Italian Names

Italian names are used in Italy and other Italian-speaking regions such as southern Switzerland. See also about Italian names.
gender
usage
Isaia m Italian, Old Church Slavic
Italian form of Isaiah, as well as the Old Church Slavic form.
Isidora f Spanish, Serbian, Portuguese (Rare), Italian (Rare), English (Rare), Ancient Greek
Feminine form of Isidore. This was the name of a 4th-century Egyptian saint and hermitess.
Isidoro m Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of Isidore.
Ismaele m Italian
Italian form of Ishmael.
Isotta f Italian
Italian form of Iseult.
Itala f Italian
Italian feminine form of Italus.
Italia f Italian
From the Italian name of the country of Italy, Italia (see Italus).
Italo m Italian
Italian form of Italus.
Ivan m Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, English, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Estonian
Newer form of the Old Church Slavic name Іѡаннъ (Ioannŭ), which was derived from Greek Ioannes (see John). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote Fathers and Sons, and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.
Ivano m Italian
Italian form of Ivan.
Ivo 1 m German, Dutch, Czech, Italian, Portuguese, Estonian, Latvian, Germanic
Germanic name, originally a short form of names beginning with the element iwa meaning "yew". Alternative theories suggest that it may in fact be derived from a cognate Celtic element. This was the name of saints (who are also commonly known as Saint Yves or Ives), hailing from Cornwall, France, and Brittany.
Jacopo m Italian
Italian form of Iacobus (see James).
Jessica f English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish
This name was first used in this form by William Shakespeare in his play The Merchant of Venice (1596), where it belongs to the daughter of Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical name Iscah, which would have been spelled Jescha in his time. It was not commonly used as a given name until the middle of the 20th century. It reached its peak of popularity in the United States in 1987, and was the top ranked name for girls between 1985 and 1995, excepting 1991 and 1992 (when it was unseated by Ashley). Notable bearers include actresses Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) and Jessica Lange (1949-).
Jolanda f Dutch, Slovene, Croatian, Italian
Dutch, Slovene and Croatian form of Yolanda, as well as an Italian variant of Iolanda.
Katia f Italian, French, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian
Italian and French form of Katya, as well as an alternate transcription of the Slavic name.
Katiuscia f Italian
Italian form of Katyusha.
Ladislao m Spanish, Italian (Rare)
Spanish and Italian form of Vladislav.
Lamberto m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Lambert.
Lando m Italian
Italian form of Lanzo (see Lance).
Lapo m Italian
Diminutive of Jacopo.
Lara 1 f Russian, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, Croatian
Russian short form of Larisa. It was introduced to the English-speaking world by a character from Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago (1957) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1965). Between 1965 and 1969 it increased by almost 2,000 percent in the United States, however it is currently much more popular in the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. Another famous fictional bearer is Lara Croft, first appearing in video games in 1996 and movies in 2001.
Laura f English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, French, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Lithuanian, Latvian, Late Roman
Feminine form of the Late Latin name Laurus, which meant "laurel". This meaning was favourable, since in ancient Rome the leaves of laurel trees were used to create victors' garlands. The name was borne by the 9th-century Spanish martyr Saint Laura, who was a nun thrown into a vat of molten lead by the Moors. It was also the name of the subject of poems by the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch.... [more]
Lauretta f Italian
Italian diminutive of Laura. This is the name of one of the narrators in Boccaccio's book The Decameron (1350).
Lauro m Italian
Italian form of Laurus (see Laura).
Lavinia f Roman Mythology, Romanian, Italian
Meaning unknown, probably of Etruscan origin. In Roman legend Lavinia was the daughter of King Latinus, the wife of Aeneas, and the ancestor of the Roman people. According to the legend Aeneas named the town of Lavinium in honour of his wife.
Lazzaro m Italian
Italian form of Lazarus. In the past it was used as an Italian word meaning "leper".
Leandro m Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Leander.
