Italian names. Italian surnames – loud and beautiful

Hardly anyone today has not heard of the mafia. In the mid-nineteenth century, this word entered the Italian dictionary. It is known that in 1866 about the mafia, or, according to at least, what was called by this word was known to the authorities. The British consul in Silicia reported to his homeland that he was constantly witnessing the activities of the mafia, which maintained connections with criminals and owned large sums of money...

The word "mafia" most likely has Arabic roots and comes from the word: mu`afah. It has many meanings, but none of them come close to the phenomenon that soon became known as the “mafia.” But there is another hypothesis about the spread of this word in Italy. Allegedly this happened during the uprisings of 1282. There was social unrest in Sicily. They went down in history as the “Sicilian Vespers.” During the protests, one cry was born, which was quickly picked up by the protesters, it sounded like this: “Death to France! Die, Italy! If you make an abbreviation in Italian from the first letters of the words, it will sound like “MAFIA”.

The first mafia organization in Italy

Determining the origins of this phenomenon is much more difficult than the etymology of the word. Many historians who have studied the mafia say that the first organization was created in the seventeenth century. In those days, secret societies that were created to fight the Holy Roman Empire were popular. Others believe that the origins of the mafia as a mass phenomenon should be sought at the Bourbon throne. Because it was they who used the services of unreliable individuals and robbers, who did not require much remuneration for their work, in order to patrol parts of the city that were characterized by increased criminal activity. The reason that criminal elements in the service of the government were content with little and did not have large salaries was that they took bribes so that the violation of laws would not become known to the king.

Or maybe the Gabelloti were the first?

The third, but no less popular hypothesis for the emergence of the mafia points to the Gabelloti organization, which acted as a kind of intermediary between the peasants and the people who owned the land. Representatives of the Gabelloti were also required to collect tribute. History is silent about how people were selected for this organization. But all those who found themselves in the bosom of Gabelloti were dishonest. They soon created a separate caste with their own laws and codes. The structure was unofficial, but it had enormous influence in Italian society.

None of the theories described above have been proven. But each is built on one thing common element- the huge distance between the Sicilians and the government, which they considered imposed, unfair and alien, and, naturally, wanted to remove.

How did the mafia come about?

In those days, the Sicilian peasant had absolutely no rights. He felt humiliated in his own state. Majority ordinary people worked at latifundia - enterprises owned by large feudal lords. Work on the latifundia was hard and poorly paid physical labor.

Dissatisfaction with the authorities was twisting like a spiral that was bound to shoot one day. And so it happened: the authorities stopped coping with their responsibilities. And the people chose new government. Positions such as amici (friend) and uomini d`onore (men of honor) became popular, becoming local judges and kings.

Honest bandits

We find an interesting fact about the Italian mafia in Brydon Patrick’s book “Travel to Sicily and Malta,” which was written in 1773. The author writes: “The bandits became the most respected people on the entire island. They had noble and even romantic goals. These bandits had their own code of honor, and those who violated it died instantly. They were loyal and unprincipled. Killing a person means nothing to a Sicilian bandit if the person had guilt in his soul.”

The words Patrick said are still relevant today. However, not everyone knows that Italy once almost got rid of the mafia once and for all. This happened during the reign of Mussolini. The head of the police fought the mafia with its own weapons. The authorities knew no mercy. And just like the mafia, she did not hesitate before shooting.

World War II and the rise of the mafia

Perhaps if the Second had not begun World War, we would not be talking now about such a phenomenon as the mafia. But ironically, the American landing in Sicily equalized the forces. For the Americans, the mafia became the only source of information about the location and strength of Mussolini's troops. For the mafiosi themselves, cooperation with the Americans practically guaranteed freedom of action on the island after the end of the war.

We read about similar arguments in the book “The Great Godfather“Vito Bruschini: “The mafia had the support of its allies, so it was in its hands that the distribution of humanitarian aid - a variety of food products. For example, food was delivered to Palermo based on the population of five hundred thousand people. But, since the majority of the population moved to a quieter countryside not far from the city, the mafia had every opportunity to take the remaining humanitarian aid after distribution onto the black market.”

