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315 Italian Boy Names

315 Italian Boy Names

Italian boy names are becoming increasingly popular among parents of all ethnicities, in part because many of them feature the oh-so-stylish final letter "O." This has contributed to the rise of such Italian names for boys as Matteo and Leonardo.

Along with Matteo and Leonardo, other Italian names for boys in the US Top 1000 include Emiliano, Aldo, Dante, Enzo, Luca, Maximo, Rocco, Romeo, and Santino. Unique Italian boy names that are becoming more popular include Cassio, Piero, and Giorgio.

Popular Italian boy names in Italy include Leonardo — currently ranking Number 1 in its native land — Alessandro, Francesco, and Giuseppe. Some non-Italian names popular for boys in Italy include Christian, Nathan, and the international favorite Liam.

See if any of the charming names in our list of Italian male names might work for your son. The Italian boy names and meanings below are ranked according to their current popularity on Nameberry.

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  1. ElioHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian, Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "sun"
    • Description:

      Elio is a sunny and spirited Italian and Spanish name that makes a great crossover prospect, which could catch on as Enzo has. Elio is also currently popular in France, ranking in the Top 250.
  2. LucaHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Luke and Lucas
    • Meaning:

      "light or man from Lucania"
    • Description:

      If there was once a bias against this charming and venerable Italian name for possibly sounding too feminine, consider it gone. Since Luca entered the boys’ names U.S. popularity list in 2000, it has shot up in popularity. It's one of the top Italian baby names in the US and a popular choice throughout Europe as well.
  3. MateoHeart
    • 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.
  4. DanteHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin diminutive of Durant
    • Meaning:

      "enduring"
    • Description:

      Though closely associated with the great medieval Florentine poet Dante Alighieri -- who's so famous most people skip the last name -- it's not as much of a one-man name as you might think. Heck, it's not even a one-poet name, thanks to British pre-Rapahaelite Dante Gabriel Rosetti. Though especially well used in the Italian-American community, it would make a striking name for any little boy.
  5. MatteoHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "gift of God"
    • Description:

      This attractively energetic Italian version of the classic Matthew is primed to move further and further into mainstream American nomenclature. Mateo is technically the Spanish version, but many parents in the US use the two spellings interchangeably.
  6. MarcoHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian and Spanish form of Mark
    • Meaning:

      "warlike"
    • Description:

      Simple and universal, Marco is a Latin classic that would make a much livelier namesake for an Uncle Mark. It was used for her son by actress Jill Hennessy and goes well with surnames of any nationality.
  7. RomeoHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "pilgrim to Rome, Roman"
    • Description:

      It wasn't so long ago that Romeo was considered as outre for an American baby as Casanova or Cupid. But that really changed when David and Victoria Beckham chose it for their second son in 2002, a path followed by Jon Bon Jovi.
  8. LorenzoHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Laurence
    • Meaning:

      "from Laurentium"
    • Description:

      Latinizing Lawrence gives it a whole new lease on life. Like Leonardo, Lorenzo has been integrated into the American stockpot of names, partly via actor Lorenzo Lamas. Other associations are with Lorenzo de' Medici, the Florentine Renaissance merchant prince and art patron, Renaissance artists Ghiberti and Lotto, and the upstanding young man who married Shylock's daughter Jessica in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
  9. OrlandoHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Roland
    • Meaning:

      "famous throughout the land"
    • Description:

      Orlando, the ornate Italianate twist on the dated Roland, with a literary heritage stretching back to Shakespeare and before, has appealing book-ended o's, and is open to combination with almost any last name, a la British actor, Orlando Bloom.
  10. AurelioHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Aurelius
    • Meaning:

      "the golden one"
    • Description:

      Aurelio is an energetic Italian name rarely heard here, with an attractive aura. As the female version Aurelia gains greater notice, we expect to hear more from Aurelio too. In fact, Aurelio has recently entered the Top 1000 in the US in 2022. Next to follow might be latinate versions Aurelius and Aurelian.
  11. LeonardoHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian and Spanish variation of Leonard, German
    • Meaning:

      "brave lion"
    • Description:

      For centuries this name was associated primarily with the towering figure of Italian Renaissance painter-scientist-inventor Leonardo da Vinci, and was scarcely used outside the Latin culture.
  12. RoccoHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian from German
    • Meaning:

      "rest"
    • Description:

      Madonna did much to polish up the image of this old-neighborhood Italian choice when she picked it for her son with British director Guy Ritchie, and several years later it was also used by Rose Byrne and Bobby Canavale for their son. It now feels much more mainstream than many celebrity baby names, sharing the quirky appeal of some other so-far-out-they're-in baby names as Bruno and Hugo.
  13. AlessioHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Alexis
    • Meaning:

      "defender"
    • Description:

      Alessio, simpler than the related Alessandro, would be a welcome settler here.
  14. EmilioHeart
    • Origin:

      Spanish and Italian variation of Emil
    • Meaning:

      "rival"
    • Description:

      Dashing and popular Italian and Spanish favorite, as is Emiliano.
  15. LeandroHeart
    • Origin:

      Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian variation of Leander
    • Description:

      Leandro is the Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish variant of the English name Leander. A blend of two Latin words (Leo "lion" and Andro "man"), Leandro is a name that suggests its bearer has strength and power. Despite this very masculine meaning, Leandro also has a long romantic history, beginning with the myth of Hero and Leander (Ero et Leandro in Latin) to being an important figure in the history of the beautiful Spanish city of Seville.
  16. SalvatoreHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Salvator
    • Meaning:

      "savior"
    • Description:

      For every Tio Salvador in a Latino family, there's a Zio Salvatore in an Italian one. Having always ranked in the US Top 1000, it is in danger of falling off the charts very soon.
  17. GiovanniHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of John
    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"
    • Description:

      Giovanni is a venerable Italian classic that suddenly sounds fresh and cool. Ubiquitous in Italy, it has countless notable namesakes, from writer Boccaccio to designer Versace (nn Gianni).
  18. LucianoHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Lucian
    • Meaning:

      "light"
    • Description:

      A vibrant, operatic Latin choice.
  19. DarioHeart
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Darius
    • Meaning:

      "possessing goodness"
    • Description:

      More creative and artsy than Mario. Dario is starting to edge up the US popularity list after languishing near the bottom of the Top 1000 over the last four decades. Is that inspired by Dario's popularity in Italy, Spain, Germany, and Switzerland?
  20. AntonioHeart
    • Origin:

      Spanish and Italian variation of Anthony
    • Description:

      Antonio is a Shakespearean favorite -- the Bard used it in no less than five of his plays, and has long been a ubiquitous classic in Spanish-speaking countries, where the nickname Tonio is also prevalent. Antonio is also among an elite group of perennially popular names in the US, where it has always been among the boys' Top 1000 since baby name record-keeping started in 1880.