The best Italian names. Beautiful Italian names and their meanings

Choosing a baby's name begins when the baby is not yet born. Already in childhood, girls come up with names for their future daughters and sons, and even more beautiful ones. Over time, it becomes possible to make these dreams come true. Many call according to the calendar, in honor of relatives, some consult horoscopes and check when Mercury will be in the constellation Virgo, while others simply follow fashion.

The child must be given a name immediately after birth: a tax identification number (codice fiscale) is created for him, which includes the first name, last name and date of birth. Here, of course, you need to decide on your last name. If the couple is not married, they must both officially recognize the child (first the mother, then the father). If the father recognizes the newborn, the child receives the father's surname; if not, the child receives the mother's surname. After discharge from the maternity hospital, you need to contact the municipality with a birth certificate settlement, where the birth certificate will be drawn up. This act is not issued to parents - it is kept under seven seals at the mayor's office, but they are given an extract, an A4 sheet of paper with the municipal coat of arms and a seal. Any number of such statements can be issued.

Legislation

There is a special law of the Civil Code that regulates the specifics of naming a newborn. In Italy, for example, there cannot be Alexander Alexandrovich, since there are no middle names, and, therefore, it will be bureaucratically difficult to distinguish two Alessandros with the same last name. You cannot name a child after your brother and sister (if they are alive and well). You cannot use your last name as your first name. Finally, you should not call your child a funny or offensive name.

If parents want their child to have a “noble” multi-layered name, they can do this: Angela Stella Giovanna or Gianmaria Francesco Massimo. But! Maximum - three names, otherwise in the future a person will be tortured to put his full signature.

Well, if the parent’s imagination wants to name the child some kind of Asbjorn, there are no obstacles here. It is important that the name be written in Italian letters, and you can use diacritics characteristic of foreign names (tildes, tone accents, etc.).

We were original!

Some, however, in their desire to appear original, manage to surpass all laws. For example, the famous football player Francesco Totti and his wife, TV presenter Ilari Blasi, named their daughter with the surname that is prohibited - Chanel. Formula Uno manager and playmaker Flavio Briatore and his wife, fashion model Elisabetta Gregoracci, named their son Nathan Falco. Nathan is, of course, a Hebrew name meaning “given by God.” But “falco,” friends, is translated from Italian as “falcon.” You are my clear falcon!

There is such a rock singer Zucchero, or Adelmo Fornaciari (Zucchero, Adelmo Fornaciari). He simply named his third child Adelmo (as himself, his beloved, which is forbidden), adding Blue (Adelmo Blue). Poor boy!

There is also a wonderful couple John Elkann (grandson of Gianni Agnelli and head of the FIAT group) and Lavinia Borromeo (just a girl blue bloods). They named their children Leone (“leone” - “lion” - the name exists, but other variants are more common: Leo, Leonardo), Oceano (“oceano” - “ocean”, or in honor of a little-known Lydian saint of the 4th century: on the day in his memory on September 4 they got married) and Vita (“vita” - “life”).

Ordinary Italians also want sonorous names for their children

Oh how magical they sound Italian names! Maurizio, Marcello, Giovanni, Gianbattista, Beatrice, Lucia, Francesca... Simply music to the ears! But why simplify everything? IN Lately foreign names are in fashion.

The girls are called Noemi (Noemi - from Hebrew “joy”), although there is also an Italian “joy” - Gioia. Another tribute to the Hebrew tradition: girls Rachele and Sarah and boys Aaron and No uh(Noè - Noah).

A tribute to the Anglo-Saxon tradition - Sharon, Kevin, Patrick, Bryan, Richard, Mike O l (written exactly like this: in Italian, as you hear it, it’s spelled: Maikol; well, people didn’t know how to spell Michael).

Italians do not like the French, but they use names for girls: Sophie, Nicole (pronounced not “l”, but “l”), Michelle (Michelle).

Today it is fashionable to “truncate” names. Usually male names end with either an “o” (Carlo, Pietro, Saverio, Giacomo) or an “e” (Raffa uh le, D A vide, Garbry uh le, Dani uh le). Nowadays there are many boys named Kr And stian, D A Niel, Samuel, although in Italian they should all end in “e”.