Leda f Greek Mythology, Italian
Meaning unknown. In Greek myth she was a Spartan queen and the mother of Castor, Pollux, Helen and Clytemnestra by the god Zeus, who came upon her in the form of a swan.
Lelia f Italian
Italian form of Laelia.
Lelio m Italian
Italian form of Laelius (see Laelia).
Lena f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Polish, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, English, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Georgian, Armenian
Short form of names ending in lena, such as Helena, Magdalena or Yelena. It is often used independently.
Leoluca m Italian
Combination of Leone 1 and Luca 1. This was the name of a 9th-century Sicilian saint.
Leonarda f Italian
Feminine form of Leonardo.
Leonardo m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Leonard. A notable bearer was Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), an Italian artist and scientist of the Renaissance. He is known as the inventor of several contraptions, including flying machines, as well as the painter of the Mona Lisa. Another famous bearer was Leonardo Fibonacci, a 13th-century Italian mathematician. A more recent bearer is American actor Leonardo DiCaprio (1974-).
Leone 1 m Italian
Italian form of Leo and Leon.
Leonida m Italian
Italian form of Leonidas.
Leonora f Italian
Italian short form of Eleanor.
Leonzio m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Leontios.
Leopoldo m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Leopold.
Letizia f Italian
Italian form of Letitia. It was borne by Napoleon Bonaparte's mother.
Lia 1 f Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Georgian, Greek, Biblical Latin
Italian, Portuguese, Georgian and Greek form of Leah.
Lia 2 f Italian, Dutch, German
Short form of Rosalia, Julia and other names ending in lia.
Liana f Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, English, Georgian
Short form of Juliana, Liliana and other names that end in liana. This is also the word for a type of vine that grows in jungles.
Liberato m Italian, Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese (Rare)
Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese form of Liberatus.
Liberatore m Italian (Rare)
Means "liberator" in Italian.
Liboria f Italian
Italian (particularly Sicilian) feminine form of Liborius.
Liborio m Italian
Italian (particularly Sicilian) form of Liborius.
Lidia f Polish, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Georgian, Old Church Slavic
Polish, Italian, Spanish and Georgian form of Lydia.
Lilia f Spanish, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian
Spanish and Italian form of Lily, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian Лилия or Ukrainian Лілія (see Liliya).
Linda f English, German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, French, Latvian, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Germanic
Originally a medieval short form of Germanic names containing the element lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender" (Proto-Germanic *linþaz). It also coincides with the Spanish and Portuguese word linda meaning "beautiful". In the English-speaking world this name experienced a spike in popularity beginning in the 1930s, peaking in the late 1940s, and declining shortly after that. It was the most popular name for girls in the United States from 1947 to 1952.
Lino 1 m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Galician
Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Galician form of Linus.
Lino 2 m Italian
Short form of Angelino and other names ending in lino.
Lisa f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian
Short form of Elizabeth (though often used independently) and its cognates in other languages. This is the name of the subject of one of the world's most famous paintings, the Mona Lisa, the portrait of Lisa del Giocondo by Leonardo da Vinci.... [more]
Livia 1 f Italian, Romanian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Livius. This was the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Augustus, Livia Drusilla.
Liviana f Italian, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of the Roman family name Livianus, which was itself derived from the family name Livius.
Livio m Italian
Italian form of Livius.
Lodovico m Italian
Italian form of Ludwig.
Loredana f Italian, Romanian
Used by the French author George Sand for a character in her novel Mattea (1833) and later by the Italian author Luciano Zuccoli in his novel L'amore de Loredana (1908). It was possibly based on the Venetian surname Loredan, which was derived from the place name Loreo.
Lorena 1 f Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian form of Lorraine.
Lorenza f Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish feminine form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1).
Lorenzo m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1). Lorenzo de' Medici (1449-1492), known as the Magnificent, was a ruler of Florence during the Renaissance. He was also a great patron of the arts who employed Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli and other famous artists.
