Vianu

Vianu is a Romanian surname. It is most commonly associated with Romanian intellectual and literary life, and it appears in Romanian-speaking communities both in Romania and in diaspora contexts.

The best-known bearer of the name is Tudor Vianu, a Romanian literary critic, essayist and philosopher who played a prominent role in 20th-century Romanian literary criticism. His work covered the theory of literature, aesthetics, and the history of Romanian literature, and he taught at the University of Bucharest. Through his writings and teaching, Vianu contributed to shaping Romanian literary criticism and debates on the nature of literature and culture in his era.

The origins of the surname Vianu are not clearly established. It is primarily encountered among Romanians, though as with many surnames, it may appear in families outside Romania due to migration and historical movement. The name functions as a standard family surname and is used in ordinary naming without any specific symbolic or organizational affiliation.