Thenames of Moldavia and Moldova (bothRomanian:Moldova) originate from the historical state ofMoldavia, which at its greatest extent included eastern Romania (Western Moldavia),Moldova, and parts of south-western and westernUkraine.
One of the existing theories is that Moldavia/Moldova was named after theMoldova River, which is a Slavic name,[1] derived from Slavicmold-, "spruce, fir".[2][3] A. I. Sobolevskij derived it from*moldu, "tender, soft, young".[4] The ending-ov(a)/-av(a) is a common Slavic suffix used in appelatives and proper names.[5]-ova denotes ownership, chiefly of feminine nouns. There is significantSlavic influence on Romanian.
The myth, included in works ofGrigore Ureche (1590–1647),Miron Costin (1633–1691) andDimitrie Cantemir (1673–1723), but given varying levels of credibility by these, was that the hunterDragoș fromMaramureș (the founder of Moldova) One myth, given different levels of credence by Ureche, Miron Costin, and Cantemir, was about a place-name: Moldova. Other theories is that it is derived from oldGerman:Molde,lit. 'open-pit mine',[citation needed] or theGothic:Mulda,lit. 'dust', 'dirt' (cognate with the Englishmould), referring to the river.[citation needed]
The short-lived capital of Moldova,Baia in theSuceava County, was calledStadt Molde in a 1421 German document.
The original and short-lived reference to the region wasBogdania, afterBogdan I, the founding figure of the principality.[6] Polish historianIlona Czamańska [pl] states that, "according to the tradition of local chroniclers, the first Moldavian prince who agreed to pay tribute to the Ottomans wasBogdan III, who reigned in the years 1504–1517,"[7] and notes that "this was [later used] to explain the Turkish name of Moldavia — Bogdania. In fact, this name is of Tatar origin and was used long before Bogdan III was born. It is undoubtedly associated with Bogdan I," the first voivode of Moldavia in the 1360s.[8] It is this name that voyagerRichard Hakluyt used for Moldavia in his writings in the late 16th century.[9]
The term "Black Wallachia" (Romanian:Valahia Neagră), in TurkishKara-Eflak, was another name found used for Moldova in the Ottoman period.[10] It derived fromBogdan I of Moldavia; in Ottoman Turkish usage his state was known asKara-Bogdan (Romanian:Cara-bogdan)[11] andBogdan-Eflak, "Bogdan's Wallachia".
Before 1812 the territory of the modernRepublic of Moldova was usually calledEastern Moldova,Eastern Lowlands,Dniester-Prut,Bendery (for the largest town) orOrhei (for the largest town in the centre). After the entire eastern part of the region, between the Pruth and the Dniester, was ceded by theOttomans toRussia in the 1812Treaty of Bucharest, the Russians used the nameBessarabia for its new acquisition.[12] though this name had formerly only been applied to the southern parts of this territory, what is now calledBudjak, it quickly became associated with the whole territory. After the establishment of theMoldavian SSR in the 1940s the new republic started to be unofficially calledMoldavia. In 1991 that name was adopted as official name, with Romanian-language variantMoldova quickly become the preferred spelling.