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The province has a population of 7,300,000 persons, with a large Romanian majority. In addition, sizable Hungarian (1,437,000), Gypsy and German communities live in Transylvania.
The first document in which the term "Ultra siluam" is used referring to the area dates from 1075, its meaning is "beyond the forest". The terms "Partes Transsylvanæ" ("parts beyond the forest") dates from the same century (in Legenda Sancti Gerhardi) and after that becomes the term used in the Latin documents of the Hungarian Kingdom (as "Transsilvania"). Ultrasilvania, "the land beyond the forest", had the connotation of "not yet in the Hungarians' possession".
Later, instead of the Latin name, the Hungarian Erdoelve (area beyond the forest), which means the same as the Latin, was popularly used. (The Hungarian word "Erdo" on the other hand could have been borrowed from Indo-European languages, or originated from the Finno-Ugric word "Ered" which means to orginate or to grow.) We can first read this in the form "Erdeuelu" in the 12th century Chronicles of Anonymus (Gesta Hungarorum). This form changed to "Erdély" in the centuries.
"Ardeal", which is a common Romanian name, is first known to occur in a document dated 1432, as "Ardeliu". It has an Indo-European etymology, as "Arde" meant "forest" (akin to Forest of Arden, England and Belgian Ardennes Woods) + "deal" meaning "hill" (in Romanian).
Siebenbürgen, the German name for Transylvania, first appeared in a document dated 1296. Translated from German, Siebenbürgen means "seven cities" or "seven boroughs", after the seven German cities founded or settled by the German Saxons in Transylvania: Klausenburg ( Cluj), Kronstadt ( Brasov), Hermannstadt ( Sibiu), Schässburg ( Sighisoara), Mediasch ( Medias), Mühlbach ( Sebes ), and Bistritz ( Bistrita).
Other possible theories listed below, as science and history cannot provide "rock hard evidence" on etymologies.
From Transilvania, the Latin name meaning "beyond the forest" ("trans" = beyond and "silva" = forest).
There are several variants:
From Hungarian "Erdo tul" ("beyond the forest"), from Hungarian "Erdo" ("forest"), which is from Finno-Ugric word "Ered" ("to originate", "to grow") or from other Indo-European sources ( Celtic or Thracic).
From German "seven cities", named after the seven German cities located in Transylvania.
The area now constituting Transylvania was the political center of the Dacian state. In the wars of 101-102 and 106-107 A.D. the Roman Emperor Trajan conquered Dacia. However, in 271, the Roman Emperor Aurelian evacuated the imperial administration, and the province was subsequently ruled by the Goths until they were in turn subdued by the European Huns in 376. The Huns, under the leadership of Attila, established a base in the Carpathian Basin which lasted through to Attila's death in 453.
The history of Transylvania during the early Middle Ages is difficult to ascertain due to the scarcity of reliable written or archeological evidence. Hence there are sometimes conflicting theories about this period.
After the disintegration of Attila's military conquests, Transylvania was ruled by the remnants of various confederates ( Alans, Longobards, Rukhs-As ) of Attila's huns, and the Gepids. No major power was able to exert control over the region for any great length of time, until the Avars, who came from Scythia, established their military leadership.
At the very end of the 9th Century seven Magyar (Hungarian) tribes, under the leadership of Árpád, are believed to have conquered the Carpathian Basin, including (by 934 A.D) Transylvania (although some recent research suggests that the Bulgars retained nominal control of parts of the Carpathian Basin until around 1000 A.D). In addition to the Magyars, the Szeklers (Székely in Hungarian) may have entered Transylvania during this period. An alternative theory is that they were later brought into the area to act as border guards. Certainly by the 12th Century, the valleys in the east and southeast of Transylvania had been settled by the Szeklers.
There are two different theories, concerning whether or not Vlachs (ethnic Romanians) were present in Transylvania at the time of the great migrations. For more about this debate, see: Origin of Romanians.
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