Italian female names - poetry and beauty of everyday life

Italians are bright like the southern European sun, hot like a siesta and unpredictable like an April thunderstorm in Milan. Fiery brunettes, they can kill anyone with just one look. And their names match their owners - bright, sonorous, seething with passion and pressure. Let's get to know the hot Italian people better using names that perfectly convey the characters, culture and very soul of the male half of the Italian population.

Popular names

Abramo– responsible and prolific. As a rule, this name was given to the son in those Italian families where it was customary to have many children.
Agepito- the beloved, long-awaited and adored child of his parents. This name was given to the first or difficult children.
Adolfo– the name literally means “noble wolf.” Its owner had an unbridled temper, combined with the concepts of honor and dignity.
Alberto (Alberto)– the name of a bright, handsome and noble lord, quite often found in our time in all corners of the globe.
Alessandro- this name was given to boys inclined to establish justice and protect the weak.
Ambrogino– the name translates as “immortal.” This boy always gets away with it.
Amerigo- the name of a hardworking and purposeful person, as evidenced indisputably by two entire continents named in his honor.
Angelo– “sent by an angel,” a long-awaited or perhaps blond child.
Antonino(Antonio) is the name of an “invaluable”, pleasant and talented person in all respects.
Augusto- the name of a child from a respectable, noble and wealthy family, called to continue the work of his parents.
Baldassare- a noble and fearless warrior, born to defend the king and fatherland to the last drop of blood.
Basilio (Basilio)– the name of a person of royal blood or who has every chance of getting into a noble family.
Bernardino (Bernardo)- a brave, courageous and indestructible defender of the family and the king, undaunted like a bear.
Bertrando- the name translates as “bright raven”, that is, it was used to call a wise and resourceful person, perhaps of a very attractive appearance.
Valentino– the name of a person bursting with health, strength and hard work.
Vincente (Vincenzo)– the name of a conqueror, warrior and winner who is always in search of something new and better.
Virgilio- the name of a person not far from political circles, who is destined for a career as an ambassador or official.
Vitale– the name of a cheerful and life-loving person who always maintains a positive attitude and optimism.
Gabriel- a strong and invincible messenger of divine forces, with this beautiful name the person felt under the protection of the Almighty.
Gaspar (Gasparo)- this name was most often used to call boys from the hereditary families of the king’s messengers and court retinue; it literally means “treasure the bearer.”
Guido– literally translated “forest”. Usually the name of a person born into a simple family, probably hunting or collecting firewood.
Dario– the name of a person from a wealthy and usually powerful family.
Giuseppe- “multiplying.” This name could have been given to a boy in a family close to the financial sector or counting on the continuation and expansion of his father’s business.
Jacob (Jacomo)– literally “destroying.” The name of a person close to military affairs or even, perhaps, an executioner.
Innocenso- “innocent, virgin.” A boy with this name was usually quite modest and was most often born into a family close to the church and intended to serve God.
Carlo (Carlos)– the name directly means “person”. Kind, sympathetic, perhaps from the caste of healers.
Clemente- the name of a kind and compassionate person, whose complacency attracts everyone around him.
Leonardo– the name of a strong and brave person, literally translated as “strong lion.”
Leopoldo– translated as “ strong man" This name belonged to a man strong in mind, spirit and body.
Mario- “mature man.” The name Mario was often used to name boys on whom the family had special hopes.
Massimo– large, even more so big man, not only in terms of size, but also in its immense soul.
Orazio- the name of a perspicacious person who knows how to see hidden meaning where others cannot.
Pietro- an unyielding and invincible man, like a stone mountain, Pietro could rightfully be proud of his sonorous name.
Fabio- literally "bean". This name was most often given to boys born into a family of farmers.
Faustino- the name of a person who should be lucky everywhere and in any of his endeavors.
Emilio- “competing”. A person with this name always and everywhere wants to be the first, often regardless of the ways to achieve the goal.

Values

Without much difficulty, you can notice that for the most part, Italian names for men contain references to one or another character trait that parents would like to see in their child. However, there are often references to professions or areas of activity that the future man should, according to the parents, engage in in the future. Also often mentioned are the professions and origins of the fathers of the Italian family, which the little Italian will inherit. In this sense, the choice of names for boys in Italy is not very different from the naming principles of any other nation, which quite clearly reflect its culture, customs, crafts and the most valuable features of the national character.