Once on the beach I observed Syria and Asia at the same time. There are many girls named Sofia.

Boys are also called Matthias, Lukas, Nicholas, Markus.

Curiosities

Personally, I have come across completely absurd names associated with the love of the older generation for Russia or the USSR: Katia, Katuscia, the female name Vania, Maslova(!), Yves A n, Igor (Igor), Yuri (Juri - children born in the 60s), Vladim And rho (abbreviated as M And ro).

North and South

There are purely southern names that cannot be found among any native Milanese or Turin: Gaetano, Salvatore, Antonino or Antonio, Carmine, Gennaro, Ciro and others.

Diminutives

There are no diminutive names as such. It’s very funny to see a tiny baby doll, barely hobbling on crooked legs, whose grandmother loudly calls: “Federico! Let's go change the diaper!" If desired, of course, some abbreviations are possible: the same Federico is called Fede, Antonella - Anto, Antonio - Nino, Salvatore - Toto, Giuseppe - Peppe or Pippo (also shortened from Filippo). Plus, there are wonderful affectionate masculine suffixes: “ino” - Paolino, Leonardino, Danielino and feminine ones: “ina”, “uccia”, “etta” - Angelina, Mariuccia (Mariuccia), Nicoletta. But most often these derivatives are self-sufficient.

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Colosseum in Rome

State in southern Europe. The capital is Rome. Population – about 61 million (2011). 93.52% are Italians. Other ethnic groups are French (2%); Romanians (1.32%), Germans (0.5%), Slovenes (0.12%), Greeks (0.03%), Albanians (0.17%), Turks, Azerbaijanis. The official language is Italian. Regional status is given to: German (in Bolzano and South Tyrol), Slovenian (in Gorizia and Trieste), French (in the Aosta Valley).

Approximately 98% of the population professes Catholicism. The center of the Catholic world, the Vatican City State, is located on the territory of Rome. In 1929–1976 Catholicism was considered the state religion. Followers of Islam – 1 million 293 thousand 704 people. The third most widespread religion is Orthodoxy (1 million 187 thousand 130 followers, their number has grown due to the Romanians). The number of Protestants is 547,825.

The National Institute of Statistics (Italian: Istituto Nazionale di Statistica, ISTAT) is responsible for identifying official statistics on names in Italy. It was created in 1926 to collect information about the population. This institute organizes population censuses in Italy and collects operational statistics. Including the most common names of newborns. On the institute's website you can find data on the 30 most popular names of newborn Italian citizens - separately for boys and girls. For each name, the absolute frequency and relative frequency (percentage of those named) are given. Cumulative statistics (in %) are given in a separate column (third in a row). On the institute’s website, the earliest statistics on names date back to 2007.

I will show you the 30 most common names of boys and girls born into families of Italian citizens in 2011–2013. Data for several years is presented to show the dynamics of preferences in the field of personal names. More current data is not yet available.

Boys names

Place	2013	2012	2011
1	Francesco	Francesco	Francesco
2	Alessandro	Alessandro	Alessandro
3	Andrea	Andrea	Andrea
4	Lorenzo	Lorenzo	Lorenzo
5	Mattia	Matteo	Matteo
6	Matteo	Mattia	Gabriele
7	Gabriele	Gabriele	Mattia
8	Leonardo	Leonardo	Leonardo
9	Riccardo	Riccardo	Davide
10	Tommaso	Davide	Riccardo
11	Davide	Tommaso	Federico
12	Giuseppe	Giuseppe	Luca
13	Antonio	Marco	Giuseppe
14	Federico	Luca	Marco
15	Marco	Federico	Tommaso
16	Samuel	Antonio	Antonio
17	Luca	Simone	Simone
18	Giovanni	Samuel	Samuel
19	Pietro	Pietro	Giovanni
20	Diego	Giovanni	Pietro
21	Simone	Filippo	Christian
22	Edoardo	Alessio	Nicolo"
23	Christian	Edoardo	Alessio
24	Nicolo"	Diego	Edoardo
25	Filippo	Christian	Diego
26	Alessio	Nicolo"	Filippo
27	Emanuele	Gabriel	Emanuele
28	Michele	Emanuele	Daniele
29	Gabriel	Christian	Michele
30	Daniele	Michele	Christian

