century.
In Canada and the United States, the surname Bratu is most commonly found in Romanian-American and Romanian-Canadian communities. These communities are primarily concentrated in big cities including Toronto, Montreal, and Chicago.
Overall, Bratu is a surname found mainly in Romania. However, it can also be found in other countries, particularly in Slavic countries and North American countries with Romanian immigrant communities.
Variations of the surname Bratu
The surname Bratu is a Romanian patronymic surname derived from the given name Bratu. It is an occupational name with a literal translation of ‘miller’.
Variants of the Bratu surname include Bratul, Bratuș, Bratuși, Bratulea, and Brătuș.
Most variants spell the surname with the same Romanian characters but some variants, particularly among older records, may contain multiple characters in one letter depending on the date of the record. In both modern and older versions of the surname these letters can be replaced with their closest English equivalents. The surname Bratuși, for example, can be written as Bratuşi or Bratushi.
Spellings of the surname are further complicated by its presence in non-Romanian-speaking countries, which may require the use of alternative spellings. In countries such as Poland, variants may use an ‘f’ instead of a ‘t’, so the surname would be Brafu or Brafuș instead of Bratu or Bratuș.
Surnames related to the Bratu line include: Brătișor, Brău, Brăuț, and Braţu. These latter names originate from the same Romanian root but followed different paths to their current forms. For example, the name Braţu is a phonetically-distant variant of the original form, and may have been used to distinguish between families who once shared the same ancestors.
The surname Bracu may also be related to the Bratu line, however this is difficult to trace in the absence of further records or evidence.
Although the Bratu line is shared across multiple countries with slight variations, it was predominantly used by Romanian families.
Famous people with the name Bratu
- Andrei Brâtu: Former Prime Minister of Moldova
- Gabriela Bratu: Romanian scientist
- Adrian Bratu: Romanian football player
- Valerie Bratu: Bulgarian athlete
- Teodor Bratu: Romanian politician
- Demeter Bratu: Romanian sculptor
- Mihai Bratu: Romanian film director
- Aurelia Bratu: Romanian writer
- Liviu Bratu: Romanian football player
- Mihaela Bratu: Romanian singer
- Eduard Bratu: Romanian footballer
- Gheorghe Bratu: Romanian footballer
- Liviu Bratu: Romanian footballer
- Ovidiu Bratu: Romanian footballer
- Daniel Bratu: Romanian footballer
- Gheorghe Bratu: Romanian composer
- Octavian Bratu: Romanian neuroscientist
- Gabriel Bratu: Romanian actor
- Emil Bratu: Former President of Romanian Cycling Federation
- Constantin Bratu: Romanian film director