Loreta f Italian
Variant of Loreto.
Loreto f & m Spanish, Italian
From the name of a town in Italy, originally called Lauretum in Latin, meaning "laurel grove". Supposedly in the 13th century the house of the Virgin Mary was miraculously carried by angels from Nazareth to the town. In Spain it is a feminine name, from the Marian title Nuestra Señora de Loreto, while in Italy it is mostly masculine.
Loretta f English, Italian
Perhaps a variant of Lauretta or Loreto. A famous bearer was the American actress Loretta Young (1913-2000), whose birth name was Gretchen.
Loris m Italian
Diminutive of Lorenzo.
Lorita f Italian (Rare)
Possibly a variant of Loreto.
Lotario m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Lothar.
Luana f English, Italian, Portuguese
From the movie Bird of Paradise (1932), in which it was borne by the main character, a Polynesian girl. The movie was based on a 1912 play of the same name set in Hawaii.
Luca 1 m Italian, Romanian
Italian and Romanian form of Lucas (see Luke). This name was borne by Luca della Robbia, a Renaissance sculptor from Florence.
Luce f Italian, French
Italian and French variant of Lucia. This also means "light" in Italian.
Lucetta f Italian
Diminutive of Luce. Shakespeare used this name for a character in his play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
Lucia f Italian, German, Dutch, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Slovak, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Lucius. Saint Lucia was a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse. She was said to have had her eyes gouged out, and thus she is the patron saint of the blind. She was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). It has been used in the England since the 12th century, usually in the spellings Lucy or Luce.
Luciano m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Lucianus.
Lucilio m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Lucilius.
Lucilla f Italian, Ancient Roman
Latin diminutive of Lucia. This was the name of a 3rd-century saint martyred in Rome.
Lucio m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Lucius.
Lucrezia f Italian
Italian form of Lucretia.
Ludovica f Italian
Italian feminine form of Ludwig.
Ludovico m Italian
Italian form of Ludwig.
Luigi m Italian
Italian form of Louis. It has been borne by five prime ministers of Italy since the 19th century. This is also the name of Mario's brother in Nintendo video games (debuting 1983), called ルイージ (Ruīji) in Japanese.
Luigia f Italian
Italian feminine form of Louis.
Luigina f Italian
Diminutive of Luigia.
Luigino m Italian
Diminutive of Luigi.
Luisa f Spanish, Italian
Feminine form of Luis.
Luisella f Italian
Diminutive of Luisa.
Luna f Roman Mythology, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, English
Means "the moon" in Latin (as well as Italian, Spanish and other Romance languages). Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky.
Maddalena f Italian
Italian form of Magdalene.
Mafalda f Portuguese, Italian, Spanish
Originally a medieval Portuguese form of Matilda. This name was borne by the wife of Afonso, the first king of Portugal. In modern times it was the name of the titular character in a popular Argentine comic strip (published from 1964 to 1973) by Quino.
Malvina f Literature, English, Italian, French
Created by the Scottish poet James MacPherson in the 18th century for a character in his Ossian poems. He probably intended it to mean "smooth brow", from Scottish Gaelic mala "brow" and mìn "smooth, fine" (lenited to mhìn and pronounced with a v sound).
Manfredi m Italian
Southern Italian form of Manfred.
Manfredo m Italian
Italian form of Manfred.
Manlio m Italian
Italian form of Manlius.
Manuel m Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French, Romanian, Late Greek (Latinized)
Spanish and Portuguese form of Emmanuel. In the spelling Μανουήλ (Manouel) it was also used in the Byzantine Empire, notably by two emperors. It is possible this form of the name was transmitted to Spain and Portugal from Byzantium, since there were connections between the royal families (king Ferdinand III of Castile married Elisabeth of Hohenstaufen, who had Byzantine roots, and had a son named Manuel). The name has been used in Iberia since at least the 13th century and was borne by two kings of Portugal.