Girls names

Place	2013	2012	2011
1	Sofia	Sofia	Sofia
2	Giulia	Giulia	Giulia
3	Aurora	Giorgia	Martina
4	Emma	Martina	Giorgia
5	Giorgia	Emma	Sara
6	Martina	Aurora	Emma
7	Chiara	Sara	Aurora
8	Sara	Chiara	Chiara
9	Alice	Gaia	Alice
10	Gaia	Alice	Alessia
11	Greta	Anna	Gaia
12	Francesca	Alessia	Anna
13	Anna	Viola	Francesca
14	Ginevra	Noemi	Noemi
15	Alessia	Greta	Viola
16	Viola	Francesca	Greta
17	Noemi	Ginevra	Elisa
18	Matilde	Matilde	Matilde
19	Vittoria	Elisa	Giada
20	Beatrice	Vittoria	Elena
21	Elisa	Giada	Ginevra
22	Giada	Beatrice	Beatrice
23	Nicole	Elena	Vittoria
24	Elena	Rebecca	Nicole
25	Arianna	Nicole	Arianna
26	Rebecca	Arianna	Rebecca
27	Marta	Melissa	Marta
28	Melissa	Ludovica	Angelica
29	Maria	Marta	Asia
30	Ludovica	Angelica	Ludovica

Italy, like the Italians themselves, is famous throughout the world for its indomitable thirst for beauty and self-expression. Having inherited much from the Roman Empire, this state continues to exist in a unique, unique cultural space. Among the many unique traditions, the formation of proper names stands out.

Italian names and surnames carry a unique emotional component, filled with Mediterranean charm and charm. What names are considered the most beautiful in Italy? We will learn about this and much more from this article.

Origin of Italian names

Italian names have their origins in the Ancient Roman Empire. Initially, proper names there were nicknames given to a person for external features, character traits or depending on the type of activity. Until now, parents name their children with outdated names that were in use many centuries ago. Such native Roman names include the following: Luciano, Cesare, Pietro and Vittorio. Pronunciation could vary depending on the local dialect. Thus, in the northern regions, it was customary to pronounce Z instead of the G sound familiar in the south. They contained Italian names and a considerable number of proper names borrowed from Germanic and other northern tribes, which over time were transformed into surnames.

How names were chosen for little Italians and Italian girls

As mentioned above, the Italians initially named children based on their external data or according to the Catholic calendar. Italian female names, however, like men's, include a large number of those that were once worn by biblical or local saints. In addition to religious beliefs, parents were often guided when choosing a name by what fate their child would have. Hence the meanings of Italian names such as “lucky”, “dove”, “winner”, “free” and so on. Often they didn’t think much about choosing a name and named the newborn in honor of their grandparents. By the way, this tradition still takes place in many Italian families, but we will talk about this a little later.

The influence of fashion trends on the choice of names in Italy

According to research data, there are more than 17 thousand names in Italy. A particularly rapid increase in their number occurred during the development of cinema, when parents named babies after their favorite heroes. At the same time, changes were made to them that were adaptive for Italian society. An example of this is statistical data that shows that at the beginning of the 20th century, more than half of the girls born in a year received the name Fedora (that was the name main character popular opera at the time). With the advent of the turbulent 30-40s of the 20th century for Italy, the names Selvaggia and Libero, which translated from Italian sound like “rebel” and “free”, respectively, became especially popular.

Ways to form Italian names

As in many language families, Italian names are formed primarily by changing endings and adding suffixes. Some of the names, borrowed from historical predecessors, were formed by the usual replacement of the ending “-us” with “-o”. If in Latin the name sounded, for example, like “Mattius,” then after changing the ending, the typical Italian name “Mattio” was formed. In addition, Italian names for men and women are often formed using diminutive suffixes: “-ello”, “-inho”, “-etto”, “-ella” and so on. An example of this are the names Ricardinho, Rosetta and others.

