Italian names are one of the most beautiful in the world. If you’re having a baby boy and would like an Italian name for him, you can try out one or more of our Italian baby boy names.
Alessandro
- Name Origin: Italian form of Greek Alexander
- Name Meaning: Defender, To defend
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Aless, Sandro, Alex, Lisandro
- Famous Namesakes: Basketball player Alessandro “Sandro” Gamba
- Peak Popularity: The name Alessandro has been one of the top five boy names in Italy for more than two decades but is rare in the United States.
Alessio
- Name Origin: Italian version of Greek Alexius
- Name Meaning: A Defender
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Lessio, Alexis
- Famous Namesakes: Football player Alessio Cerci
- Peak Popularity: Alessio is rare in the United States, but a popular name in Italy.
Andrea
- Name Origin: Greek
- Name Meaning: Grit, courage, Force, virility
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Andreas, Andre, Andrew
- Famous Namesakes: Scientist Andrea Vesalius
- Peak Popularity: Andrea is a well-known name for baby boys in Italy. In the U.S, it is used more as a girl’s name.
Angelo
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: Angel
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Angiolo, Angel
- Famous Namesakes: Astronomer Angelo Secchi
- Peak Popularity: Angelo has always been in the top 50 baby boy names in Italy, but is usually in the top 300 in the U.S.
Antonio
- Name Origin: Etruscan
- Name Meaning: An ancient Roman family name
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Tony, Anton, Anthony, Antoni
- Famous Namesakes: Actor Antonio Banderas
- Peak Popularity: Antonio is very popular in Italy and finds itself in the top 20 boy names. In the US, it was in the top 100 from 1971 to 2007.
Carlo
- Name Origin: German
- Name Meaning: Man (from Karl)
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Karl, Carl, Carlos
- Famous Namesakes: Mobster Carlo Gambino
- Peak Popularity: The name Carlo ranks amongst the top 60 for baby boy names in Italy. It is less common in the USA.
Carmine
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: Poem or Ode
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Carmen, Carmelo
- Famous Namesakes: Comic artist Carmine Infantino
- Peak Popularity: Carmine is quite famous in Italy and is in the top 100 boy names. It is not so popular in the US these days.
Christian
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: A follower of Christ
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Chris, Cristian, Cristiano
- Famous Namesakes: Football player Cristiano Ronaldo
- Peak Popularity: Christian is a common name in Italy, and only peaked at 21 in the United States in 2006.
Claudio
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: Lame or crippled
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Claus, Claude, Claudius, Claud
- Famous Namesakes: Soccer player Claudio Reyna
- Peak Popularity: Claudio is mostly in the top 75 baby boy names in Italy. It is very rare in the U.S.
Cosimo
- Name Origin: Greek
- Name Meaning: Straightforward, Order, decency
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kosmas, Cosmo, Cosma, Cosmas
- Famous Namesakes: Merchant Cosimo de Medici of Florence
Daniele
- Name Origin: Hebrew
- Name Meaning: God is my judge
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Dan, Danilo, Daniel, Dannie, Danny
- Famous Namesakes: Football player Daniele De Rossi
- Peak Popularity: In Italy, the most common form of the name Daniel is Daniele. It is rare in the U.S.
Davide
- Name Origin: Hebrew
- Name Meaning: The beloved one
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Dave, David, Davie, Davey, Davy
- Famous Namesakes: Kind David, Racecar driver Davide Valsecchi
- Peak Popularity: In Italy, Davide has been consistently ranked in the top 15 names for baby boy, but it is almost none existent in the USA.
Diego
- Name Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: A form of Santiago (Spanish), Teaching (Latin).
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Dieg, Santiago
- Famous Namesakes: Artist Diego Rivera
- Peak Popularity: The name was uncommon in the US till the 1960s, but was the 16th most common name for baby boys in Italy in 2016.
Domenico
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: Of God, of the Lord
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Domeni, Dom, Domenic, Dominik, Domingo
- Famous Namesakes: Businessman Domenico Canale
- Peak Popularity: The name Domenico is amongst the top 50 names for baby boys in Italy. It is uncommon in the US.
Edoardo
- Name Origin: Old English
- Name Meaning: Wealthy guard
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Edwardo, Edward, Eduardo, Ed
- Famous Namesakes: Singer Ed Sheeran
- Peak Popularity: In the USA, Edoardo has never been a common name as Edward is preferred, but it is a popular name in Italy.
Elia
- Name Origin: Hebrew
- Name Meaning: My God is Yahweh
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Eli, Elijah, Elias, Ilias, Eliya
- Famous Namesakes: Cyclist Elia Viviani
- Peak Popularity: Popular name in Italy at 39 in 2016, rare in the U.S.