Manuele m Italian
Italian variant of Manuel.
Mara 1 f Biblical, Biblical Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Means "bitter" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is a name that Naomi calls herself after the death of her husband and sons (see Ruth 1:20).
Marcellino m Italian
Italian form of Marcellinus.
Marcello m Italian
Italian form of Marcellus.
Marciano m Portuguese, Spanish, Italian (Rare)
Portuguese, Spanish and Italian form of Marcianus.
Marco m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch
Italian form of Marcus (see Mark). During the Middle Ages this name was common in Venice, where Saint Mark was supposedly buried. A famous bearer was the Venetian explorer Marco Polo, who travelled across Asia to China in the 13th century.
Margherita f Italian
Italian form of Margaret. This is also the Italian word for the daisy flower (species Bellis perennis, Leucanthemum vulgare and others).
Maria f & m Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Occitan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Faroese, Dutch, Frisian, Greek, Polish, Romanian, English, Finnish, Estonian, Corsican, Sardinian, Basque, Armenian, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Latin form of Greek Μαρία, from Hebrew מִרְיָם (see Mary). Maria is the usual form of the name in many European languages, as well as a secondary form in other languages such as English (where the common spelling is Mary). In some countries, for example Germany, Poland and Italy, Maria is occasionally used as a masculine middle name.... [more]
Maria Chiara f Italian
Combination of Maria and Chiara.
Maria Francesca f Italian
Combination of Maria and Francesca.
Maria Grazia f Italian
Combination of Maria and Grazia.
Mariangela f Italian
Combination of Maria and Angela.
Marianna f Italian, Hungarian, Slovak, Polish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Russian, Greek, English
Combination of Maria and Anna. It can also be regarded as a variant of the Roman name Mariana, or as a Latinized form of Mariamne.
Mariano m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Marianus. It is sometimes regarded as a masculine form of Maria.
Maria Pia f Italian
Combination of Maria and Pia.
Mariapia f Italian
Combination of Maria and Pia.
Mariasole f Italian
Combination of Maria and Sole.
Maria Vittoria f Italian
Combination of Maria and Vittoria.
Marica f Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Hungarian, Italian
Diminutive of Marija (Croatian, Serbian and Slovene) or Mária (Hungarian).
Mariella f Italian
Italian diminutive of Maria.
Marika f Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, Greek, Finnish, Estonian, Swedish, Georgian, Italian, German
Diminutive of Maria and other names beginning with Mari.
Marilena f Italian, Romanian, Greek
Combination of Maria and Elena.
Marina f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Greek, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Georgian, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Marinus. This name was borne by a few early saints. This is also the name by which Saint Margaret of Antioch is known in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Marinella f Italian
Diminutive of Marina.
Marino m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Marinus.
Mario m Italian, Spanish, German, Croatian
Italian and Spanish form of Marius. Famous bearers include American racecar driver Mario Andretti (1940-) and Canadian hockey player Mario Lemieux (1965-). It is also borne by a Nintendo video game character, a moustached Italian plumber, who debuted as the playable hero of Donkey Kong in 1981. Spelled マリオ (Mario) in Japanese Katakana, he was reportedly named after Mario Segale (1934-2018), an American businessman who rented a warehouse to Nintendo.
Marisa f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese combination of Maria and Luisa.
Maristella f Italian
Italian form of Maristela.
Martina f German, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Hungarian, English, Swedish, Dutch, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Martinus (see Martin). Saint Martina was a 3rd-century martyr who is one of the patron saints of Rome.
Martino m Italian
Italian form of Martinus (see Martin).
Marzia f Italian
Italian form of Marcia.
Marzio m Italian
Italian form of Marcius.
Massimiliano m Italian
Italian form of Maximilian.
Massimo m Italian
Italian form of Maximus.
Matilde f Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Matilda.
Mattea f Italian
Italian feminine form of Matthew.
Matteo m Italian
Italian form of Matthew.