Help the mafia in the war

Since the mafia practiced various sabotages against the authorities in peacetime, with the beginning of the war it more actively continued such activities. History knows at least one documented case of sabotage, when the Goering tank brigade, which was stationed at a Nazi base, refueled with water and oil. As a result, the engines of the tanks burned out, and the vehicles ended up in workshops instead of the front.

Post-war time

After the Allies occupied the island, the influence of the mafia only intensified. "Intelligent criminals" were often appointed to the military government. In order not to be unfounded, we present statistics: out of 66 towns, 62 appointed people from underworld. The further flourishing of the mafia was associated with the investment of previously laundered money into business and its increase in connection with the sale of drugs.

Individual style of the Italian mafia

Each member of the mafia understood that his activities involved some risk, so he made sure that his family did not go into poverty in the event of the death of the “breadwinner”.

In society, mafiosi are very harshly punished for connections with police officers, and even more so for cooperation. A person was not accepted into the mafia circle if he had a relative from the police. And for appearing in public places a representative of law enforcement could have been killed. Interestingly, both alcoholism and drug addiction were not welcomed in the family. Despite this, many mafiosi were fond of both, the temptation was very great.

The Italian mafia is very punctual. Being late is considered bad manners and disrespect for colleagues. During meetings with enemies, killing anyone is prohibited. They say about the Italian mafia that even if families are at war with each other, they do not strive for cruel reprisals against competitors and often sign peace agreements.

Italian mafia laws

Another law that the Italian mafia honors is family above all, no lies among your own. If a lie was answered in response to a question, it was considered that the person had betrayed his family. The rule, of course, is not without meaning, because it made cooperation within the mafia safer. But not everyone adhered to it. And where big money was involved, betrayal was an almost obligatory attribute of relationships.

Only the boss of the Italian mafia could allow members of his group (family) to rob, kill or loot. Visiting bars unless strictly necessary was not encouraged. After all, a drunken mafioso could blurt out too much about his family.

Vendetta: for the family

Vendetta is revenge for violation or betrayal. Each group had its own ritual, some of them are striking in their cruelty. It did not manifest itself in torture or terrible murder weapons; as a rule, the victim was killed quickly. But after death, they could do whatever they wanted with the body of the offender. And, as a rule, they did.

It is curious that information about mafia laws in general became public knowledge only in 2007, when the father of the Italian mafia, Salvatore La Piccola, fell into the hands of the police. Among the boss's financial documents, they found the family charter.

Italian mafia: names and surnames that went down in history

How not to remember which one is connected with drug trafficking and a network of brothels? Or, for example, who had the nickname “Prime Minister”? Italian surnames Mafias are known throughout the world. Especially after Hollywood filmed several stories about gangsters at once. What is shown on the big screens is true and what is fiction is unknown, but it is thanks to films that in our days it has become possible to almost romanticize the image of the Italian mafioso. By the way, the Italian mafia likes to give nicknames to all its members. Some choose them for themselves. But the nickname is always associated with the history or character traits of the mafioso.

The names of the Italian mafia are, as a rule, bosses who dominated the whole family, that is, they reached greatest success in this difficult work. Most of the gangsters who did the grunt work are unknown to history. The Italian mafia still exists today, although most Italians turn a blind eye to it. Fighting it now, when we are in the twenty-first century, is practically pointless. Sometimes the police still manage to catch the “big fish” on a hook, but most mafiosi die of natural causes in old age or are killed by a gun in their youth.

New "star" among the mafiosi

The Italian mafia operates under cover of obscurity. Interesting Facts about her is a great rarity, because Italian law enforcement agencies are already having problems finding out at least something about the actions of the mafia. Sometimes they are lucky, and unexpected, or even sensational, information becomes public knowledge.

Despite the fact that most people, when they hear the words “Italian mafia,” think of the famous Cosa Nostra or, for example, the Camorra, the most influential and brutal clan is the ‘Ndranghenta. Back in the fifties, the group expanded beyond its area, but until recently remained in the shadow of its larger competitors. How did it happen that 80% of the drug trafficking of the entire European Union ended up in the hands of the 'Ndranghenta - fellow gangsters themselves are surprised. The Italian mafia "Ndranghenta" has an annual income of 53 billion.

