Italian Names

Screen legend Marlon's surname has loads more swagger than his first. But little Brando will forever have to endure jokes connected with the actor.

Possibility for a dark-haired babe.

Carina is a pretty feminissima name whose fall from popularity may be speeded by similarity to (hurricane name) Katrina.

If your ancestry is Italian, you may want to consider this elegant twist on a classic.

Chiara is a lovely and romantic Italian name that's familiar but not widely used here: a real winner. You might consider Chiara instead of Claire, Clara, Cara, or even Keira.

A more romantic form of old school Clement, which ranks in the Top 100 boy names in Chile. Clemente, like Clement, derives from the Late Latin name Clemens, the name of 14 popes and several saints.

A Latinate name with a lot of dash and bravado.

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?

Stylish and dramatic, a la Donatella Versace.

Widely used in Italy, Spain, and Portugal, has an air of generosity and could easily be adopted here.

Less electric and melodramatic, more serene, than Electra. Isabella Rossellini's daughter (and Ingrid Bernman's granddaughter) is named Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann.

Enzo originated as the Italian variation of Heinz, a German name derived from Heinrich, related to Henry. It has historically been used as a short form for Italian names such as Vincenzo and Lorenzo. The most famous bearer of the name is Enzo Ferrari, founder of the luxury sports car brand.

Has a lot more charm than the ancient Hector.

The fashion for elaborate girly-girl names, especially those that end with -ella or -ana, has put this distinctive Latin favorite into play.

Romantic Italian choice.

Flavio is derived from Flavius, a surname used in Ancient Rome. These family names, or cognomens, were given to distinguish branches of the clan and were chosen based on a characteristic of an important bearer. In this case, the Flavius family patriarch was likely blond-haired.

The progenitor of the English name Guy, Gaetano has a lot more gusto.

The Italian Gianna undoubtedly owes much of its popularity in the US to its status as an honor name for John. Before the importation of Gianna, there was no truly workable feminine form of John, so Gianna found widespread favor among American parents with Italian roots and far beyond.

This appealing Italian name is associated with the great Florentine painter and architect Giotto di Bondone, a major force in the Italian Renaissance.

Like Galilea and Livia, one of the Italian names that fashionable American parents—with or without Italian roots—have started to choose for their daughters. It has endured ups and downs since entering the popularity charts in 1991.