Mattia m Italian
Italian form of Matthias.
Maurizia f Italian
Feminine form of Maurizio.
Maurizio m Italian
Italian form of Mauritius (see Maurice).
Mauro m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Maurus.
Melania f Italian, Spanish, Polish, Romanian, Late Roman
Italian, Spanish, Polish and Romanian form of Melanie.
Melchiorre m Italian
Italian form of Melchior.
Mercurio m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Mercury.
Mia f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, German, Italian, Slovene, Croatian, English
Diminutive of Maria. It coincides with the Italian word mia meaning "mine".... [more]
Michela f Italian
Italian feminine form of Michael.
Michelangelo m Italian
Combination of Michael and Angelo, referring to the archangel Michael. The Renaissance painter and sculptor Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), from Florence, was the man who created such great works of art as the statue of David and the mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This name was also borne by the Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi (1571-1610), better known as Caravaggio.
Michele 1 m Italian
Italian form of Michael.
Michelina f Italian
Feminine diminutive of Michele 1.
Micol f Italian
Italian variant form of Michal 2 (the Italian biblical form being Mikal). This is the name of the heroine in Giorgio Bassani's novel The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1962).
Milena f Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, Italian
Feminine form of Milan. It began to be used in Italy in honour of Milena Vukotić (1847-1923), mother of Helen of Montenegro, the wife of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III. In Italy it can also be considered a combination of Maria and Elena.
Mirco m Italian
Italian variant of Mirko.
Mirella f Italian
Italian form of Mireille.
Miriam f Hebrew, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Biblical
Form of Mary used in the Old Testament, where it belongs to the elder sister of Moses and Aaron. She watched over the infant Moses as the pharaoh's daughter drew him from the Nile. The name has long been popular among Jews, and it has been used as an English Christian name (alongside Mary) since the Protestant Reformation.
Miriana f Italian
Italian variant of Miriam.
Mirko m Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian, Italian
From the Slavic element mirŭ meaning "peace, world", originally a diminutive of names containing that element.
Mirta f Spanish, Italian, Croatian
Spanish, Italian and Croatian cognate of Myrtle.
Modesto m Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of Modestus.
Monica f English, Italian, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Late Roman
Meaning unknown, most likely of Berber or Phoenician origin. In the 4th century this name was borne by a North African saint, the mother of Saint Augustine of Hippo, whom she converted to Christianity. Since the Middle Ages it has been associated with Latin moneo "advisor" and Greek μονός (monos) "one, single".... [more]
Morena f Italian, Spanish
Feminine form of Moreno.
Moreno m Italian, Spanish
Derived from Italian moro or Spanish moreno meaning "dark-skinned".
Mosè m Italian, Biblical Italian
Italian form of Moses.
Nadia 1 f French, Italian, Spanish, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian
Variant of Nadya 1 used in Western Europe, as well as an alternate transcription of the Slavic name. It began to be used in France in the 19th century. The name received a boost in popularity from the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci (1961-).
Naldo m Italian (Rare)
Short form of names ending in naldo, such as Rinaldo or Arnaldo.
Napoleone m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Napoleon. Besides the French emperor, it was borne by the Italian cardinal Napoleone Orsini (1263-1342) and the writer and politician Napoleone Colajanni (1847-1921).
Narciso m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Narcissus. This is also the word for the narcissus flower in those languages.
Natale m Italian
Masculine form of Natalia.
Natalina f Italian, Portuguese
Diminutive of Natalia (Italian) or Natália (Portuguese).
Natalino m Italian
Diminutive of Natale.
Nazario m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Nazarius.
Nazzareno m Italian
Italian form of the Late Latin Nazarenus, which meant "from Nazareth, Nazarene". Nazareth was the town in Galilee where Jesus lived. According to the New Testament, the phrase Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum meaning "Jesus the Nazarene, king of the Jews", was inscribed on the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.
Nella f Italian
Short form of Antonella.