2864 readers

Italian male names for a newborn boy - the choice of parents who want to name their baby unusually and beautifully. Many of them sound pleasant different languages and have interesting meanings.

History of the origin of Italian names

IN Italian names that have different roots are firmly established: German, Latin, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese. During the adaptation process, they changed their sound and spelling slightly. Male Italian names usually end in -o or -e. They also often contain the suffixes -ian, -ello, -in or similar.

In Italy, a special law regulates the specifics of naming newborns. It is allowed to give babies a complex name consisting of several (maximum three). For example, Alessandro Carlos or Luca Patrizio. However, this tradition is gradually losing popularity, and modern parents choose short and sonorous names for their children.

There are a number of prohibitions. For example, you cannot use offensive words or surnames as a name. It will also not work to name a newborn after its father or living siblings.

List of beautiful Italian names for boys

Among the Italian male names there are common ones in the Russian language, but with an unusual sound, as well as completely original ones. Thanks to the influence of funds mass media and with the knowledge gained, many of them become close and pleasant to us.

Italians are an expressive people. These are energetic people who love to show their feelings. Most names in this country can be divided into two groups. First: expressive and bright. They indicate active actions or positive traits character. The second group is an echo of faith. Boys are named after saints, or the name is otherwise connected to religion.

Name	name meaning	origin
Adriano	rich	Italy
Alberto	noble shine	Germany
Antonio	flower	Greece
Arlando	power of the eagles	Italy
Bernardo	like a bear	Italy
Valentino	full of strength and health	Italy
Vittorio	victory, winner	Italy
David	Darling	Italy
Dario	rich	Italy
Giacomo	destructive	Italy
Gino	undying, immortal	Italy
Gerardo	brave man	Italy
Calisto	the most beautiful	Italy
Carlo	Human	Spain
Carlos	Human	Spain
Casimiro	famous	Spain
Leon	lion	England
Leopoldo	brave	Germany
Luke	light	Greece
Luciano	easy	Italy
Mauro	black	Italy
Mario	courageous	Italy
Marcello	warlike	Portugal
Nikola	winning	Italy
Oscar	spear of god	Germany
Orlando	familiar ground	Italy
Patrizio	Human noble origin	Italy
Pietro	stone	Italy
Romeo	going to Rome	Italy
Renato	born again	Italy
Roberto	famous	Italy
Sergio	servant	Italy
Simone	listening	Italy
Teodoro	God given	Greece
Uberto	bright heart	Spain
Fabio	seductive	Italy
Fausto	lucky, successful	Italy
Enrique	housekeeper	Spain
Emilio	competing	Italy

Some of these beautiful Italian names have become quite common, while others are not common even in their homeland of origin.

Rare male names of Italian origin

Half a century ago, the most popular male names for newborns in Italy were:

Giuseppe - multiplying;
Giovanni - forgiven by God;
Antonio is a flower.

Today, babies are called this less often.

It is not so often that you meet little boys named:

Flavio - "blond";
Orfeo - “darkness of the night”;
Bertoldo - “wise lord”;
Baltassare - "royal protector";
Italo - “Italian”;
Luigi - "famous warrior";
Merino - “from the sea”;
Prospero - “fortunate”;
Romolo - “a native of Rome”;
Riccardo - "brave";
Franco - “free”;
Cesare - "hairy".

In international families, they try to choose an option so that the name sounds good in different languages. Sometimes parents show imagination and name their child an outlandish or non-existent name.

The most common Italian names and their meanings

The popularity of names in Italy is influenced by various factors: the region of residence of the family, fashion trends and the personal preferences of the parents.

The most common male names in Italy:

Francesco - “free”;
Alessandro - "protector of the people";
Matteo - “divine gift”;
Andrea - "brave warrior";
Lorenzo - “a native of Laurentum”;
Leonardo - "strongman";
Riccardo - “strong and brave”;
Gabriele is a “man strong from God.”

The baby may be named after a famous public figure, a popular actor, a successful athlete or another famous person.

Ancient and forgotten names

Some Italian boy names are common in certain regions, while others have fallen out of favor and become almost non-existent.

For example:

Barbaro (male version of the female name Barbara) - “foreigner”;
Arduino - “hardy comrade”;
Ruggiero - "famous spearman";
Galiotto is "independent".