There is a myth very popular among gangsters: the 'Ndranghenta has aristocratic roots. Allegedly, the syndicate was founded by Spanish knights who had the goal of avenging the honor of their sister. Legend has it that the knights punished the culprit and themselves went to prison for 30 years. They spent 29 years, 11 months and 29 days in it. One of the knights, once free, founded the mafia. Some continue the story with the assertion that the other two brothers are precisely the bosses of Cosa Nostra and Camorra. Everyone understands that this is just a legend, but it is a symbol of the fact that the Italian mafia values ​​​​and recognizes the connection between families and adheres to the rules.

Mafia hierarchy

The most revered and authoritative title sounds approximately like “boss of all Bosses.” It is known that at least one mafioso had such a rank - his name was Matteo Denaro. Second in the mafia hierarchy is the title “king - boss of all bosses.” It is awarded to the boss of all families when he retires. This title does not carry privileges, it is a tribute of respect. In third place is the title of the head of an individual family - don. Don's first consultant, his right hand, bears the title "advisor". He has no authority to influence the state of affairs, but the don listens to his opinion.

Next comes the Don's deputy - formally the second person in the group. In fact, he comes after the advisor. A capo is a man of honor, or rather, the captain of such people. They are mafia soldiers. Typically, one family has up to fifty soldiers.

And finally small man- last title. These people are not yet part of the mafia, but they want to become one, so they carry out small assignments for the family. Young men of honor are those who are friends of the mafia. For example, bribe takers, dependent bankers, corrupt police officers and the like.

The familiar surname appeared in Italy only in the 17th century. It was at this time that the first problems arose with distinguishing people by name. Initially, surnames arose in the territory of Venice and were given exclusively to nobles, then they became further widespread.

Where do Italian surnames come from?

There are the following main sources of origin for Italian surnames:

• derivatives from the name of the father or founder of the clan; much less often, surnames can be a reference to the mother’s name;
• geographical feature: surnames derived from names hometown or sat down;
• surnames that describe the internal or external qualities of a person;
• surnames related to the profession.

Italy had its own principle of giving a surname to foundlings. In each region, a special list of Italian surnames was created for them, with a religious focus. The surnames of northerners and southerners also differed: most of the former ended in “i”, and the latter in “o”. Regarding gender differences, male and female Italian surnames have the same shape.

Famous Italian surnames, their meaning and history

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous Italians of all time. Your last name great artist received from the name of the town in which he was born and grew up. The no less famous Italian architect and sculptor Andrea Pisano purchased one rare surname thanks to the city of Pisa, in which he lived. However, his real name is Pontedera, and it also comes from the name of the village in which he was born.

Vivid examples of surnames derived from profession belong to the Florentine artists Domenico Ghirlandaio and Andrea Sarto. The ancestors of the first were most likely gardeners, and the father of the second was a tailor.

In addition to the world-famous Italian surnames, there are also those that are most popular among the population, such as Ivanov and Petrov among Russians. These include, first of all, Rossi (Rossi) and Bianchi (Bianchi), which translated mean “red” and “white”. These surnames are obviously descriptive and express a person's skin tone.

The most common Italian surnames

• Bruno (Bruno) – translated means “brown”, derived from skin color;
• Ferrari (Ferrari) - translated as “blacksmith”, which means that the ancestors of the founders of the automobile corporation were engaged in just such a craft;
• Esposito (Esposito) is a surname for foundlings, translated meaning “abandoned”, etc.

TOP 5 funniest Italian surnames

Italian surnames sound very beautiful, but among them there are also very funny ones. Here are the 5 funniest ones in our opinion:

• Saltaformaggio. It means “jumping cheese”, but not everyone can pronounce “Saltaformaggio”!
• Finocchio. At first glance, Finocchio is a very harmless surname, but this is what the Italian people call gays.
• Pelagatti. The beautiful-sounding surname Pelagatti means “to dehair cats.”
• Maniaco. The Italians were probably not very lucky with a telling surname Maniaco.
• Puzzolente. Pazzolente, which translates to “smelly,” is also not the most attractive surname.

The names of Italian mafiosi

Since the Italian mafia arose almost at the same time when the surnames began their origin, the history of the criminal clans stretches back from there and the names are corresponding:

• Profaci - can be translated as “to defile” or if we take English transcription, then the word “profession” is obtained;
• Colombo - translated means pigeon; most likely, the ancestor bred pigeons;
• Orena – can be translated as arena, a surname with Turkish roots;
• Persico - Persian.