Nello m Italian
Short form of names ending in nello, such as Brunello or Antonello.
Nereo m Italian, Spanish (Latin American)
Italian and Spanish form of Nereus.
Nerina f Italian
Probably from Greek Νηρηΐδες (see Nereida). This name was used by Torquato Tasso for a character in his play Aminta (1573), and subsequently by Giacomo Leopardi in his poem Le Ricordanze (1829).
Nerio m Italian
Possibly a variant of Nereo.
Nero 2 m Italian
Short form of Raniero. It also coincides with the Italian word nero meaning "black".
Nestore m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Nestor.
Nevio m Italian
Italian form of the Roman family name Naevius, which was derived from Latin naevus "mole (on the body)". A famous bearer was the 3rd-century BC Roman poet Gnaeus Naevius.
Niccolò m Italian
Italian form of Nicholas. Famous bearers include Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), a Florentine political philosopher, and Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840), a Genoese composer and violinist.
Nico m Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish, Portuguese
Short form of Nicholas (or sometimes Nicodemus).
Nicodemo m Italian, Spanish (Rare), Portuguese (Rare)
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Nicodemus.
Nicola 1 m Italian
Italian form of Nicholas. A notable bearer was the 13th-century sculptor Nicola Pisano.
Nicolao m Italian (Rare)
Italian variant form of Nicholas.
Nicoletta f Italian
Feminine diminutive of Nicola 1.
Nicolina f Italian
Feminine diminutive of Nicola 1.
Nicolino m Italian
Italian diminutive of Nicola 1.
Nicolò m Italian
Italian variant form (particularly Sicilian) of Nicholas.
Nilo m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Neilos (and also of the Nile River).
Nina 1 f Russian, Italian, English, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Lithuanian, Dutch, Polish, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Short form of names that end in nina, such as Antonina or Giannina. It was imported to Western Europe from Russia and Italy in the 19th century. This name also nearly coincides with the Spanish word niña meaning "little girl" (the word is pronounced differently than the name).... [more]
Ninfa f Spanish, Italian
Spanish and Italian form of Nympha.
Nino 1 m Italian
Short form of Giannino, Antonino and other names ending in nino.
Nives f Italian, Croatian
Italian form of Nieves.
Noè m Italian, Biblical Italian
Italian form of Noah 1.
Noemi f Italian, Czech, Polish, Romanian, German, Biblical Latin
Form of Naomi 1 in several languages.
Nora 1 f English, Irish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish
Short form of Honora or Eleanor. Henrik Ibsen used it for a character in his play A Doll's House (1879).
Norberto m Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Norbert.
Norina f Italian
Italian diminutive of Nora 1.
Norma f English, Italian, Literature
Created by Felice Romani for the main character in the opera Norma (1831). He may have based it on Latin norma "rule". This name is also frequently used as a feminine form of Norman.
Novella f Italian
Derived from Latin novellus meaning "new, young, novel", a diminutive of novus "new". This name was borne by the 14th-century Italian scholar Novella d'Andrea, who taught law at the University of Bologna.
Nunzia f Italian
Short form of Annunziata.
Nunziatina f Italian
Diminutive of Nunzia.
Nunzio m Italian
Masculine short form of Annunziata. It also coincides with the related Italian word nunzio "messenger" (ultimately from Latin nuntius).
Oddo m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Otto.
Odoacre m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Odoacer.
Ofelia f Spanish, Italian
Spanish and Italian form of Ophelia.
Olga f Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Czech, Slovene, Serbian, Bulgarian, Greek
Russian form of the Old Norse name Helga. The 10th-century Saint Olga was the wife of Igor I, the ruler of Kievan Rus (a state based around the city of Kyiv). Like her husband she was probably a Varangian, who were Norse people who settled in Eastern Europe beginning in the 9th century. Following Igor's death she ruled as regent for her son Svyatoslav for 18 years. After she was baptized in Constantinople she attempted to convert her subjects to Christianity, though this goal was only achieved by her grandson Vladimir.
