Italian Baby Names

Happy Thursday Everyone! I hope you’re having a great week, and I know that personally, I’m looking forward to the weekend that is coming up in just 2 short days J Today, I’m going to be talking about my favorite Italian names for boys and for girls. I am currently in my 4^th year of taking Italian, and I seriously love it. Of course, being a namenerd, my favorite part of every year is getting to read the new stories in our textbooks and getting to see all the new names that are in them. So here are my five favorite boys and five favorite girls names from Italy! (I’ll also include the name ranking in the US and Italy if available, also the Italian pronunciations)

Let’s start with the boys…..

1. Augusto (US: NR, IT: N/A): pronounced as Uh-GUS-toh, I think this name is both wonderfully Italian, and wonderfully usable in the English speaking world. With names like August and Augustus catching on, I think Augusto is a great name to add to that family group. With the adorable nicknames Gus and Auggie, it becomes even more usable.

2. Giovanni (US: 119, IT: 19): pronounced as jo-VAH-nee in Italy, this name is the perfect mix of classic and cool. I have a feeling most English speakers would pronounce this name as gee-oh-vah-nee instead of the legit Italian pronunciations, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, but it makes sense why one would. Even with using the Italian pronunciation, you could easily use the nickname Gio, or even the striking Italian nickname Gianni.

3. Leonardo (US: 150, IT: 8): LAY-oh-nar-do is the correct Italian pronunciation, but because of Mr. DiCaprio most in the English speaking world would say LEE-oh-nar-do. I adore this name with both pronunciations (which is rare for me), and I think the nickname Leo (LAY-oh or LEE-oh) is simply adorable!

4. Luca (US: 223, IT: 12): said as LOO-cuh in Italy, I think Luca is simply adorable. While some might find it feminine because of the ‘a’ ending, I think this name is completely masculine. With an Italian flare, I think this name would fit in perfecting on the playground here in the United States

5. Matteo (US: 412, IT: 5): mah-TE-oh is the correct Italian pronunciation, though I feel like most would say mah-TAY-oh in an English speaking country. I think this is a perfect alternative to Matthew if you don’t love how common Matthew is, you could even use the nickname Matt.

And now the ladies….

1. Adriana (US: 149, IT: N/A): pronounced as ahd-RYAN-nuh in Italy, I think Adriana is so magnificently gorgeous. I don’t like the English pronunciation very much (AY-dri-ahna), but it’s still pretty. Adriana has been pretty steady in popularity lately, so if you’re worried about the name you love shooting up in popularity, this would be a name you might want to consider!

2. Annabella (US: 307, IT: N/A): ah-nuh-BEL-uh is another long and frilly girls name. With Isabella being as popular as it is, Annabella would be a great alternative. Annabella also has awesome nickname possibilities, Anna, Annie, Bella, Belle, but the full Annabella is beautiful as well.

3. Elena (US: 139, IT: 20): el-EN-uh is the correct Italian pronunciation, and the one I love the most. Elena is currently my favorite girls name (though those change often) and I think it’s just beautiful. You can use the nicknames Elle or Ellie which I think are adorable. The only issue I have is that most English speakers would say el-AY-nuh, but I think a quick correction would fix that.

4. Emilia (US: 268, IT: N/A): em-EEL-ya is the Italian pronunciation of this name, and I simply adore it! I think it would be my number two name, but Elena and Emilia are a bit similar (or can I get away with it, comment below). Emilia is also part of a name of one of the 20 regions in Italy, Emilia-Romana. Even though it sounds like the popular Amelia, I still think Emilia is usable.

5. Roma (US: N/A, IT: N/A) ROH-muh is a stunning Italian place name that I just had to include in this list. It isn’t really used in Italy, but I still think it’s gorgeous. Rome is a beautiful city too. You could also use the nickname Romy, which is also positively adorable!

Have a good week guys! I’ll be back on Tuesday with a BNG!