Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Opera Baby Names
Across 3 pages
of 3
Violetta
Italian, Russian and Hungarian variation of Violet, English
"purple"
With Violet in vogue, this vibrant international variation has been on the rise since the 2010s. Vintage and floral like its more popular sister, Violetta has a slightly softer sound and a touch of…
Basilio
Italian and Spanish variation of Basil, Greek
"regal"
A rare and romantic take on Basil.
Bello
Italian
"handsome, beautiful"
Bello is as handsome as Bella is beautiful, but rarely heard outside the Italian community. With its energetic 'o' ending, it could be ripe for export.
Benoît
French
"blessed"
A French form of Benedict that makes a smooth and elegant choice, although the pronunciation may trip people up in an English speaking environment.
Betto
Betto is an Italian masculine name that likely developed as a diminutive form of names like Benedetto (the Italian form of Benedict) or Elisabetta. In medieval Italy, Betto would have been used as an…
Boris
Slavic
"to fight"
Boris is one of the old Russian names being revived by chic Europeans; it hasn't quite made a comeback yet in the U.S., but it does have potential. For a long time the name has been associated with…
Claudius
Latin
"lame; enclosure"
Claudius is one of the most user-friendly of the ancient Roman names – even though it's associated with the villainous character in Shakespeare's Hamlet . But as with feminine form Claudia, the…
Drago
Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Bulgarian
"precious, dear"
Drago sounds fierce but has a sweet meaning. It may be used as a standalone name or as a short form of other Slavic names beginning with the element dragu "dear", such as Dragoljub or Dragomir.
Ferrando
Ferrando is a masculine name of Spanish and Italian origin, representing a variant of Ferdinand, which derives from Germanic elements meaning 'journey' and 'brave.' This name carries the weight of…
Fiorello
Italian
"little flower"
Fiorello is one of the few floral names that works well for a boy. The colorful three-term World War II New York Mayor La Guardia made this one famous -- in fact he was nicknamed "the Little Flower".…
Gunther
German
"battle warrior"
When it's spelled with two dots over the ' u ' in German, Gunther is pronounced GUWN-ter, but it has a much softer sound when the 'h' is voiced by English-speakers, as it was, for example, for the…
Nardo
Spanish, diminutive of Bernardo
Possible "nerd" temptation for nicknamers makes Nando a preferable choice.
Ottavio
Italian, “eighth”
Spirited Italian form of Octavius
Ramiro
Spanish; Portuguese
"great judge"
A charming -o name with cool nickname possibilities, Ramiro is also a historical choice: there were 2 Aragonese Spanish kings named Ramiro.
Seneca
Latin surname and Native American
"people of the standing rock"
Seneca's distinguished heritage as the name of the ancient Roman philosopher-playwright who tutored Nero, and of an Iroquois tribe makes this an interesting choice for either sex.
Silvio
Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese form of Silvius
"wood, forest"
A shiny and sylvan choice, this sleek yet spirited name feels familiar yet is rarely used.
Silvano
Italian form of Silvanus
"wood, forest"
Silvanus was the Roman god of the forests and is also an alternate name in the New Testament for Silas. Relatives include Silvio, Silvius, and Sylvia.
Tonio
Diminutive of Antonio
This short form of Antonio has long been used as an independent name, and would make a strong international choice.
Tybalt
Medieval form of Theobald
"from bold people"
Similar in sound to the French "Thibault", which is far more popular, Tybalt is best known as the bloodlustful and brawling cousin of Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet . Perhaps this…
Aida
Arabic; Italian; Lithuanian
"returning visitor; happy; echo"
Aida is a melodic name largely associated with the title character of the 1871 Verdi opera, an enslaved Ethiopian princess who dies to save her people. In the past, her name was rarely heard outside…