Olindo m Literature, Italian
Used by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso for the lover of Sophronia in his epic poem Jerusalem Delivered (1580). It might be a variant of Olinto, the Italian form of the ancient Greek city Ὄλυνθος (Olynthos) meaning "wild fig".
Oliva f Late Roman, Spanish, Italian
Late Latin name meaning "olive". This was the name of a 2nd-century saint from Brescia.
Olivia f English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
This name was used in this spelling by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy Twelfth Night (1602). This was a rare name in Shakespeare's time that may have been based on Oliva or Oliver, or directly on the Latin word oliva meaning "olive". In the play Olivia is a noblewoman wooed by Duke Orsino. Instead she falls in love with his messenger Cesario, who is actually Viola in disguise.... [more]
Oliviero m Italian
Italian form of Oliver.
Omar 1 m Arabic, Bosnian, Kazakh, Malay, English, Spanish, Italian
Alternate transcription of Arabic عمر (see Umar). This is the usual English spelling of the name of the 12th-century poet Umar Khayyam. In his honour it has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world, notably for the American general Omar Bradley (1893-1981).
Ondina f Portuguese, Italian
Portuguese and Italian form of Undine.
Onofrio m Italian
Italian form of Onuphrius.
Orazio m Italian
Italian form of Horatius.
Oreste m Italian
Italian form of Orestes.
Orfeo m Italian, Spanish (Rare)
Italian and Spanish form of Orpheus.
Oria f Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Aurea.
Oriana f Italian, Spanish
Possibly derived from Latin aurum "gold" or from its derivatives, Spanish oro or French or. In medieval legend Oriana was the daughter of a king of England who married the knight Amadis.
Orietta f Italian
Diminutive of Oria.
Orlanda f Italian (Rare)
Feminine form of Orlando.
Orlando m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Carolingian Cycle
Italian form of Roland, as used in the epic poems Orlando Innamorato (1483) by Matteo Maria Boiardo and the continuation Orlando Furioso (1532) by Ludovico Ariosto. In the poems, Orlando is a knight in Charlemagne's army who battles against the invading Saracens. A character in Shakespeare's play As You Like It (1599) also bears this name, as does a city in Florida.
Ornella f Italian
Created by the Italian author Gabriele d'Annunzio for his novel La Figlia di Jorio (1904). It is derived from Tuscan Italian ornello meaning "flowering ash tree".
Orsina f Italian (Rare)
Feminine form of Orsino.
Orsino m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of the Roman name Ursinus, itself derived from Ursus (see Urs). This is the name of a duke in Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night (1602).
Orso m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Ursus (see Urs).
Orsola f Italian
Italian form of Ursula.
Osanna f Italian
Italian form of Hosanna. This was the name of a 15th-century Italian saint and mystic, as well as a 16th-century Montenegrin saint.
Oscar m English, Irish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, French, Irish Mythology
Possibly means "deer friend", derived from Old Irish oss "deer" and carae "friend". Alternatively, it may derive from the Old English name Osgar or its Old Norse cognate Ásgeirr, which may have been brought to Ireland by Viking invaders and settlers. In Irish legend Oscar was the son of the poet Oisín and the grandson of the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill.... [more]
Osvaldo m Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of Oswald.
Otello m Italian
Italian form of Othello. This was the name of an 1887 opera by Giuseppe Verdi, based on Shakespeare's play.
Ottavia f Italian
Italian form of Octavia.
Ottaviano m Italian
Italian form of Octavianus (see Octavian).
Ottavio m Italian
Italian form of Octavius.
Ottone m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Otto.
Ottorino m Italian
Originally a variant of Ottolino, a diminutive of Ottone.
Ovidio m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Ovidius (see Ovid).
Palmiro m Italian
Means "pilgrim" in Italian. In medieval times it denoted one who had been a pilgrim to Palestine. It is ultimately from the word palma meaning "palm tree", because of the custom of pilgrims to bring palm fronds home with them. The name is sometimes given to a child born on Palm Sunday.
