Nameberry.com – Italian names are among the most romantic and melodious in the world. The top Italian baby names today are Isabella for girls and Leonardo for boys.
Along with Isabella, Italian girl names in the US Top 100 include Mia, Aria, Luna, Bella, and Gianna. Along with Leonardo, Italian boy names in the US Top 200 include Antonio, Emiliano, Giovanni, and Luca.
The top names in Italy include Ginevra, Aurora, Francesco, and Alessandro. Contemporary Italian parents also like some non-Italian names for their babies. The German Alice and Emma along with the Hebrew Sara and Noemi are popular for girls. For boys, the Hebrew Nathan and the international favorite Liam are widely-used.
Classic Italian baby name books include descriptions of the person’s character and destiny based on their name, claiming that a child named Donato will be sweet and impressionable, for instance, while Ilaria is optimistic and sociable.
Browse our full list of Italian baby names here, or search our specialized lists of Italian girl names and Italian boy names.
Or you may want to browse our full roster of Name Origins or survey Popular Names by country.
- Origin: Italian variation of Henry, also diminutive of Vincenzo and Lorenzo
- Description: Enzo originated as the Italian variation of Heinz, a German name derived from Heinrich, related to Henry. It has historically been used as a short form for Italian names such as Vincenzo and Lorenzo. The most famous bearer of the name is Enzo Ferrari, founder of the luxury sports car brand.
- Origin: Italian word name or Scandinavian short form of Maria
- Meaning: “mine or bitter”
- Description: Mia originated as a short form of Maria, which ultimately derived from the Hebrew name Miryam. In modern times, Mia has been used as a nickname for names including Amelia, Emilia, and Miriam. Mia is also an Italian and Spanish word meaning ‘mine.’
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: “gift of God”
- Description: Mateo is a Latinate form of Matthew, which derived from the Hebrew name Mattiyahu, consisting of the elements mattan, meaning “gift” and yah, which references the Hebrew God. Mateo can also be spelled Matteo, which is the Italian variation. Matheo is an archaic Spanish spelling, although it is used in France as Mathéo.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: “precious stone”
- Description: Gemma is a jewel of a name, an Italian classic that was very popular in 1980s England, but has only recently been started to be used here; it entered the list in 2008.
