Renaissance Boy Names from Florence

Otto is cool again. Long a quintessential Old Man Name, Otto has been promoted to trending darling of adventurous baby namers.

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.

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.

Tough-yet-cuddly Bruno is an international name even in its origins: it derives from the Germanic word for "brown" plus a Latin ending, and was borrowed as a color word in many European languages.

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.

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.

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).

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.

Based on the ancient name Marcellus, drawn from Mars the god of war, Marcello -- it's pronounced mar-chell-o -- is one of the most lush and attractive Latin names.

About 100 baby boys were named Lucio in the US last year, a number we expect to increase with the growing popularity of all names in the Lu family. It's a family united by sound, with three main branches.

A vibrant, operatic choice with plenty of flair and plenty of familiarity too. Popular in Italy, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil, it also ranks in the Top 500 in France and the US. Operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti and football manager Luciano Spalletti are two notable bearers

For anyone seeking a more unusual version of Alexander, this is a real winner.

Old World Italian name that might become fashionable in a so-far-out-it's-in way, like Enzo and Rocco. Main recommendation: It's among the rare boy names that mean life.

Yet another winning international form of Peter.

Piero is elegant, melodic, appealing. Just picture the muted frescoes of Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca.

As commonly heard in Rome, Italy, as Steve is in Rome, New York. With the accent on the first syllable, Stefano has a lot of charm.

Niccolo is a masculine Italian name, the equivalent of Nicholas in English. Derived from Greek elements meaning "victory of the people," Niccolo carries a strong, victorious connotation. The name gained historical prominence through figures like Niccolò Machiavelli, the Renaissance political philosopher, and Niccolò Paganini, the legendary violinist. In Italy, the name has maintained steady popularity through generations, while outside Italy it offers an attractive option for parents seeking a name with European flair. Niccolo has a melodic quality characteristic of Italian names, with its double consonants and clear ending vowel. The name projects strength and cultural sophistication while maintaining approachability.

Although the female version Bianca has long been accepted as a name outside Italy, maybe it's time to consider this boy color name.

An Italian spin on the current European darling Leon, though the final e makes it a tad feminine to the American sensibility.

Now that Camilla is super popular, why not consider the male version? It's been the name of dozens of prominent Italians -- including a 16th century pope -- throughout history, and Shakespeare used for a Sicilian nobleman in The Winter's Tale.