Thus, we can say with confidence that Italian surnames are distinguished by their sonorous pronunciation and beauty of sound. Among them there are both elegant and funny, but they are all interesting and unique in their own way.

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Oleg and Valentina Svetovid are mystics, specialists in esotericism and occultism, authors of 14 books. Here you can get advice on your problem, find useful information

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Italian surnames

Italian surnames

List of famous Italian surnames.

Surnames in Italy appeared around the 14th century, when it became necessary to distinguish between many citizens with same names. The first surnames appeared in Venice and were initially given only to nobles, then they became widespread. Italians, like other peoples, used personal names, nicknames and derivatives of names and nicknames as surnames. There are also surnames based on geographical, professional and external features.

Surnames in northern and southern Italy differ from each other: the former in most cases end in “i”, and the latter in “o”.

Many Italian surnames have the same roots, the differences are only in various prefixes and suffixes. Particularly common are variants ending in a vowel preceded by a double consonant: -etti, -illo. Italians often use diminutive suffixes: -ini, -ino, etti, etto, -ello, -illo – they mean “small”.

Male and female Italian surnames have the same shape.

Italian surnames (list)

Allegretti

Alberti

Alfieri

Alchato

Ammanity

Anjoni

Argilly

Aretino

Ariosto

Basile

Baccalario

Balbo

Bandello

Barbaro

Baretti

Baricco

Bassani

Battisti

Beccaria

Bembo

Benedetti

Benny

Benzoni

Bergamo

Berlusconi

Bernie

Betokki

Blasi

Brenzoni

Bontempelli

Bordone

Bossy

Bracco

Brancati

Brocky

Bruni

Bruno

Buzzati

Bianchi

Vecchioni

Verdidzotti

Vivanti

Vico

Vittorini

Guerrazzi

Guerzoni

Guido

Gherardi

Ghislanzoni

Goldoni

Gozzi

Graziani

Grazzini

Griffey

Grossi

Groto

Guarini

Giannini

Giordano

Germanetto

Gioberti

Giovagnoli

Giordano

Giorgio

Giusti

Zabarella

Zanini

Zamboni

Zanetti

Zendrini

Zeno

Giacomo

Donati

Cavalcanti

Casoni

Calasso

Calvino

Calzabigi

Kanini

Capaccio

Chapel

Capelloni

Capitini

Capriano

Carducci

Carcano

Karpani

Castiglione

Quadrio

Corelli

Correnti

Costa

Kyari

Landino

Landolfi

Levi

Leone

Leopardi

Littizzetto

Lorenzo

Lutsi

Luciano

Mazzini

Machiavelli

Malaparte

Manzoni

Manetti

Manfredi

Mancini

Marani

Marinetti

Marino

Marignolli

Marchetti

Marucelli

Martini

Massey

Merlino

Milani

Milli

Montanelli

Moravia

Morante

Mooney

Muzio

Negri

Nuzzi

Olive

Pavese

Pasolini

Paladini

Palmeri

Panarello

Papini

Parini

Patrizi

Pacini

Patuzzi

Petruccelli

Piaggi

Ricci

Rocca

Rover

Rodari

Rosetti

Rosini

Roccolini

Rollie

Romano

Romei

Russia

Rousseau

Saviano

Sacchetti

Salvi

Salgari

Sapienza

Serafino

Sereni

Silone

Solera

Spaziani

Sperone

Straffi

Tabukki

Tarchetti

Tasso

Tassoni

Tesauro

Tirrito

Tomasi

Tozzi

Ungaretti

Fabbri

Fallaci

Falco

Farina

Farini

Fenoglio
Ferrari

Fiori

Ficino, Marsilio

Fogazzaro

Foscolo

Franco

Fioritto

Ciampoli

Cesari

Ceronetti

Evola

The most common Italian surnames

Bruno

Bianchi

Colombo

Marino

Moretti

Rossi

Russo

Ricci

Romano

Ferrari (Ferrari, Ferrari)

Ferraro

Esposito

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Italian surnames

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What associations do we have when we hear such names as, for example, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello, Christopher Columbus, Maria Medici, Adriano Celentano, Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace?.. This list can be continued indefinitely, and we know that under all these names and surnames there are hidden famous recognized people of Italy. People who changed the world and ideas in many ways, who gave it art and theories. But do we think at such moments about what these surnames really mean? For us, foreigners, they sound very melodic and poetic, beautiful and mysterious. Not at all like how we hear the names Kozlovsky, Sidorov, Dudko, Morozov, etc. Although no one, of course, denies that for foreigners they can also sound poetic. But each surname, like almost any word, has its own history, etymology, and origin. And this is very interesting today, when we are all in a hurry to get somewhere, and on TV they only show about show business stars.

