As most of you know, I am 50% Italian. My dream vacation would be to go to Italy. I love Italian food and, really, everything about Italy, including the names!
Before I wrote this post, I did a little research about Italian names and how parents pick the names. I came across something very interesting. According to italian.about.com, there is a strong custom in Italy that determines the name of a child.
- The first baby boy is named after his paternal grandfather (father's dad)
- The second baby boy is named after his maternal grandfather (mother's dad)
- The first baby girl is named after her paternal grandmother (father's mom)
- The second baby girl is named after her maternal grandmother (mom's mom)
- The next children can be named after an aunt/uncle, parent or saint
How cool is that?!
Now, let's take a look at my favorite Italian names!
They are in order 1-10 for each gender, from my favorite of the 10 to my least favorite of the 10.
Pronunciation, meaning & my thoughts are listed below each. Of course, all origins are Italian.
Girls are first, boys to follow.
*Disclaimer: I got all of the information listed below from nameberry & babynames.allparenting.com. If any of it is wrong, I am sorry. Pronunciations are from heracleums.org/tools/pronunciation/it. Some names have an Italian and "in the US" pronunciation listed. The "in the US" ones are how I pronounce them and how people I know pronounce them.*
Girls:
1. Lia (of course)
Pronunciation: Lee-uh
Meaning: weary
My thoughts: Do I even have to say them? I have loved Lia for about 3 years now. It is my #1 girls name and I couldn't imagine naming my first daughter anything else.
2. Maddalena
Pronunciation: mahd-uh-LAY-nuh
Meaning: Woman from Magdala
My thoughts: I absolutely love this name. It sounds so feminine and is a great alternative to the popular names Madison and Madeleine / Madeline / Madelyn etc.
3. Isabella
Pronunciation (in Italy): ee-suh-BELL-uh; (in the US) izz-uh-bell-uh
Meaning: pledged to God
My thoughts: STUNNING. It is super popular basically everywhere, and it is clear why. Isabella is a beautiful name with a great meaning.
4. Giovanna
Pronunciation (in Italy): Joh-VAH-nuh; (in the US) jee-uh-VAH-nuh
Meaning: gift from God
My thoughts: This name is so beautiful. There are many nicknames for it, including Gia, Vanna & Gianna.
5. Aria
Pronunciation: Ah-ree-uh
Meaning: lioness
My thoughts: This name is rising in popularity very quickly. It is a name I love one day and don't like the next. It reminds me of Lucy Hale, who plays Aria on the ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars. Lucy is stunning, so it is a very good association.
6. Lucia / Luciana
Pronunciation: Loo-CHEE-uh / Loo-CHAH-nuh
Meaning: light
My thoughts: I put both of these in the same ranking because they are so similar and I could never decide which I like more. They are both so pretty and I love them a lot. I probably wouldn't ever use them, though, because of the many different pronunciations they have. I only listed one for each above, the Italian ones, but Lucia could also be: (loo-see-uh), (loo-shuh), (loo-shee-uh), (loo-chuh) etc. and Luciana has even more.
7. Vivia
Pronunciation (in Italy): viv-EE-uh; (in the US) VIV-ee-uh
Meaning: life
My thoughts: This name is ADORABLE. I would definitely consider using it if it weren't so similar to my name, Alivia. The nickname Vivi (viv-ee) is so cute!
8. Mattea
Pronunciation: muh-TAY-uh
Meaning: gift of God
My thoughts: I love this name! It is only #8 because I love all of the above only a tiny bit more.
9. Dominica
Pronunciation: doh-MIN-ee-kuh
Meaning: belonging to the lord
My thoughts: I first saw this name on a commercial for abcmouse.com. The little girl was absolutely adorable and she made me love the name!
10. Chiara
Pronunciation: kee-AHR-uh
Meaning: clear
My thoughts: So pretty, but not my absolute favorite of the bunch.
Boys:
1. Giovanni
Pronunciation (in Italy): joh-VAH-nee; (in the US) jee-oh-VAH-nee
Meaning: gift from God
My thoughts: I have loved the name Giovanni since 4th grade. My teacher's last name was Giovanni and she was the sweetest woman ever!
2. Matteo
Pronunciation: muh-TAY-oh
Meaning: gift of God
My thoughts: Matteo was my #4 name for months, so I love it. I just don't love it as much anymore for my personal top 5, but it is #2 on my Italian favorites.
3. Luciano
Pronunciation: loo-CHAH-no
Meaning: light
My thoughts: SO cute! It is on my GP list. To see why, go up to Lucia / Luciana.
4. Gianni
Pronunciation (in Italy): JAHN-ee; (in the US) jee-AH-nee
Meaning: God is gracious
My thoughts: I love this name a TON, but it now makes me think of Snooki's baby daddy, Jionni.
5. Rosario
Pronunciation: roh-SAHR-ee-oh
Meaning: rosary
My thoughts: I love this name on both a boy and a girl. I prefer it on a boy because the -o ending makes it sound more masculine.
6. Emilio
Pronunciation: uh-MEE-lee-oh
Meaning: rival
My thoughts: SO cute. Although I don't like the very similar Amelia, I think Emilio is very handsome.
7. Santino
Pronunciation: SAHN-tee-no
Meaning: little saint
My thoughts: Although Santino was my last choice for this list, I like it better than the next 3 names. It is sweet and I can see it aging well.
8. Graziano
Pronunciation: grahtz-ee-AH-no
Meaning: pleasing, beloved, dear
My thoughts: Very handsome, but I cant picture it on a baby.
9. Romeo
Pronunciation (in Italy): roh-MAY-oh; (in the US) ROH-mee-oh
Meaning: pilgrim to Rome, Roman
My thoughts: Romeo is so sweet, but I don't know if it is usable.
10. Nicolo
Pronunciation: NEE-cohl-oh
Meaning: people of victory
My thoughts: Nicholas is my favorite boys name, and Nicolo is a great variation, but I wouldn't use it.
I hope you enjoyed this post!
What are your favorite Italian names?
Have a great week!
~Ali
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