Italian names: our top 20 for girls and boys

Italian names for boys

Italian first names for  boys often sound unusual, but at the same time they are suitable for everyone and easy to pronounce. They often end in -o, the masculine ending in Italian.

1. Alessio is the Italian form of the ancient Greek “Alexis” and means “the helper”, “the protector” or “the defender”.
2. Davide is particularly popular in northern Italy. The children’s name originally comes from Hebrew and means translated “the beloved” or “the darling” – often in the biblical sense, since David, the king of Israel, was an ancestor of Jesus.
3. Similar to “Julius”, Giuliano is a Latin name that many would probably associate with the famous general Gaius Iulius Caesar. The meaning is “of the Julier family” or “dedicated to Jupiter”.
4. Carlo is related to the old German name “Karl” and is translated as “the (husband) man” or “the free man”.
5. Domenico  derives from the Latin “dominicus” which means “lord”. The name is associated with Sunday and has therefore often been used for boys born on that day.
6. Sergio was a surname in ancient Rome. The name is now popular as a first name with famous figures such as popes and footballers alike and is associated with the “Sergians”.
7. Romeo is best known for Shakespeare; Originally, however, the name comes from Latin (= romaeus) and means “the Rome pilgrim” or “the Roman”, which of course irrevocably links it to Italy.
8. Mio has many meanings: in Italian, the term is synonymous with “mine” or “mine”. However, the name is so international that it is translated in Serbia as “the graceful”, “the lovable”, “the charming” and “love”. In Japan , Mio is a girl’s name that means “beautiful cherry tree”.
9. Luca derives from “Lukas” and can be translated as “the shining one”. One could also assume that it derives from the Latin “lux” (= light), or the ancient Greek “leukos” (= bright, white).
10. Alessandro is a protector, because the ancient Greek and modern Italian name coincides with the words “alexein” (= protect, ward off) and “andros” (= man). The name is comparable to the German “Alexander”.
11. Matteo is very popular in Italian and originally comes from Hebrew. The name is often translated as “the gift of God” or “the gift of God”.
12. Raul is very common in southern Europe and is similar to the name “Ralf”. The Old High German variant means something like “the wolf” and “the advisor”.
13. Enrico is actually also derived from Old High German – the first name “Heinrich” is closely linked to the Italian form. Meanings range from “rich” and “powerful” to “ruler” and “homeland”.
14. Tullio , on the other hand, comes from Latin Rome, because “Tullius” is an ancient family name.
15. Auron derives from the Latin term “aurum”, so a child with this name is called “the golden one”.
16. Massimo is an extremely popular name in Italy. It derives from “Maximus”, which translates as “the greatest” or “very large”.
17. Lorenzo can only be a hero, because in Latin “laurus” means above all “laurel” or even “laurel wreath”. In Roman antiquity, this plant is a symbol of victory and belongs only to glorious victors and emperors. At the same time, “Laurentius” is an epithet for residents of the city of Laurentium.
18. Bono not only sounds nice, but is actually good, because the Latin word “bonus” translates to “the good” or “good”. The name was also used as an epithet due to its positive weighting.
19. Paolo works in a similar way in Latin: “Paulus” means “small”, which is why “the smaller” or “the younger” is often used as the name for children. This name was also used as an epithet in Roman and was often used for saints and popes.
20. Francesco was initially just a nickname, meaning “the little Frenchman” or “little Frenchman”. Incidentally, the first name “Francis” or “Frank” for short is derived from the Italian name.

Italian names for girls

Many Italian girl names are extremely popular and well-known in Germany. Most end in -a, which is the feminine form in Italian. But there are exceptions.

1. Emilia is related to the boy name “Emilio” and comes from Latin. In addition to its meaning as an ancient Roman surname, the word derives from “aemulus” (= to imitate, to emulate), so that girls with this name are called “the eager”, “the imitative” and “the diligent”.
2. Just like Luca, Bianca is interpreted as “the shiny one”. Other interpretations are “the white” and “the radiant”, whereby the children’s name could be derived from different languages ​​- including the Italian “bianco” (= white).
3. Mia can stand for the Italian word “mein”. More popular are translations from other languages ​​such as “the gift of God”, “sea star”, “the unruly one” and “the beloved”. Related names such as “Mary” and “Miriam” were consulted for these meanings.
4. Used in both ancient Greek and Roman, Irene means “the peaceful one” as the name derives from the Greek goddess of peace, Eirene.
5. Chiara is “the clear”, “the beautiful” or “the bright”, which goes back to the Latin term “clarus” and has passed into the Italian as “chiara” with the same meaning.
6. Aurora is the goddess of dawn in Roman mythology – the perfect first name for a child born in the early hours of the morning. Incidentally, it was not until the Renaissance that the name was introduced as a first name.
7. Beatrice brings luck. Because the name is derived from “beatus” (= happy) or “beare” (= bring luck). Your child would be a little lucky charm with this name.
8. Sofia comes from ancient Greek and is very popular in Italy and other European nations. She is “the wise”, “the wisdom” or “the virtue”.
9. Giulia has its origins in the name of a famous Roman general: Gaius Iulius Caesar, whose worship spread the name. Giulia is also the Italian spelling of “Julia” and can mean “dedicated to Jupiter”, considering the Latin base form “iovilius”.
10. Selina is a pet name for Spanish girls with the name “Celia” but originally comes from Latin. “Caelum” means “heaven”, so possible interpretations could be “the celestial”, “the moon” and “the light”. Another reason for this translation is the connection of the name to the Greek moon goddess Selene.
11. Alessandra has the same meaning as the related name “Alessandro”. Girls with this name are considered “the defender”, but more often “the protector of men”.
12. Claudia is the female form of “Claudius”, an ancient Roman first and family name. Related terms are “claudus” (= lame, limping) and “claudere” (= to secure, (close)), whereby Claudia is interpreted as “the limping” or “the closed one”.
13. Rebecca is very common in Italy and comes from the Hebrew: “ribqah” (= to tie). This is how meanings such as “the captivating”, “the beguiling” or “the flattering” emerged.
14. Ella lengthens to “Helena” or “Helene”, which links the child’s name to Greek mythology, although it is used around the world, including in Italy. Possible translations are therefore “the beautiful”, “the radiant” or “the sunny”.
15. Serena is once again of Latin origin as it is a modification of the word “serenus”. This word is also associated with light, because girls with this name are called “the clear”, “the bright”, “the calm” or “the cheerful” and “the friendly”.
16. Ivona is an extraordinary name. Since the Old German “iwa” best fits the name, one can choose the translation “Eibe” or “bow made of yew wood”. This is how the meaning of “the Archeress” arises for Ivona.
17. Amata will become a beloved child through the Latin origin “amatus”. She is “the beloved”.
18. Susanna sounds beautiful and convinces Germans and Italians alike. As a Hebrew or Egyptian word (“shoshan” and “sheshen”), Susanna is seen as “the (water) lily”.
19. Julietta can hardly break away from the connection with the Roman-Latin family name and thus also with Iulius Caesar. The ancient Roman main god Iupiter also has his fingers in the pie, because a girl with the first name Julietta is “dedicated to Jupiter”.
20. Maria is a name loved all over the world. Interpretations range from “the fertile” to “the unruly” to “the beloved”, “the star of the sea” and “the embittered”.