Radu (given name)
Radu is a masculine Romanian given name of Slavic etymological origin, derived from the Old Church Slavonic root rad-. Radu became widespread among the Romanians because of Radu Negru's status as legendary founder of Wallachia, a historical Romanian state. Many Wallachian and some Moldavian voivodes or princes have been named Radu.
Notable people named Radu include:
A
- Radu Albot, Moldovan tennis player
- Radu Aldulescu, Romanian-Italian cellist
- Radu Aldulescu, Romanian novelist
- Radu Almășan, Romanian singer of the band Bosquito
- Radu Aricescu, Romanian-British molecular neuroscientist
B
- Radu Barbu, Romanian football player
- Radu Băldescu, Romanian general during World War II
- Radu Bălescu, Romanian and Belgian physicist
- Radu Beligan, Romanian actor and director
- Radu Berceanu, Romanian engineer and politician
- Radu Bîrzan, Romanian football player
- Radu Boboc, footballer
- Radu Boureanu, Romanian poet and writer
- Radu Budișteanu, activist of the Iron Guard
- Radu Buzescu, boyar of Wallachia during the reign of Michael the Brave
C
- Radu Câmpeanu, Romanian politician and jurist
- Radu Catan, Moldovan football player
- Radu Chiriac, Romanian football player
- Radu Ciobanu, Romanian football player
- Radu Ciuceanu, Romanian historian and politician
- Radu Crișan, Romanian football player
D
- Radu Dărăban, Romanian fencer
- Traian Rafael Radu Demetrescu, Romanian writer
- Radu Doicaru, Romanian football player
- Radu Drăgușin, Romanian football player
- Radu Dudescu, Romanian architect
F
- Radu Filipescu, Romanian anti-communist dissident
- Radu Florescu, Romanian historian and academic, professor at Boston College
G
- Radu Gabrea, Romanian filmmaker
- Radu Pavel Gheo, Romanian writer
- Radu Ghiță, Romanian handball player
- Radu Gînsari, Moldovan football player
- Radu Goldiș, Romanian-American jazz guitarist
- Adrian Radu Gontariu, Romanian volleyball player
- Radu Grigorovici, Romanian physicist
- Radu Gyr, Romanian poet and writer
I
- Radu Irimescu, Romanian businessman, politician, and diplomat
- Radu Ivan, Romanian judo practitioner
J
- Radu Jercan, Romanian football player
- Radu Jude, Romanian filmmaker
K
- Radu Klapper, Romanian-Israeli poet and author
- Radu Korne, Romanian general during World War II
L
- Radu Lazăr, Romanian water polo player
- Radu Lecca, Romanian spy and journalist
- Radu Lefter, Romanian football player
- Radu Leonte, Romanian football player
- Radu Lupu, Romanian pianist
M
- Radu Malfatti, Austrian trombone player and composer
- Radu Manicatide, Romanian engineer and aircraft constructor
- Radu Marculescu, electrical engineer
- Radu Mareș, Romanian writer and journalist
- Radu Marian, Moldavian singer sopranist
- Radu Ștefan Mazăre, Romanian politician
- Radu Mihăileanu, Romanian-French actor and filmmaker
- Radu Mîțu, Romanian football player
- Radu Motreanu, Romanian football player
- Radu Muntean, Romanian filmmaker
N
- Radu Negulescu, Romanian table tennis player
- Radu Neguț, Romanian football player
- Radu Niculescu, Romanian football player
- Radu Nunweiller, Romanian football player
P
- Radu Paladi, Romanian composer, pianist, and conductor
- Radu Paliciuc, Romanian basketball player
- Radu Pamfil, Romanian football player
- Miron Radu Paraschivescu, Romanian writer
- Radu Petrescu, Romanian rugby referee
- Radu Marian Petrescu, Romanian football referee
- Radu Podgorean, Romanian politician
- Radu Poklitaru, Moldovan choreographer
- Dumitru Radu Popa, Romanian-American writer
- Dumitru Radu Popescu, Romanian writer
- Mihai Radu Pricop, Romanian politician
R
- Radu Rebeja, Moldovan football player
- Radu Rogac, Moldovan football player
- Prince Radu of Romania, husband of Margareta of Romania, pretender to the Romanian throne
- Radu Rosetti, Moldavian and Romanian politician and writer
- Radu D. Rosetti, Romanian writer
- Radu R. Rosetti, Romanian general and historian
S
- Radu Sabău, Romanian water polo player
- Radu Sabo, Romanian football player
- Radu Scîrneci, Romanian alpine skier
- Radu Scoarță, Romanian football player
- Radu Simion, Romanian pan flute player
- Radu Sîrbu, Moldovan pop singer, formerly of the boy band O-Zone
- Radu Stanca, poet, playwright, theatre director
- Radu Stroe, Romanian navigational engineer and politician
- Radu Lucian Sulica, Romanian-American physician and laryngologist
T
- Radu Țârle, Romanian politician
- Radu Timofte, Romanian soldier, politician, and spy chief
- Radu Troi, Romanian football player
- Radu Țuculescu, Romanian novelist and playwright
- Radu Tudoran, Romanian novelist
V
- Radu Varia, art critic and historian
- Radu Vasile, former prime minister of Romania
- Radu G. Vlădescu, Romanian professor of veterinary medicine
- Radu Voina, Romanian handball player
Z
- Radu Zaharia, football player
Wallachian rulers
- Radu Negru, legendary founder of Wallachia
- Radu I of Wallachia, Voivode of Wallachia, sometimes identified as Radu Negru
- Radu II of Wallachia, reigned intermittently from 1420–1427
- Radu the Handsome, the younger brother of Vlad III the Impaler
- Radu IV the Great, son of Vlad Călugărul, reigned 1495–1508
- Radu Bădica, son of Radu IV the Great, reigned 1523–1524
- Radu of Afumați, son of Radu cel Mare, reigned intermittently from 1522–1529
- Radu Paisie, son of Radu cel Mare, reigned almost continuously from 1535–1545
- Radu Ilie Haidăul, son of Radu of Afumați, reigned 1552–1553
- Radu Mihnea, son of Mihnea Turcitul, reigned from 1601–1602, 1611, 1611–1616, and 1620–1623
- Radu Șerban, reigned from 1602–1610 and in 1611
- Radu Iliaș, son of Alexandru Iliaș, reigned in 1632
- Mihnea III Radu
- Radu Leon, son of Leon Tomșa, reigned 1664–1669
Other uses
- Radu Barvon, a character in the light novel series Trinity Blood
- George Ivașcu, Romanian journalist who used the pen name "Radu Vardaru"
- Sofronie Drincec, Romanian Orthodox bishop born "Radu Ștefan Drincec"