The science that studies surnames and their origin is called onomastics and its subcategory anthroponymy. It is anthroponymy that we owe the knowledge of the origin of names and surnames, and therefore the knowledge of how our ancestors lived, what they did, what they were like, because we now bear their surnames.

A little history

Italians, as usual, did not always have surnames. The origin of surnames in the 14th century is due to the great confusion among people associated with the huge number of identical names. Population growth has made it clear that there cannot be enough names for all people. Therefore, it became necessary to give a second name, that is, a surname (as we see, even now there are dozens of people who have the same first and surname, and sometimes even patronymic). The first surnames appeared in Venice. Then they spread throughout Italy and soon became the general normative norm for naming people. At birth, the child was given not only a first name, but also a surname.

But how did people come up with them? Did the surnames just come out of thin air or did they have some meaning? Did people rack their brains, or did ideas come to them immediately?

Etymology

The origin of Italian surnames has a very interesting basis. Many of the oldest Italian surnames are still borne by ordinary Italians. The understanding of etymology has long been erased, unless the average Italian, of course, is interested in anthroponymy. But often Italians know their family tree and pass on their knowledge to their descendants. Italians are very patriotic and loyal to their homeland and its culture, so you are unlikely to encounter any manifestations of the cultures of other peoples there.

The main sources of origin of Italian surnames:

a) surnames based on the names of fathers, sometimes mothers. We also have, for example, the surnames Ivanov, Petrov, that is, the one who belongs to Ivan, Peter. Only among Italians such a surname will consist of two words, for example, Raffaello di Francesco, where Raffaello is the name, di is the word meaning “of”, Francesco is the father’s name. Thus, it turned out literally: Raffaello from Francesco, which roughly translated can mean “Raffaello son of Francesco.” The word “di” is extremely common in Italian surnames, now we know why and what it means. Sometimes, almost according to the same scheme, surnames were created that carried part of the father’s name and part of the grandfather’s name.

b) surnames that have the basic names of professions. Even now, family workshops and small businesses are quite common among Italians. That is, only relatives of the same family work there. The same thing happened before, in ancient times. And people were assigned certain surnames that would characterize them according to their occupation. Just as we, for example, have the surnames Kuznetsov or Bondar, so the Italians have a surname, for example, Ghirlandaio, which means “who deals with wreaths,” that is, we can assume that this person is a gardener.

c) surnames that have the basis of names of geographical places. This could be the place of residence, birth, craft, which the clan was engaged in. This could be the name of a city, town, river, valley, etc. We also have analogues of such surnames, for example, Alexander Nevsky. So among Italians today the surname Lombardy is very common, which comes from the name quite famous city in Italy.

d) surnames that are based on words that describe certain concepts, phenomena, characters, traits of the person who was endowed with it. Well, for example, we have the surnames Usov, Bolshov, Krasivy, etc. In the same way, Italians were given surnames based on some specific characteristics. For example, Paolo Carino - Paolo Darling, or Antonio Gobbo - Antonio Hunchback. Some of these surnames could be modified: mixed with others, received other suffixes and prefixes.

d) surnames that were given to children without parents, foundlings. The most common surname in this category is Esposito, which literally translates as “abandoned.” We also have an analogue of such surnames, although there are very few of them, for example, Bezymyanny.

Thus, by studying the etymology of surnames, you can even trace what your ancestors were like, where they came from and what they did. Or maybe they were foundlings and orphans.

But the carriers of etymology are not only the bases of surnames, but also prefixes and suffixes.

Suffixes:

a) diminutives: -illo, -etti, -ini, -ino. All of them are designed to downplay the importance of the foundation.

b) exaggerating: -accio, -ucci.

