There are so many beautiful baby names to choose from. Whether you are looking for popular baby names or more unique baby names, there are so many options available. If you have always liked Italian names, you may be interested in this article. Today, I will be going over the most popular Italian names to choose from. Hopefully, this article on popular Italian names will help you choose a name for your little one. Let's begin. 

Popular Italian Names For Girls

Let's begin by taking a look at the most popular Italian names for girls. Some of these popular Italian names are also popular in other countries and languages, such as Spanish and Hebrew. However, all of these baby girl names come from Italy. Hopefully, in this list below, you'll find some beautiful Italian girl names that you love. 

1. Gabriella

The name Gabriella is an Italian form of the Hebrew name Gabriel, which refers to the angel Gabriel in the Bible. The name is associated with good tidings. Popular middle names for it include Rose, Marie, Faith, Elizabeth, Ann, Sophia, and Maria.

2. Annabelle

Another beautiful and popular Italian name is Annabelle. The Italian meaning for this name is "gracefully" and "beautiful". Variations of this name include Anabella and Annabella. Marie, Rose, Grace, Leigh, Joy, and Jean are all popular middle names for the name Annabelle.

3. Aurora 

The name Aurora is derived from the Latin Aurora (dawn).  Aurora is ranked #51 in the baby name popularity chart. Many people misspell this name, writing it as "Arora". However, the proper way to spell it is "Aurora".

4. Gemma

Although Gemma may not be a name that you hear too often, it is still a popular Italian name. It comes from the Italian meaning 'precious stone'. Popular middle names include Isabelle, Grace, Marie, Jean, Rose, Claire, and Victoria. 

5. Loretta

Because Laura is a popular Italian name, Loretta is also very popular too. It is also a variant of the name Laurel. It was ranked as #1,548 in the baby name popularity chart. This means it is not an overly popular name. 

6. Maria

Although Maria is commonly known as a Hebrew name, it is also a popular Italian name. The name Maria is a form of the name Mary. Mary means "Wished-for child", as well as "Bitter". The name Maria is a popular name. In 2018, it has ranked as #176 in the baby name popularity chart. From 1953 to 1961, the name Maria actually got placed as the number one most popular girl name.

7. Antonia 

The name Antonia means "Priceless" in Italian and "Praiseworthy" in Latin. It is the feminine form of Anthony. Popular nicknames for the Tonya and Nella. Alternative spellings for this name include Antonietta, Antonella, and Antonina.

8. Sofia

The name Sofia is a variant spelling of Sophia. This spelling alternative is not as popular as the name Sophia, but it still sounds the same. It has the same meaning as Sophia, which is "Wisdom" and "Knowledge". This name is popular as a Spanish and Greek name, but it is also an Italian name.

9. Sara

Although Sara is best known as a Hebrew name, it is also an Italian name. It means "Princess" and "Lady". This name is very popular in Italy. Recent studies have shown that in Italy, about 53,642 people are named Sara. Variant spellings of this name include Sarah, Zara, Sera, and Sadie.

10. Francesca

Francesca is an Italian female given name, derived from the Latin male name Franciscus meaning "the Frenchman". Many people don't pronounce this name right. The correct pronunciation of this name is "Fran-CHES-ka".

Popular Italian Baby Boy Names

Now that we went over the most popular Italian girl names, you may be wondering what the most popular Italian names for boys are. All of these popular Italian names below are perfect for little boys.

1. Matteo

The name Matteo is an Italian variant of the name Matthew, which means "Gift of God". Popular middle names for Matteo are Alexander, Anthony, Antonio, Jose, and Christopher.

2. Franco

Franco is a variant of the name Francis. It means "Fond of different cultures" and "Loves to travel.". Popular middle names for Franco include Gianni, Jeremiah, and Joseph.

3. Rome

Because Rome is the capital city of Italy, it comes as no surprise that the name Rome is one of the most popular Italian boy names. Great Italian middle names for the name Rome include Alexander, Christian, Dean, Jonas, and Kingston.

