Italian Baby Names - Romantic, Yet Traditional
Excerpt : Italian baby names - like the language itself, can be very beautiful, flowing and romantic. Who can resist the beautiful sounding Allesandro (literal meaning "The protector and helper of mankind"),
Italian baby names - like the language itself, can be very
beautiful, flowing and romantic. Who can resist the beautiful
sounding Allesandro (literal meaning "The protector and helper
of mankind"), or Giovanni ("God is gracious") or Carmela ("A
garden or orchard").
Italian is a romance language and this is reflected in the
beauty of the names. However, surprisingly, the range of Italian
baby names is actually quite narrow due to the historically very
traditional methods used in naming babies.
In Italy, there has always been a very firm set of rules for
naming children,
Buy this Photographic Print at AllPosters.com
i.e.;
The first male is always named after his paternal grandfather.
The second male is always named after his maternal grandfather.
The first female is always named after her paternal grandmother.
The second female is always named after her maternal
grandmother.
The subsequent children can then be named be named after the
parents, favorite aunts or uncles, a saint or a deceased
relative. This all-pervasive custom has created the situation
where many Italian families have several children, of similar
ages, with exactly the same names. For example, if a man named
Giovanni has 3 sons and
Buy this Photographic Print at AllPosters.com
each of them get married and have their
own children, in all 3 cases, the first boy born into the family
would be named Giovanni. Similarly, the first girl would be
named after Giovanni's wife. Given that Italians have,
traditionally been devout Catholics with a tendency to have
large families, you can see how family gatherings could become
quite confusing!!
If this isn't confusing enough, Italians often also have 2
birthday celebrations! As well as the birthday itself, Italians
often celebrate their "Name Day", or Onomastico. Italian babies
often have one of their names connected to a particular
Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com
patron
saint, e.g. the saint of their town, or a saint who has a
special significance for their parents. Each of the many saints
has a special feast day, for example the 3rd of March is the
feast day of St. Tereza Verzeri - one of many different St
Tereza's! The name day is celebrated just like the birthday and
is seen as just as important.
But you don't have to be Italian, Catholic, or willing to have 2
birthday celebrations to start consideirng the use of an Italian
name for your child. In this fast shrinking and individualistic
world, Italian names are becoming more and more common in some
of the
Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com
most unusual places - witness how many Brazillian soccer
players seem to have Italian names!!
So, what are currently, the most popular Italian names? Here are
the top 10 most popular Italian baby names registered by baptism
in Italy:
MALE / FEMALE 1.Giuseppe / Maria 2.Giovanni / Anna 3.Antonio /
Giuseppina 4.Mario / Rosa 5.Luigi / Angela 6.Francesco /
Giovanna 7.Angelo / Teresa 8.Vincenzo / Lucia 9.Pietro / Carmela
10.Salvatore / Caterina
Italian names are not only beautiful sounding, but also usually
have very nice meanings. There are lots of good Internet sites
featuring some
Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com
excellent lists of Italian names, together with
their meanings, so its quite easy to explore this option when
choosing a baby name. Remember also that many Italian names are
Latin derivatives of other names, so why not give them a try -
after all, doesn't Gianni and Caterina sound a just little bit
nicer than John and Catherine?
About the author:
Michael Barrows' website has great info on baby names, lots of
baby name lists and lots of baby resources. Get your free ebook
packed with baby tips for new parents, visit the Italian baby names website.
More Baby Names Articles
3 Simple Steps In Searching For A Baby Name
1) BRAINSTORM It is a good idea to pick a baby boy, girl, or a unisex baby name, even if the sonogram has already shown you the sex of your baby,...
Baby Names for Twins
Choosing a baby name for your new born can be quite a stressful decision. With thousands upon thousands of names at your disposal, you may begin to...
Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com
Baby Name Guide - Boy and girl baby names
|
sitemap
copyright www.thebabynamesguide.com 2006
|
Recently Added Baby Names Articles
The Great Baby Name Debate
Winifred or Willow? Thomas or Troy? The name you choose for your child will last a lifetime. Whether you’re looking for something original that will...read more
Choosing A Baby Name
Naming a baby is no easy task. However, the following tips will help you give your baby his or her very first gift.
1. Religion: For some...read more
Baby Names - Techniques
How do you even begin the process of naming your baby? Where do you start? Do you crack open a book with tens of thousands of names? Just pick a name...read more
Baby Names
What’s there in the names? What you call rose will smell as sweet by any other name.” This dictum of Shakespeare is too much of generalization. The...read more
Oh Baby! Finding the Right Name for Your Baby
Choosing a Baby Name:
By: GranMamma
Naming a baby is no easy task. However, the following tips will help you give your baby his or her very...read more
Baby Names - Avoiding Family Conflict
Naming your baby is one of the most time consuming and frustrating processes leading up to the birth of your child. There are literally tens of...read more
Tough Time Deciding on a Name for Your Baby?
The conversation went something like this:
"Hey honey, when we get pregnant, how about if we name our baby
Jack, if it's a boy?" The husband...read more
25 Top Irish Names for a Baby Boy
Would you like to give your baby boy a name reflective of your
Irish roots? In this article, I've listed some of the most
popular names for a boy...read more
Today's Baby Names
One of the most exciting things new parents get to do before the arrival of their child is choose the baby's name. Will it be something popular...read more
How To Name Your New Baby
One of the hundred million things new parents have to do is pick out a name for the baby, preferably before the child reaches his or her 18th...read more
Some News About Baby Names
- IMPORTANT: Bing News RSS feed has moved!
<table bgColor="#ffffbb" border="1px"><td>Go to the <a href="http://api.bing.com/rss.aspx?Source=News&Market=en-US&Version=2.0&Query=Baby+Names">new RSS page</a> and renew your subscription.</td></table>
- Liam, Emma still most popular
Liam and Emma were still the most popular
- Top
REGINA — When naming their newborns, Saskatchewan parents stayed with the tried and true. Liam and Emma were the most popular
|