International Baby Names · Nature, Place and Word Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
Italian
"brisk, sprightly"
ALLEGRA is a delicate ballet-dancer name; ALLEGRO, which means a fast-paced movement in music, is stronger and more vibrant.
"white"
Although the female version Bianca has long been accepted as a name outside Italy, maybe it's time to consider this boy color name.
Italian, meaning unknown
A word that could conceivably be used as a name.
"vivacity, zest"
Musical term with a lot of energy.
Italian, musical term
Cadenza takes the popular CADENCE and gives it a more operatic flourish.
Arabic
"castle, fortess"
Extremely simple and extremely distinctive -- a winning combination. Sound-alike Calla is a Greek (and botanical) name that means beautiful.
"to leap, bounce, jump"
A high energy Italian word name.
English, Greek
"beauty"
A spin on Calia or Calla, with a lot of fashionable sounds.
"cane, reed"
Not as well known as Calla Lilies, the Canna Lily is a tropical plant with large leaves and showy flowers; there was a 6th century Welsh Saint Canna, and it's also the name of a Scottish island.
"song or stanza"
A canto is a literary term denoting a long passage in a poem. Dante's Divine Comedy is broken into such cantos. As a name, Canto packs in literary credentials with pithy punch.
"vintage"
A sweet and frilly Ann name, much more unusual than Anita.
Italian version of Columba
"dove"
This spelling used in Italy and Spain shares the peaceful meaning of dove with the more familiar Columba. It's a Top 35 name in Chile.
"sky"
Expansive, sunny Italian word name.
"to be at the mercy of"
A unique cousin to Talia.
"countess"
There's a craze for royal names right now, including Royal itself, so c'mon down, Contessa, and join Prince, King, Duke, Royalty -- the whole blue-blooded gang. Bonus: Short form Tess or Tessa makes…
"of Delphi"
Heard more often as a surname in Italy, its meaning has also been linked to the dolphin--which would make a cool nursery motif.
"caress"
An appealing, affectionate Italian word name, with several possible nicknames.
"sweet"
Dolce is the Italian word for "sweet," derived from the Latin word dulcis of the same meaning. It's a rare feminine first name in Italy, more often seen as a surname, as in that of Domenico Dolce,…
"wealth"
A medieval Italian name that could work in modern times.
Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Portuguese
"dear; friend; face"
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. Despite the rising celebrity of English…
