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Names From The Past
Italy is a Catholic country, so first names can often be determined by which saint’s festival falls on your birthday. Names like Matteo, Gabriel, and Davide come directly from Biblical figures, calling to mind the country’s long history with Christianity.
What Makes Italian Boys Names So Great?
There is a very specific, cute-sy, almost musical quality to the Italian language. There are specific sounds that repeat themselves, because unlike English, Italian only has 21 letters in its alphabet!
Italian baby boy names ending in O are very common; common examples include Alberto, Massimo, or Umberto. Names starting with M are also common; like Mario, Martino, Maurizio, Mauro.
The 10 Best Italian Baby Boy Names
Let’s look at 10 of the most popular Italian baby boy names of the past few years, as well as their origins and meanings.
10. Tommaso
Pronunciation: tom-MA-zo
Origin: Aramaic, Ta’oma
Meaning: ‘twin’
Famous Namesakes: Thomas Aquinas, saint; Tommaso Ciampa, professional wrestler
Overview: Tommaso is the Italian form of Thomas. Thomas was an apostle in the New Testament, who initially doubted the stories of Jesus’ resurrection, which is the origin of the phrase ‘Doubting Thomas’.
9. Riccardo
Pronunciation: reek-KAR-do
Origin: German, Richard
Meaning: ‘brave power’, ‘powerful leader of men’
Famous Namesakes: Riccardo Cassin, mountaineer; Riccardo Antoniazzi, violin maker
Overview: Riccardo is the most popular Italian boy’s name beginning with R. It is the Italian version of Richard.
8. Gabriele
Pronunciation: ga-bree-EH-leh
Origin: Hebrew, Gabriel
Meaning: ‘God is my strong man’
Famous Namesakes: Gabriele D’Annunzio, writer, poet, journalist and playwright
Overview: The most popular Italian male name beginning with G, Gabriele is the Italian form of Gabriel. Gabriel was an archangel who appeared before Mary to announce the birth of Jesus. Muslims also believe Gabriel to be the angel who dictated the Quran to the prophet Muhammad.
7. Matteo
Pronunciation: mat-TEH-oh
Origin: Greek, Matthaios
Meaning: ‘gift of YAHWEH’
Famous Namesakes: Matteo Darmian, footballer; Matteo Ricci, mathematician, and priest
Overview: An Italian form of Matthew, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. He was a tax collector and is considered the writer of the first Gospel.
6. Mattia
Pronunciation: mat-TEE-ah
Origin: Greek, Matthaios
Meaning: ‘gift of YAHWEH’
Famous Namesakes: Mattia Cassani, footballer; Mattia Benedetti, painter
Overview: The most popular Italian male name beginning with M and only slightly more popular than Matteo, this name is not as popular outside Italy. This is another Italian form of the name Matthew.
5. Leonardo
Pronunciation: Leh-oh-NAR-doh
Origin: Ancient German, Leonhard
Meaning: ‘lion’ and ‘brave, hardy’
Famous Namesakes: Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance artist and engineer; Leonardo DiCaprio, actor
Overview: Leonardo is the Italian form of the English name Leonard. Leonardo da Vinci was the archetypal Renaissance man who painted the Mona Lisa and dreamed up the first iterations of tanks and flying machines.
4. Andrea
Pronunciation: an-DRE-ah
Origin: Greek, Andreas
Meaning: ‘man’, ‘masculine’
Famous Namesakes: Andrea Bocelli, classical tenor; Andrea Pirlo, footballer
Overview: Italian form of the Greek name Andreas. In the New Testament the first disciple to join Jesus Christ was the apostle Andrew.
3. Lorenzo
Pronunciation: lo-REN-zo
Origin: Latin, Laurentius
Meaning: ‘someone from Laurentium’
Famous Namesakes: Lorenzo de’ Medici, banker and patron of the Renaissance; Lorenzo Lamas, actor.
Overview: The most popular Italian boy’s name beginning with L, Lorenzo is the Italian form of the English name Lawrence. Lorenzo de’ Medici, known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, was a prince of Florence during the Renaissance.
2. Alessandro
Pronunciation: ah-le-SAN-dro
Origin: Greek, from Alexandros
Meaning: ‘defender of mankind’
Famous Namesakes: Alessandro Volta, scientist; Alessandro Del Piero, footballer
Overview: In second place is the most popular Italian male name beginning with A. Alessandro is the Italian form of Alexander.
1. Francesco
Pronunciation: fran-CHES-ko
Origin: Latin, From Saint Francis of Assisi
Meaning: ‘French person’ or ‘free’
Famous Namesakes: St. Francis of Assisi; Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan; Francesco Totti, soccer player
General Overview: Not only is it the most common Italian name beginning with F, Francesco is the most common male name in all of Italy. It is the original version of the English name Francis.
Ancient Italy, Modern Names
These beautiful Italian names carry Italy’s rich tradition into the modern day. You can’t go wrong picking a name that has truly stood the test of time!
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