4. Gianni

Gianni is an Italian variation of the Hebrew name John, meaning "God is gracious" and "God has shown favor". It is also a shortened version of the name Giovanni.

5. Orlando

Orlando is the Italian version of the name Roland. It means "famous land" or "famous landowner". Popular middle names for Orlando are James, Antonio, Christopher, Franklin, and Isaiah.

6. Marcello

This name means "Ready for battle", "strong", "brave", "tough", and "warrior". Anthony, August, Blaine, Cruz, Fadi, Nicholas, Rene, and Zayvion.

7. Alessandro

Alessandro is the Italian form of Alexander. It means "Defender of mankind". It is pronounced as "‎Ahl-e-SAHN-dro".

8. Leonardo

The meaning of the name Leonardo is Lion Brave. Leonardo is ranked #97 on baby name popularity charts. This name also comes from Spain.

9. Tommaso

Tommaso is the Italian form of Thomas. It means "twin" and "equal to himself". This Italian name is pronounced as "Tom-MA-zo".

10. Gabriele

Gabriella is a popular Italian girl name, so you can only imagine that Gabriele is also a popular Italian name. This is the Italian form of Gabriel, which means "God-given strength". It refers to the angel Gabriel in the Bible.

Popular Unisex Italian Names

More and more people are choosing to give their children unisex names. Some people do it because they wait until their baby is born to find out the gender, while others simply fall in love with unisex names. If you are wondering what the most popular unisex Italian names are, continue reading. Some of them are most commonly used for one gender, but all of them can be used for both boys and girls. 

1. Andrea

The Italian name Andrea comes from the name Andrew. It means "manly". It can also be used as a girl's name, but it is most commonly used as a boy's name. For girls, this name means "womanly".

2. Luke Or Lucca

There are many ways you can spell this name to make it a boy or girl name. For girls, this name is spelled as Lucca. For boys, you can spell it as Luca or Luke. Both Lucca and Luca are pronounced the same, even though they are spelled slightly different. This name is Italian because it is named after Lucca, Italy. Lucca is a city on the Serchio river in Italy’s Tuscany region.

3. Arlo

Not only is Arlo one of the most popular Italian names, but it is also one of the most popular unisex names overall. This name stands for strength and fortification.

4. Leone

Leone is most popular as a boy name, but it can also be used for girls. The name Leone means "lion", while for girls it means "lioness". It is perfect for any little boy or girl who is fearless and brave.

5. Callisto

Callisto is another very popular baby name. It means "fair" and "girl". Callisto is most popular as a girl's name, but it can also be used as a boy's name. For boys, this name was rated as #11,887 in the baby name popularity chart for this year. For girls, this name was rated as #9,873 this year.

6. Arya or Aria

Aria means "air" in Italian and "lioness" in Hebrew. For a boy's name version, this name would be spelled as Arya, which means "noble". Aria is most popular as an Italian name, but Arya is also a great name to give your son.

7. Domani

This name means "Tomorrow" and "One who does advance planning". Domani is usually used as a girl's name, but as a unisex name, it will work with boys too.

8. Amanta

While Amanta may sound a lot like Amanda, don't confuse this name as a girl's name only. Amanta works well for boys too. It means to express, and be versatile and creative.

9. Rizzo

The name Rizzo means "One with curly hair". It is most commonly used as a boy's name, but it can also be used for girls. If your little one has curly hair, this name is definitely a good option.

10. Simone

The name Simone comes from Simon, which means "To be heard". In French and English, this is most popular as a girl name. In Italy, it is most popular as a boy name.

Final Thoughts

Choosing a baby name is a fun and joyful experience. If you come from Italy or want to honor this country, choosing an Italian name for your little one is a great idea. In this article, I went over 30 of the most popular Italian names for boys and girls. I also went over a list of unisex baby names that work for both boys and girls. I hope today's article has helped you choose an Italian baby name for your little one. Have fun choosing a baby name from this list of popular Italian names. 

Related Article: 20 Popular Spanish Girl Names That You'll Absolutely Love