Previously, in Italian families, a newborn boy was often named after his paternal or maternal grandfather, and then one name was found in different generations a certain family. There was also a tradition of “numbering” newborns. The first son was called Primo ("first"), the second - Secondo ("second"). Some families grew up with Decimo (“tenth”) and Ultimo (“last”). This tradition is gradually dying.

How to choose a name for a boy depending on his date of birth

Some names are quite eloquent. For example, Genarro means "January", Ottavio means "eighth", and Pasquale means "Easter child". If parents want to associate the baby’s name with the date of his birth, they usually call the baby by church calendar. Catholics have many holidays dedicated to saints: January 17 is St. Antonio's, April 4 is Isidore's, June 13 is Anthony's, and November 11 is Martin's. You can choose interesting male names of Italian origin from Orthodox calendar. For example, Pietro (“stone”) is the Italian version of the familiar name Peter. July 12 is the day of Saints Peter and Paul.

Among the wide variety of popular foreign names Italian name for a boy you can find something for every taste. In the future, the son will definitely appreciate the original choice of his parents, but for now it is worth considering that the name should be easy to pronounce, have a short and affectionate form, and also be combined with the patronymic. It is also important to pay attention to the fact that someday in the future the boy will become a man and have children of his own... Think now about what the middle name of your grandchildren will sound like.

Italian male names: a list of beautiful and popular names for boys 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 being discharged from the maternity hospital with a birth certificate, you need to contact the municipality of the locality, where a 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 of blue blood). 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 Italian names sound! 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. Typically male names end in 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 masculine affectionate suffixes: “ino” - Paolino, Leonardino, Danielino and feminine: “ina”, “uccia”, “etta” - Angelina (Angelina), Mariuccia (Mariuccia), Nicoletta (Nicoletta). But most often these derivatives are self-sufficient.

Adriana, Silvia, Laura, Isabella, Letizia - Italian female names are so beautiful that you can enjoy their sound endlessly. They are recognized as one of the most refined and melodic in Europe. These names are the true embodiment of femininity and charm. They impart special charm and charm, turning each girl into a real signorina.

Men's Italian names and surnames are in no way inferior to women's in their melody and beauty. Valentino, Vincente, Antonio, Graziano, Leonardo - each of these words is a true work an art that delights the human ear no less than the unsurpassed Italian opera.

Features of choosing an Italian name for a boy and a girl

Since the sixteenth century, a special tradition of naming has developed in Italy. The first son was named after his paternal grandfather. The daughter was given a happy Italian name for a girl, which was borne by her paternal grandmother. Second children were named after maternal relatives. In some families, this tradition has been preserved to this day.

Very often, beautiful Italian names for boys and girls are chosen according to the Catholic calendar. In most cases, children are named after local saints. For example, in Rome the name Romolo, belonging to the legendary founder of the Italian capital, is very popular.

In addition to family and religious traditions, other equally important factors play a role in the naming process. We are talking about the sound of popular Italian names and their meaning. Parents are trying to provide their children with a favorable future. In view of this, they select for children only those names whose meaning corresponds. At the same time, they carefully ensure that the chosen male or female Italian name sounds beautiful, harmonious and non-trivial in Italian.

List of the most beautiful Italian names for boys

Antonio. Interpreted as "invaluable"
Valentino. Italian name for a boy. Value = "strong"
Vincenzo. From Latin "vinco" = "to win"
Joseppe. Translated into Russian it means “Yahweh will reward”
Luciano. A beautiful Italian boy name. Means = "light"
Pasquale. Translated into Russian it means “born on Easter Day”
Romeo. Means "one who went as a pilgrim to Rome"
Salvatore. Italian boy name meaning "savior"
Fabrizio. Interpreted as "master"
Emilio. Translated into Russian it means “competing”

List of modern Italian girl names

Gabriella. Translated into Russian it means “strong from God”
Daniela. From Hebrew "God is my judge"
Joseppa. Means "Yahweh will reward"
Isabella. Italian girl name meaning "beautiful"
Laetitia. Translated into Russian it means happiness"
Marcella. Interpreted as “woman warrior”
Paola. Italian girl name meaning "little"
Rosetta. Translated into Russian it means “small rose”
Sienna. Interpreted as "tanned"
Francesca. Italian female name meaning "French"

The most popular Italian names for boys and girls

Today, the ranking of the most popular Italian names for boys is headed by Francesco, Alesandro and Andrea. They are followed by Matteo, Lorenzo and Gabriele.
As for beautiful female names in Italy, the most relevant among them are Julia, Martina, Chiara, Aurora and Georgia.