Emanuele
- Name Origin: Hebrew
- Name Meaning: God is with us
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Immanuel, Emma, Manuele, Manuel, Emmanuel
- Famous Namesakes: Racecar driver Emanuele Pirro
- Peak Popularity: In Italy, Emanuele consistently remains popular, but isn’t as popular as Emmanuel in Italy.
Emiliano
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: Rival
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Emilio, Emil
- Famous Namesakes: Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata
- Peak Popularity: In Italy, the baby boy name Emiliano ranks in the top 200 and is slowly becoming popular in the US.
Federico
- Name Origin: German
- Name Meaning: Gentle ruler, Peaceful ruler
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Fredo, Federigo, Fredric, Frederick, Fred
- Famous Namesakes: Filmmaker Federico Fellini
- Peak Popularity: Federico is in the top 15 boy names in Italy but rare in the United States.
Filippo
- Name Origin: Greek
- Name Meaning: A Lover of horses
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Filip, Phillip, Phil, Felipe
- Famous Namesakes: Saint Filippo Neri
- Peak Popularity: Filippo is in the top 25 names for baby boys in Italy, but rare in the United States.
Francesco
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: From the Germanic tribe of Franchi, Frenchman
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Francis, Franco, Frank
- Famous Namesakes: St. Francis of Assisi
- Peak Popularity: Since 2001, Francesco has been the top name for baby boys in Italy. It rarely ranks the top 1,000 in the United States.
Gabriele/Gabriel
- Name Origin: Hebrew
- Name Meaning: God is my strength, God is my strong man
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Gab, Gabriel, Gabi, Gabe, Gavril
- Famous Namesakes: Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- Peak Popularity: Gabriele ranks in the top 10 baby boy names in Italy, but not so popular in the USA.
Giacomo
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: Supplanter (Hebrew)
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Jacob, James
- Famous Namesakes: Writer Giacomo Casanova
- Peak Popularity: The baby boy name Giacomo is in Italy’s top 40 names, but it scares elsewhere.
Gioele
- Name Origin: Hebrew
- Name Meaning: Yahweh is God
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Joe, Joel
- Famous Namesakes: Famous Cyclist Gioele Bertolini
- Peak Popularity: The name Gioele is popular in Italy, but is rare in other countries.
Giorgio
- Name Origin: Greek
- Name Meaning: Farmer
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: George, Gino, Giorgino
- Famous Namesakes: Designer Giorgio Armani
- Peak Popularity: Giorgio has consistently ranked in the top 50 names for baby boys in Italy. It is rare in the U.S.
Giovanni
- Name Origin: Hebrew
- Name Meaning: The grace of God
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Gianni, Gian, Giannino, Vanni, Nino, John
- Famous Namesakes: Designer Gianni Versace
- Peak Popularity: The variant Gianni has grown in popularity in the US, but Giovanni is consistently a top baby boy name in Italy.
Giulio
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: The Roman god Jupiter, downy-bearded
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Julio, Julie, Julius
- Famous Namesakes: Roman dictator Gaius Julius Caesar
- Peak Popularity: Giulio has always ranked in the top 50 names for boys in Italy. But It is rare in the U.S.
Giuseppe
- Name Origin: Hebrew
- Name Meaning: He will add
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Beppe, Peppe, Joseph, Jose, Joe, Jo, Joey
- Famous Namesakes: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte
- Peak Popularity: In Italy, the baby boy name Giuseppe ranks top 15 . It is rare in the U.S.
Jacopo
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: Supplanter (Hebrew)
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Iacopo, Giacobbe, Jacob, Lapo
- Famous Namesakes: Author Jacopo De Fazio (Jacobus da Varagine)
- Peak Popularity: In Italy, the baby boy name Jacopo ranks top 40. It is rare elsewhere in the world.
Leonardo
- Name Origin: Lombard
- Name Meaning: Strong as a lion
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Lee, Leo, Lenard, Leonard
- Famous Namesakes: Actor Leonardo DiCaprio
- Peak Popularity: Leonardo has been popular in Italy and the US.
Lorenzo
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: Unknown
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Loris, Enzo, Renzo, Lau, Laurence, Lawrence
- Famous Namesakes: Artist Lorenzo Ghiberti
- Peak Popularity: The baby boy named Lorenzo is one of the top five names for baby boys in Italy. The name rose to the top 200 In the U.S. in 2017.
Luca
- Name Origin: Greek
- Name Meaning: of Lucania origin is southern Italy
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Luke, Lucas, Luc
- Famous Namesakes: Famous Sculptor Luca Della Robbia
- Peak Popularity: The name Luca was trendy in Italy, but has dropped in popularity. It is becoming popular in the U.S.