Italian names differ from others in that they contain a temperament that is inherent in every resident of this country. And it’s not so much a matter of translating names, but a combination of sounds. They are easy to pronounce; the sounds do not pile on top of each other. That is why names in Italy have a special melody.

The procedure for naming a baby in an Italian family

In the 16th century in Italy there was a very interesting approach to the issue of naming born boys and girls depending on the order of their birth. So, the first boy born into the family was given the name of his paternal grandfather. If a girl was born first, she received her name from her paternal grandmother. The second son or daughter was named after the maternal grandfather and grandmother. Third children (both sons and daughters) bore the names of their parents, and subsequent children bore the names of their paternal and maternal great-grandmothers, first and second cousins, and uncles of their parents. Italian names (male) for second and subsequent children were often chosen from among those that recalled the holy protectors of the city in which the newborn’s family lived.

The most beautiful Italian names: list

It's time to find out which Italian female names are considered the most beautiful. In many European countries, they are considered an indicator of the special charm and charm of a young girl. The most popular names in Italy are Letizia (“Happiness”), Isabella (“Beautiful”), Laura and Adriana. It is worth noting that in last years They began to call girls not only in countries neighboring Italy, but even in Russia, Asian countries and America. In addition, there is a whole list of Italian female names that are considered beautiful:

• Gabriella, which in Latin means “endowed with the power of God.”
• Marcella (Marcelitta), meaning "militant woman" or "warrior woman".
• Siena (“tanned”).
• Paola (Paoletta, Paolinha), meaning "small".
• Rosella and Rosetta - “rose”, “small, little rose”.
• Francesca, which comes from the word "French woman".
• Joseppe, Joseppina - “reward from Yahweh.”

In families that adhere to Christian traditions (Catholic), the name Maria and its derivatives: Marietta, Mariella, etc. are considered beautiful.

List of the most beautiful Italian names for boys

So, we have seen how beautiful Italian female names are in pronunciation. Men's in this regard are no less melodic and attractive. Just remember the most famous and well-known Italian name Leonardo, which means “like a lion,” or Valentino, which translates as “possessing true strength.” Italians themselves consider such male names as beautiful as Antonio, which translates as “invaluable,” and Luciano, meaning “light.” The latter has been especially popular for many decades. Slightly less often, children are called Pasquale (“born on Easter Day”), Romeo (“who made the pilgrimage to Rome”) and Salvatore (“savior”). The list of Italian names that are also particularly beautiful includes such meanings as Fabrizio, which means “master” in Italian, Vincenzo, which is interpreted as “winner,” and Emilio (“competitor”).

As you can see, the sound of male names in Italy, if not superior, is certainly not inferior in the beauty of melody to female ones. By the way, some of them were borrowed from those that were originally given only to little Italian girls. For example, the currently popular names Francesco and Gabriele are among them.

The most popular names for boys and girls and Italy

According to statistics from recent years, there is a list of particularly popular names given to children in Italy. Most often, beautiful Italian names such as Alessandro and Andrea are used as the main name for boys. In second place in popularity are the names Francesco and Matteo. The third step of the popularity pedestal rightfully belongs to the names Gabriele and Lorenzo. All these names originate in Roman culture and are considered native Italian.

With female names in Italy, things are currently going a little differently. Very popular are those that were borrowed from other sociocultural groups. In the last decade, Italian parents have increasingly begun to name their daughters Giorgia, Giulia and Chiara. Along with them, names with Roman roots are also used: Aurora, Paola and Martina.

Of course, this is not a complete list of names for boys and girls, which are considered the most beautiful by Italians. It is also worth remembering that in recent years cases of name changes have become more frequent in Italy. Often boys and girls remain dissatisfied with the way their parents named them, and take a name from among the most, in their opinion, euphonious and fashionable.

Coming up with a name for a newborn girl seems simple until you face it yourself. Most easy way- this is named after the saint who owns the day when the baby was born, but in Italy they went further and can christen their children as Friday, Sunday, Tuesday. Naturally, when translated into Russian, a girl’s Italian name may look funny, but in the language itself, Friday will sound like Venerdi, and Sunday will sound like Domenica. Who hasn't dreamed of such beautiful Italian names? So, jokes aside, because it will be even more fun.