Most modern Italian names are of Roman origin. The most ancient ones are found in myths. For example, the name “Elena,” which means “shining,” was borne by the beautiful daughter of Zeus, the involuntary culprit of the beginning Trojan War. Some names in Ancient Rome were nothing more than nicknames, but gradually lost their original meaning. For example, Flavio is translated from Latin as “blond.” Foreigners were often given nicknames indicating the name of the area from which they came. This is how, for example, the name Luke appeared, i.e. comes from Lucania, as Basilicata was formerly called.

A particularly large number of nominal forms were formed from the names of Catholic saints. It is noteworthy that back in the Middle Ages, before surnames came into use, the variety of names was much greater. For example, there were Germanic names, borrowed from the Lombards, they are now extremely rare or have been transformed into surnames. Spelling variations of one name may differ from region to region depending on the local dialect. Thus, in Veneto and Emilia-Romagna it was customary to replace the letters “G” and “X” with “Z”: Zanfrancesco.

In addition, in the old days, liberties were not allowed in determining the name of a born child. The first-born boy received the name of his paternal grandfather, the second son received the maternal name, the third received the name of his father, and the fourth received the name of his paternal great-grandfather. The first-born girl received the name of the paternal grandmother, the second daughter - the maternal one, the third - the name of the mother, the fourth - the name of the paternal great-grandmother. Subsequent children were named after first and second cousins. There were also nuances: if the first son received the name not of his paternal grandfather, but of the patron saint of his village, the second had to be named in honor of his father; also, “out of turn” the boy was given his father’s name if he died before the birth of the child. In many Italian families, such a strict naming system is adopted to this day.

Male names

Most male Italian names were formed from Latin prototypes by replacing the common ending -us with -o (less often -a or -e). Forms with diminutive suffixes that end in -ino, -etto, -ello, -iano are also common.

According to statistics collected a few years ago (2008), boys in Italy are most often called by the names Francesco (3.5%), Alessandro (3.2%), Andrea (2.9%), Matteo (2.9%) , Lorenzo (2.6%), Gabriele (2.4%), Mattia (2.2%), Riccardo (2%), Davide (1.9%), Luca (1.8%). It is worth noting that this list is strikingly different from what could be seen half a century ago, when the top three were Giuseppe, Giovanni and Antonio.

Female names

Most male names have female form, changing the ending -o to -a. The names of saints are very popular, as well as variants with the endings -ella, -etta, -ina.

The most common female names today are Julia (3.5%), Sofia (3.2%), Martina (2.6%), Sarah (2.6%), Chiara (2.3%), Georgia ( 2.1%), Aurora (1.8%), Alessia (1.8%), Francesca (1.6%), Aliche (1.6%). In the middle of the last century, girls were most often called Maria, Anna and Giuseppina.

In general, if you take a list of the thirty most popular names in Italy, then their owners will be 50% of men and 45% of women.

Rare and ancient names

As already mentioned, in the past, very often a child’s name was given in honor of a saint. But even then many of them were very unusual and rare: Castenza, Calcedonio, Baltassare, Cipriano, Egidio. The use of such names was limited to areas where these saints were well known and revered. But non-religious names in the times of Christianity might not appear at all in civil registration documents: it was often replaced by the closest sounding Christian analogue or was not indicated at all.

During the conquests of the Franks, Normans and Lombards, such Italianized versions as Arduino, Ruggiero, Grimaldo, Teobaldo appeared. Before the rise of the Inquisition, Jewish and Arabic names were common, but later they almost completely disappeared.

Among Christian names, the majority are Roman Latin, but there are also Greek ones: Ippolito, Sophia. Some Orthodox variants were Latinized and adopted in Catholic society: Yuri turned into Yorio, Nikola into Nikolo.

Another category of extinct names are those that have been superseded by a more modern version. For example, the name Louise, which is of Spanish origin, is quite widely used today, while the original Italian sounds like Luigia.