Luigi
- Name Origin: Germanic
- Name Meaning: Famous battle
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Gino, Lodovico, Ludovico, Luigino, Louis, Lewis, Luis
- Famous Namesakes: Physicist Luigi Galvani
- Peak Popularity: In Italy, Luigi is in the top 50 names for baby boys. It is rarely used in Italy.
Marco
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: Clean, Polite, shining
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Mac, Marcus, Marko, Mark, Markus
- Famous Namesakes: Politician Marco Rubio
- Peak Popularity: Marco is not common in the United States of America and Italy, but a few persons still bear the name.
Mario
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: The god of war, From Mars
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Maris, Marius
- Famous Namesakes: Television host Mario Lopez
- Peak Popularity: Mario is on the top 50 baby boy names in Italy. It was only popular in the 1970s and 1980s in the U.S.
Matteo
- Name Origin: Hebrew
- Name Meaning: Gift of God
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Matt, Mateo, Mattie, Matthew, Mathew
- Famous Namesakes: Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci
- Peak Popularity: In Italy, Matteo has been one of the top names for baby boys for more than 20 years. It is growing in popularity in the U.S.
Mattia
- Name Origin: Hebrew
- Name Meaning: Gift of God
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Matt, Matthew, Matthias, Mathew, Matias
- Famous Namesakes: Football player Mattia De Sciglio
- Peak Popularity: Mattia is a top name for baby boys in Italy and was the third most popular name in 2015. However, It is rare in the U.S.
Michele
- Name Origin: Hebrew
- Name Meaning: Who is like God
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Mickey, Michael, Mikael, Micheal, Michal, Mick, Mickey, Mike, Miguel, Mikhail
- Famous Namesakes: Banned sports physician Michele Ferrari
- Peak Popularity: The baby boy name Michele is in the top 30 for babies in Italy. It is rarely used in the U.S.
Nicola/Nicolo
- Name Origin: Greek
- Name Meaning: Victory of the people
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Nike, Nicolao, Nick, Niccolo, Nico
- Famous Namesakes: Sculptor Nicola Pisano
- Peak Popularity: In Italy, the baby boy name Nicolo ranks in the top 20 while the variant Nicola ranks in the top 50. Both names are rare in the U.S.
Paolo
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Small
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Paulus, Paul, Pablo
- Famous Namesakes: Author Paulo Coelho de Souza, Italian politician Paolo Gentiloni, artist Paolo Uccello
- Peak Popularity: Paolo ranks around 50 in popularity for boys in Italy. It is an uncommon name in the U.S.
Fun Fact: Paulus was an ancient Roman family name. Saint Paul was a Jewish Roman citizen who adopted the name upon converting to Christianity.
Pasquale
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: Relating to Easter
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Lino, Pascal, Pasqualino
- Famous Namesakes: None
- Peak Popularity: The name Pasquale isn’t so popular in Italy and the US.
Pietro
- Name Origin: Greek
- Name Meaning: Stone
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Pete, Peter, Pier, Piero, Petrus
- Famous Namesakes: Italian military and political leader Pietro Badoglio
- Peak Popularity: The name Pietro is amongst the top 25 names for boys in Italy, but it is rare in the U.S.
Riccardo
- Name Origin: German
- Name Meaning: Brave power
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Rick, Ricky, Ricardo, Richard, Rich, Richie
- Famous Namesakes: Physicist Riccardo Giacconi
- Peak Popularity: Riccardo has been the 10th most popular Italian name for a long time. However, it is uncommon in the U.S.
Romeo
- Name Origin: Italian
- Name Meaning: A pilgrim to Rome
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Rome, Roman
- Famous Namesakes: Romeo from the popular Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet
- Peak Popularity: In recent years, the name Romeo has surged in popularity both in Italy and the U.S.
Salvatore
- Name Origin: Latin
- Name Meaning: Savior
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Salv, Tore, Sal, Salvator, Salvador
- Famous Namesakes: Designer Salvatore Ferragamo
- Peak Popularity: Salvatore is a popular baby boy names in Italy. It is slowly rising in fame in the USA.
Samuel/Samuele
- Name Origin: Hebrew
- Name Meaning: Heard of God, called by God
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sammy, Sam, Sami, Ismael, Ismaiel, Ismail, Ishmael
- Famous Namesakes: Singer Sam Cooke
- Peak Popularity: Both Samuele and Samuel are popular in Italy, but Samuel is common in the US, while Samuele is rare.
Simone
- Name Origin: Greek
- Name Meaning: He heard
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sim, Simeon, Shimon, Simon, Simeon
- Famous Namesakes: Tennis player Simone Bolelli
- Peak Popularity: Simone is among Italy’s top 10 popular boys’ names. It is mainly a feminine name in America.
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