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Italian Word Names

Italian Word Names

Italian names are very fashionable these days, with choices like Isabella and Leonardo topping the American charts. If you’re after something more unique, we suggest looking in a new direction, toward international word names, which combine two of today's coolest trends.

In the US and Italy, Italian word names are more popular for girls, with choices like Bianca ("white") and Aurora ("dawn") among the top girl names in both countries.

Along with Bianca and Aurora, other Italian word names in the US Top 1000 include Aria, Bella, Gemma, Luna, and Mira. In Italy, word names such as Giada, Gioia, Azzura, and Ambra, are among the top baby names.

We combed our own dizionari for Italian words that could make perfectly appropriate, attractive baby names, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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Italian Baby Names

Word Names

  1. LunaHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "moon"
    • Description:

      The name of the Roman goddess of the moon, Luna is derived straight from the Latin word for moon, luna. Luna may be the name most likely to surprise someone from an older generation by its Top 10 status in the US and its widespread international popularity.
  2. AuroraHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "dawn"
    • Description:

      The goddess name Aurora has consistently been on the US popularity list since the nineteenth century, but has really taken off in the past 30 years. Aurora also enjoys remarkable international popularity, ranking in the Top 100 throughout the English-speaking world as well as in Italy, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, and several other European countries.
  3. GemmaHeart
    • 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.
  4. MiraHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin, Slavic, Arabic, Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "admirable; peace; female ruler; ocean"
    • Description:

      This name owes its present life to actress Sorvino. Mira and Mirra have an arty aura.
  5. AriaHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian and Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "air; song or melody; lion"
    • Description:

      Aria is a multi-cultural name with two extremely popular versions: this more word-like one along with Arya, the spelling used for the feisty young heroine of Game of Thrones. There were about 6400 baby girls named Aria in the US last year alog with 2400 named Arya, which counted together places the name in the Top 10.
  6. BiancaHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "white"
    • Description:

      Bianca, the livelier Italian and Shakespearean version of Blanche, has been chosen by many American parents since the 1990s, just as Blanca is a favorite in the Spanish-speaking community. Its meaning of white relates to snow, making it one of the prime names for winter babies.
  7. AlbaHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "white"
    • Description:

      Alba is quietly making a behind-the-scenes comeback, perhaps thanks to actress turned baby-product mogul Jessica Alba. Last on the Top 1000 a century ago, the name was given to nearly 200 baby girls in the US last year. Alba might be tomorrow's successor to Ava and Ella. In Spain, Alba ranks among the Top 20 girls' names. Alba is the name of a character in The Time Traveler's Wife.
  8. NeveHeart
    • Origin:

      Anglicized spelling of Irish Niamh or Italian and Portuguese
    • Meaning:

      "snow"
    • Description:

      Introduced to the American public by actress Neve Campbell; it was her Dutch-born mother's maiden name. Neve is an interesting and fresh new possibility, one which Conan O'Brien chose for his daughter.
  9. BellaHeart
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Isabella, Italian
    • Meaning:

      "beautiful"
    • Description:

      Bella derived as a diminutive of Isabella and other names with the suffix -bella. While Isabella is a variation of Elizabeth and thus means "God is my oath," Bella is considered to mean "beautiful." This is because Bella is related to the word for "beautiful" in languages including Spanish, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, and Greek, as well as the name Belle, which means "beautiful" in French.
  10. NeroHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "stern"
    • Description:

      The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories.
  11. CaraHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Portuguese
    • Meaning:

      "dear; friend; face"
    • Description:

      Cara is a simple, sweet, Italian endearment that enjoyed its greatest popularity from the 1970s through the 1990s, reaching a high of Number 189 in 1977. Though the name has been on the decline in recent years, that could change soon due to the rising celebrity of English model/actress Cara Delevingne, who played Enchantress in Suicide Squad. Cara is a highly popular choice in Ireland.
  12. MassimoHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Maximus
    • Meaning:

      "the greatest"
    • Description:

      Massimo is a Latin charmer, much more appealing than the old-fashioned Mario, and is a charismatic member of the Maximus/Magnus family.
  13. AllegraHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "joyous"
    • Description:

      In music, the term allegro means "quickly, lively tempo," which makes this quintessential Bohemian ballet dancer's name all the more appealing. Allegra is one of the most distinctive yet accessible girl names starting with A.
  14. MorganaHeart
    • Origin:

      Female version of Morgan, Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "sea-circle"
    • Description:

      Since Morgan is used as--or more--frequently for girls as for boys, this feminization has fallen by the wayside. It drew some brief attention via the pop singer Morgana King.

      The similar Morgiana appears in Tales from the Thousand and One Nights.

  15. ViolettaHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "purple"
    • Description:

      Violetta is a more vibrantly colored, feminissima form of Violet. It is the name of the heroine of the Verdi opera La Traviata--in fact Violetta was the original title of the work.
  16. LindaHeart
    • Origin:

      Spanish, Portuguese and Italian word name meaning "pretty"
    • Meaning:

      "pretty"
    • Description:

      Linda will live forever in baby name history for toppling Mary from its four hundred year reign as Number 1. Queen of Names in 1947, Linda has fallen even further in favor than Mary today.
  17. SerenellaHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian, elaboration of Serena
    • Meaning:

      "serene"
    • Description:

      Both rhythmic and serene, Serenella is one of the Italian names for girls virtually unknown in the US but definitely usable. An unusual route to Ella as a short form?
  18. CieloHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "sky"
    • Description:

      Expansive, sunny Italian word name.
  19. VitaHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "life"
    • Description:

      Vital and vivacious, Vita is stirring back to life along with many of her V-themed sisters -- Vivian, Vivica -- and is becoming a new celebrity baby favorite.
  20. ViaHeart
    • Origin:

      Nickname name
    • Description:

      Could be a short form of Sylvia, Olivia, or any other similar name. Or a vivid Italian word name.