Prefixes (prepositions):

a) to indicate belonging to the clan, the word di is used for the father, as has already been said.

b) the preposition yes is sometimes used to indicate belonging to a certain area. It’s impossible not to remember here famous Leonardo da Vinci.

c) to denote people from other countries, the prepositions lo and la are used.

When people realized what a variety of surnames and nicknames they could give to people, while modifying them in different ways, they reduced the number of names. Therefore, when we hear about Italians, first of all we hear such names as Francesco, Alberto, Antonio, Bernardo, Maria, Anna, Angelo, Paolo, Michel, Bruno, Rosa, Teresa, Laura. Italians do not pretend to have a wealth of names; they are satisfied with the minimum that exists, but they can boast of a variety of surnames.

Italian names are characterized by a peculiar manner, emotions that are filled with special charm, luxury and originality. You can learn all the most interesting things about Italian names from this article.

08/30/2016 / 14:27 | Varvara Pokrovskaya

Italy, like its inhabitants, is known to the world for its thirst for beauty. The state has its own, unique cultural heritage, whose traditions are strictly observed by many Italians. Among cultural rules proper names are highlighted.

Features of Italian names

The nicknames of Italians are rooted in history. Ancient Rome. At the first stage of the emergence of nicknames, they were names given to people for certain external features, character, professional qualities. Before today parents give preference ancient names, which was popular several centuries ago. Nicknames with Roman roots include the following: Cesare, Pietro, Luciano. Depending on the settlement the sound of words may have significant differences. For example, in the northern regions, instead of the standard “G”, “Z” is pronounced. Also, the nicknames of Italians contain elements taken from German tribes, which over time began to be used as surnames.

Family traditions

Italians have a number of traditions. One of them is to give female babies the nicknames of the older women in the family. Moreover, this did not depend on whether the relative was alive or not. Eldest daughter in the family the name of the grandmother was given, the second child - the mother, the next child - the aunts and great-aunts. In some areas of Italy, girls are still given the names of recently deceased women in the family. This is how Italians stick to traditions, they show good attitude to the family.

Baptismal names

Italians adhere to the Catholic faith, and the baptism procedure has great value. Catholic Church advises giving a Christian nickname to the baby. That is, the one that is in the calendar. If a young family wishes to name the child a name that is not in the Catholic calendar, then the name of a saint can be added to it, for example, Giada Macdalena, Aida Maria. Unlike the laws in force in the country, church rules allow you to give your child any number of names - each of them will be indicated in the certificate that is issued after baptism. However, a maximum of 3 names are allowed on a birth document. In this regard, a common situation is when in the family circle a person is called not by the nickname indicated in the passport, but by the name given at baptism.

How to name a child

About four centuries ago in Italy there was a interesting tradition naming children. The first-born male was given the nickname of the male grandfather. When a representative of the weaker half was born first in the family, she was named after her paternal grandmother. The second children were given nicknames of the older generation according to their mother's family. The following children were honored to bear the nicknames of their parents.

Many names in Italy that girls are called today are derived from the names of saints. Words may be original or altered. Some nicknames arose during the period of the Norman conquest of Italy, others - by changing the names of men, others came from the titles of royalty, for example, Marquis, Regina, etc.
Some nicknames are given because of their appearance, character and other qualities: Bianca (light), Allegra (cheerful), Elettra (brilliant).

Nicknames borrowed from other nations are also popular in Italy. This is easy to explain big amount emigrants, the fame of heroes of world literature, music, films, politicians, representatives of show business.

Male Italian names

The demand for male nicknames depends on many factors:

• The area where the baby was born;
• Family Fantasies;
• Fashion trends.

Fashion has a great influence on men's names. For example, many parents give their children nicknames of athletes, movie stars; in other areas, children are named after saints.

The state has an institute of statistics, created at the beginning of the 20th century. One of the main tasks of the institution is to collect information about baby names. According to the collected data, to the most popular names for men: Francesco, Alessandro, Andrea Matteo, Lorenzo Gabriel, Mattia, Ricardo, David, Luca, Leonardo Federico, Marco, Giuseppe, Tommaso, Antonio Giovanni Alessio, Filippo, Diego, Daniel, Peter, Eduardo, Emmanuel Michel.

Often parents have an enviable imagination, trying to give their baby an original, rarely encountered nickname. But a young man with that name does not always easily pass the tests given by life. Fortunately, the family's desire to give the baby unusual name the authorities may refuse if they decide that this nickname can play a cruel joke on a person. Therefore, inventive mothers and fathers should think carefully before giving their child this or that name.