Funny Italian Girl Names

Even more interesting way Italians give names to girls - according to their numeral. This custom comes from the times when families had many children and named newborns in order of birth: Seventh, First, Eighth, Fifth. In Italian these names also sound beautiful: Settima, Prima, Ottavina, Quinta. Just don't confuse numbers and serial numbers in Italian: the number three translated into Russian is “tre”, and the numeral “third” is Terzo. Do you agree, why not a name for a child?

Now it’s clear where such beautiful Italian female names came from. One thing is strange, why do they like ordinary numerals so much? This is difficult for a Russian person to understand, because in our country such a custom has not taken root, and the First, Third and even Seventh people do not run through the streets. How you need to love your language in order to see poetry in the word “eighth” and admire it so much that you name your daughter in honor of this word, and she, in turn, is proud of such a name and does not cry at night over her passport.

We would like to remind you that boys in Italy are given the same names, but with a different ending, so that you do not think that the fate of the ordinal name has overtaken only female Italian names.

Italian female names and family traditions

Previously, strict rules were followed for naming a child, and this mainly concerned ancestors: first-born children were named after their grandparents, and the rest - after their great-grandmothers and the names of uncles and aunts. This custom demonstrates the reverent attitude and reverence for family ties in Italy.

If we take a closer look at this family custom, the daughter who was born first will bear the name of the father's mother. The second, respectively, is the mother's mother. The third daughter was named after her mother, and the fourth daughter was named after her father’s grandmother. The fifth newborn will be named after an aunt or great-aunt.

Moreover, in Russia they try not to name a newborn in honor of a recently deceased relative, but in Italy they treat this differently and the baby can be named as a recently deceased member of the family.

The influence of other countries and religions on name formation in Italy

At the moment there is a growing fashion for foreign names for girls and boys, and do not forget about the tradition of calling by the name of the saint on whose day the child was born. The Roman Catholic Church added Roman origins to the list of Italian baby names.

The most popular female names in Italy: Domenica ( Domenica), Giulia, Alessia, Chiara, Sveta in our opinion, Francesca, Sara, Federica, Silvia, Martina, Elisa . The affectionate diminutive derivatives of such names sound approximately like this: Ellie, Lesi, Fede, Frani, Dzhuli.

More more information about Italian culture in an article about the national anthem:

Is your passion for Italy not accidental? Are you planning a move? Then information about work for Russians in Italy will be useful to you.

Meaning of Italian female names

The translation of names carries the unimaginable poetry and beauty of the Italian language. Let's say Dominica got her name from the day of the week "Sunday", which means "belonging to God." Felice means Happy, and Perla means Pearl. Immacolata translated into Russian means Impeccable, Angela - Angel, Selvaggia - Wild. Reading this list of Italian female names, you involuntarily begin to envy their diversity; this is not 20 newborns per day in one maternity hospital named Nastya. These Italians are entertaining, I must admit!

