târgu

Târgu is a Romanian toponym meaning market or market town. In Romanian toponymy, the word signals that a settlement originated around a central market square or hosted regular fairs, often along important trade routes. As a prefix in place names, târgu highlights the historical commercial character of the town rather than its geographic features.

The base noun târg denotes a market, and the form târgu in toponyms reflects the historical process of naming towns after their role as trading centers. This naming pattern is especially common in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, where many towns begin with Târgu or have târg as part of their name. Examples include Târgu Jiu, the capital of Gorj County; Târgu Mureș, a major city in Transylvania; Târgu Neamț in Neamț County; Târgu Ocna in Bacău County; Târgu Frumos in Iași County; and Târgu Cărbunești in Gorj County.

Historically, such towns emerged during the medieval period at strategic locations—near rivers, crossroads, or passes—to serve as local fairs and commercial hubs. In modern usage, Târgu remains part of proper place names and is typically written with diacritics in Romanian; in non-Romanian texts it may appear as Targu. The term is largely distinctive to Romanian-speaking regions and is not a common generic noun outside toponymy.