Italian names and surnames

Surnames first emerged in Venice at the turn of the 10th century. The first documented case was recorded with the mention of the surname Orseolo. Its founders were the brothers Dominicus and Petrus. The descendants of these people are also called. This shining example a surname that is passed down every generation.

But there were differences between layers of society. Only families from the upper strata of society had the right to have permanent surnames. A person without privileges was only a bearer of a nickname. If identification was required, the phrases “daughter of so-and-so,” “of such-and-such a family,” and “from the city” were added to the name. A similar situation was observed until the 16th century. By the way, most of famous people At that time, for example, artists did not have surnames.

Italian names for little representatives of the fairer sex are varied. Girls are named after relatives, saints and given fashionable nicknames. Among all, it is worth paying attention to names that end in vowels - they have a certain meaning.

If you are looking for an original name and want to avoid a boring and overly popular nickname, pay attention to:

• Alba - dawn;
• Arabella - prayer;
• Gabriela - divine, strong;
• Bonfiliya - kind daughter;
• Giuditta - praised;
• Leah - dependent;
• Allegra - happiness;
• Domitilla - responsible.

Italian boy names

Names for Italian citizens, according to tradition, are given according to the nicknames of their paternal ancestors. Conducted research in this area shows that mothers and fathers today give preference to fashionable, beautiful names. Many nicknames for the stronger sex are of Roman origin. The oldest ones can be found in myths.

To popular Italian names for boys include:

• Valentino - strong, bursting with health;
• Valerio - strong;
• Wenceslas - famous;
• Dorien - originally from the Doric tribe;
• Drago - dragon;
• Duilayo - war;
• Damien - majestic.

In Italy, as in other countries, they use a large number of names, and many of them are beautiful and laconic, harmoniously combined with surnames. In many countries, Italian nicknames are rightfully considered a model of charm.

Some of the most popular Italian names are:

• Adriana;
• Isabel;
• Angelica;
• Vittoria;
• Gabriella;
• Laetitia;
• Dolphin;
• Marcella;
• Paola;
• Francesca.

To the beautiful male names can be considered:

• Adolfo;
• Gasparo;
• Gino;
• Giuliano;
• Oscar;
• Sandro;
• Ernesto.

Names for girls are very melodious and easy to pronounce. Male nicknames no less attractive, for example, is the well-known name Leonardo, which means “like a lion.” Valentino is “omnipotent, possessing limitless power.” The residents of Italy themselves prefer nicknames such as Antonio - “priceless”, Luciano - “light”. The latter name has been fashionable in the country for several decades. Less commonly, a boy may be nicknamed Pascal, which translates as “born on Easter.” The babies are also named Romeo - “traveling to Rome.”

Whatever name the Italians prefer, any of them is melodious, bears hidden meaning, which is believed to help its owner achieve success in both family life, and in the professional field. When naming their children, parents often name their babies with a word that denotes character traits and enhances the best of them. For an Italian, a name is a kind of talisman that accompanies him throughout his life and protects him from all sorts of troubles.

As statistics show, Italy has a huge list of names - about 17,000 of them. Their appearance was especially active in the years when cinema began to develop rapidly. Then fathers and mothers gladly named their babies after their favorite heroes. Nicknames changed over time, became longer or, conversely, shorter, other names or parts thereof were added to the words. As an example, we can use reliable information that at the beginning of the 20th century, many newborn girls received the nickname Fedora (the heroine of a then famous play). In the 30s, Italians were attracted by the nicknames Selvadzha (rebel), Liberia (free and self-sufficient).

IN last years A list of names that are used to call baby boys has been formed:

• Alessandro and Andrea;
• Francesco and Matteo;
• Gabriele and Lorenzo.

The above names come from Ancient Rome, and today are considered native Italian.

Things are different with names for girls. The ones that are in demand are those that are borrowed from other cultures. Families choose the following nicknames: George, Julie, Chiara. There are also Roman nicknames: Aurora, Paolo, Martina.

It is worth mentioning that in recent years the trend of changing nicknames has increased. Often young people realize that the names given by their parents do not suit them, so they choose new ones that are fashionable, beautiful and harmonious.