List of Italian female names and their meaning in Russian

• Agostina - venerable
• Agata is good
• Adeline - noble
• Agnes – saint, chastity
• Alessandra - defender of humanity
• Allegra – cheerful and lively
• Albertina - bright nobility
• Alda - noble
• Annetta – benefit, grace
• Beatrice - traveler
• Bettina - blessed
• Bella - God - beautiful
• Biti - traveler
• Brigida - exalted
• Bianca – white
• Violetta – purple flower
• Velia - hidden
• Vittoria – conqueror, victory
• Wanda – moving, wanderer
• Vincenza - conquered
• Vitalia – vital
• Gabriela – strong from God
• Grace - pleasant
• Deborah - bee
• Gemma is a gem
• Giovanna - God is good
• Gioconda - happy
• Giorgina - peasant woman
• Gisella is a hostage
• Dzhiekinta - hyacinth flower
• Jolanda - purple flower
• Juliet - a young girl
• Domenica - belongs to God
• Donatella – God Given
• Dorothea - a gift from God
• Danila - God is my judge
• Elena - moon
• Ileria – joyful, happy
• Ines – chaste, saint
• Italia - the ancient name of Italy
• Caprice - capricious
• Carmela, Carmina – sweet vineyard
• Clara - bright
• Columbine - the faithful dove
• Christina – follower of Christ
• Crosetta – cross, crucified
• Capricia - capricious
• Letizia - happiness
• Leah - always tired
• Lorenza - from Laurentum
• Luigina - warrior
• Lucretia - rich
• Luciana – light
• Margherita - pearl
• Marcella - female warrior
• Maura - dark-skinned, Moor
• Mimi - beloved
• Mirella – amazing
• Michelina – who is like God
• Melvolia - ill will
• Marinella - from the sea
• Nerezza - darkness
• Nicoletta - victory for the people
• Noelia - Nativity of the Lord
• Norm - standard, rule
• Ornella – blooming ash
• Orabella – golden, beautiful
• Paola - little
• Patricia - noblewoman
• Perlite – pearls
• Pirina – rock, stone
• Pasquelina - Easter child
• Renata – born again
• Roberta - famous
• Rosabella - beautiful rose
• Romola - from Rome
• Rosaria - rosary
• Rossella - rose
• Sandra – protecting humanity
• Celeste - heavenly girl
• Serafina - mountain
• Simone - listening
• Slarissa - fame
• Susana - lily
• Sentazza - saint
• Tiziena - of the Titans
• Fiorella - a small flower
• Felisa - lucky
• Ferdinenda – prepared for the trip
• Fiorenza - blooming
• Francesca – free
• Fulvia – yellow
• Chiera – clear, bright
• Edda - militant
• Eleanor – foreigner, different
• Elettra – shining, bright
• Enrica - housekeeper
• Ernesta - fighter against death

Italy continues to amaze with its originality and inspires new discoveries. Reading about its culture, traditions, nature and attractions makes me want to come there again and again. What should those who have not yet been to Italy do? You should definitely set a goal to go there!

Mysteries associated with the meaning and origin of names have always excited the minds of ordinary people. Italian male names reflect the essence of this hot, passionate people. Mostly the names are very beautiful.

The meanings after translation into Russian confirm the sincere impulse of the soul, courage and boiling blood of Italian men.

The Catholic Church had a great influence on the souls of people. Named after saints many babies.

Lift the veil of secrecy and find out what the names of the famous football player Mario Balotelli, the genius Leonardo da Vinci and other famous sons of sunny Italy mean.

List of Italian male names

“Brave lion”, “seductive”, “glittering”, “god’s spear”, “Easter child” - these are meanings translated into Russian. What do the Italian versions sound like?

Interesting facts about Italian male names

In Italy, heated disputes often flare up between parents and numerous relatives: after whom to name a newborn baby. Everyone defends their own option and believes that they are right.

Are there traditions associated with addressing men in Italy? Does fashion influence the choice of a name for a boy?

Do you know that:

• in the Middle Ages children often named after saints. Now this tradition is preserved in the villages. Residents of large cities adhere to it less and less;
• most modern Italian names have a Latin base. The ending -e or -o replaced the Latin -us. The transformation was facilitated by the suffixes -ello, -ino, -iano;
• During the Roman Empire there was an unusual tradition. The families were large. To avoid confusion, only the four older boys were given names. The remaining sons were called ordinal numbers, for example: Sextus - sixth. Gradually the original meaning was lost. Quintus does not always mean “fifth in a row”;
• many young families name their children after famous people, show business and film stars. In Italy, athletes are treated with great respect. The football craze led to mass registration of new Paolo, Fabio, Fernando and Mario;
• in the XXII – XIX centuries the most popular names there were Giuseppe and Leonardo. Modern parents sons are often named Fernando and Mario;
• There are creative parents who want to give their newborn an awkward or funny name in all countries. In Italy, eccentricities are fought at the legislative level. Government authorities have the right to refuse parents to register a baby if the chosen name will bring suffering to the child in the future;
• fashion has not spared men's names either. Previously, among the Italians there were many citizens who were addressed by Bartolomeo, Pierpaolo, Michelangelo. Shorter, stricter messages are popular now: Antonio, Pietro, Mario, Fabio.