The name neamț is a generic name of Slavic origin for the German people in the Romanian language.

This has led to speculation of a German foundation of Târgu Neamț, according to which Saxon colonists crossed the Carpathians from the Bistrița area and built a commercial township.

Some Romanian historians, including Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu consider that Târgu Neamț was probably a German settlement from the 13th century, when the Teutonic Order made incursions from Transylvania against the Cumanic peoples that were living in Moldavia.

[citation needed] Nowadays, historians disagree with this possibility mostly because of the long-lasting influences of the communist-nationalistic historiography which refused to accept the town was anything else than a Romanian-founded settlement.

The planned East-West Motorway will bypass the town on its south when completed, providing access to Iași (to the east) and Târgu Mureș to the west.