Pancrazio m Italian
Italian form of Pancratius.
Panfilo m Italian
Italian form of Pamphilos. The Italian author Boccaccio used this name in his work The Decameron (1350).
Pantaleone m Italian
Italian form of Pantaleon.
Paola f Italian
Italian feminine form of Paul.
Paolina f Italian
Italian feminine form of Paulinus (see Paulino).
Paolino m Italian
Italian form of Paulinus (see Paulino).
Paolo m Italian
Italian form of Paulus (see Paul). Paolo Uccello and Paolo Veronese were both Italian Renaissance painters.
Paride m Italian
Italian form of Paris 1.
Pasquale m Italian
Italian form of Pascal.
Pasqualina f Italian
Italian feminine form of Pascal.
Pasqualino m Italian
Diminutive of Pasquale.
Patrizia f Italian
Italian feminine form of Patricius (see Patrick).
Patrizio m Italian
Italian form of Patricius (see Patrick).
Pellegrino m Italian
Italian form of Peregrinus (see Peregrine).
Peppe m Italian
Diminutive of Giuseppe.
Peppino m Italian
Diminutive of Giuseppe.
Perla f Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish cognate of Pearl.
Petronilla f Italian, Late Roman
From a Latin name, a diminutive of Petronia, the feminine form of Petronius. This was the name of an obscure 1st-century Roman saint, later believed to be a daughter of Saint Peter.
Pier m Italian, Dutch
Italian and Dutch variant form of Peter. In Italian, this form is often used in combination with another name.
Piera f Italian
Italian feminine form of Peter.
Pierina f Italian
Feminine diminutive of Piero.
Pierino m Italian
Diminutive of Piero.
Pierluigi m Italian
Combination of Piero and Luigi.
Piero m Italian
Italian form of Peter. Piero della Francesca was an Italian Renaissance painter.
Pierpaolo m Italian
Combination of Piero and Paolo.
Pietra f Italian
Italian feminine form of Peter.
Pietrina f Italian
Feminine diminutive of Pietro.
Pietro m Italian
Italian form of Peter. Pietro was the given name of the Renaissance painter known as Perugino.
Pina f Italian
Short form of names ending in pina.
Pino m Italian
Short form of names ending in pino.
Pio m Italian, Portuguese (Rare)
Italian and Portuguese form of Pius.
Pippo m Italian
Diminutive of Filippo or Giuseppe.
Placida f Late Roman, Italian (Rare)
Feminine form of Placidus (see Placido).
Placido m Italian
Italian form of the Late Latin name Placidus meaning "quiet, calm". Saint Placidus was a 6th-century Italian saint, a disciple of Saint Benedict.
Plinio m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Plinius (see Pliny).
Pompeo m Italian
Italian form of Pompeius (see Pompey).
Ponzio m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Pontius.
Porfirio m Spanish, Italian (Rare)
Derived from the Greek name Πορφύριος (Porphyrios), which was derived from the word πορφύρα (porphyra) meaning "purple dye". This was the name of several early saints.
Primo m Italian
Italian form of the Late Latin name Primus, which meant "first". This was the name of three early saints, each of whom was martyred.
Primula f English (Rare), Italian (Rare)
From the name of a genus of several species of flowers, including the primrose. It is derived from the Latin word primulus meaning "very first".
Priscilla f English, Italian, French, Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, Biblical
Roman name, a diminutive of Prisca. In Acts in the New Testament Paul lived with Priscilla (also known as Prisca) and her husband Aquila in Corinth for a while. It has been used as an English given name since the Protestant Reformation, being popular with the Puritans. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used it in his 1858 poem The Courtship of Miles Standish.
Prospero m Italian
Italian form of Prosper. This is the name of the main character, a shipwrecked magician, in The Tempest (1611) by William Shakespeare.