Some novice researchers confuse some very similar names with Italian names. For example, the name Donna is not an Italian name at all. Or rather, such a word exists in Italian, but is widely used exclusively as a designation for a woman. But Madonna is a traditional Italian name, which was quite common in the old days.

In the Middle Ages, the Piedmonese and Sicilian dialects had a great influence on the territory of the country, which brought with them a considerable number of names specific to themselves. They lost popularity and disappeared when the Tuscan dialect was recognized as the official language. Thus, immediately a large group of names that prevailed in the 16th century was completely forgotten in the 18th century. Surprisingly, part of this group was revived in the last century, when there was a surge of interest in them among the bourgeois class that emerged at that time.

Finding the roots of rare ancient names today is quite difficult. Most of the records were lost, and scientists prefer to focus on the records of the southern regions, as the most complete and reliable. This is how the origin of the names Milvia and Milvio, which was common in the Albanian communities in the south and in Rome, was determined. They appeared after Constantine's victory on the Milvian Bridge (Ponte Milvio).

A rather interesting class of medieval names are derivatives of a common name, formed with the help of suffixes. This was often done with the names of children named after older relatives, in order to simultaneously indicate both kinship and individuality. From Antonio came Antonello and Antonino, as well as Antonella and Antonina, from Caterina - Catrinella, from Margherita - Margaritella, from Giovanni and Giovanna - Giovanello, Giovanella, Ianella and Janella.

Barbaro is the masculine form of the name Barbara, and Barbriano comes from the masculine version. The names Mintsiko and Masullo also come from the female Mintsika and Misulla. Geronimo is an obsolete version of the name Gerolamo. And the name Cola is nothing more than a shortening of Nikola, like Toro, which has nothing to do with bulls (toro), but only represents short form from Salvatore. Bastiano is a shortened form of the name Sebastiano. Minico, Minica, Minichello and Minichella come from the previously common names Domenico and Domenica.

Several names are derived from the titles of their masters. For example, Marquise, Tessa (from contessa - countess), Regina (queen). In fact, the name Regina does not refer to royalty, but refers to Mary, the mother of Christ. From Mary came the forms Mariella and Mariuccia.

The names of saints were not always of ancient origin. In old records you can find such options as Providenza (providence), Felicia (felicia - well-being), Dea (dea - goddess), Potency (Potenzia - power), Vergine and Virgin (chastity), Madonna, Santa (saint), Bellissima (beauty), Venus, Boniface and Benefacia, Doniza (bestowed), Violanti (fury), Mercurio and the name of unknown origin Shumi (Xhumi).

The female names Orestina, Furella, Fiuri, Ferencina, Cumonau and Doniza were unusual even in the 16th century, as were the male names Valli, Zalli, Galiotto, Manto, Vespristiano and Angiolino.

Trends

In a speech in early January, Pope Benedict XVI urged Italians to use lists of Christian martyrs when choosing a baby name, rather than the fanciful fictions and anglicisms that have been on the rise since the Eighties. The increase in the number of native non-Italian names is explained by the large influx of foreigners with their own cultural traditions.

In addition, modern parents gravitate towards shorter and more sonorous names. The tradition of giving children compound names (Giampiero, Pierpaolo), widespread several generations ago, is gradually becoming a thing of the past. Some names disappear because... the owners themselves refuse them. The judiciary allows such a procedure for bearers of funny, offensive or discriminatory names.

Every few years there is a surge in the popularity of a particular name. For example, at the beginning of the last century, 900 girls in a short period of time were named Fedora in honor of the heroine of the opera by Umberto Giordano. In the second half of the century, various ideological derivatives became fashionable: Libero (free), Selvaggia (rebel). And in recent years When choosing a name, many parents often name their children after sports idols and movie stars.

According to theoretical calculations, there are a little more than seventeen thousand names in Italy, but this number is conditional, since in reality parents can name a child with any name, whether it is already existing or invented there independently.

Legal restrictions

Despite rather strict traditions, modern Italians sometimes come to the decision to name their child foreign or simply unusual name. However, not every option can be approved by the registration authorities; the court reserves the right to ban if, in its opinion, the name may limit the child’s social interaction or expose him to danger in everyday life.

So, in 2008, a couple of Italians were forbidden to name their son Friday (Venerdì) by analogy with the character in the novel Robinson Crusoe. But progressive parents are not going to give up and threaten to give their next offspring the name Wednesday.