Category Archives: Italian Names

Ariadne, Ariadni, Ariadna

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waterhouse_ariadneGender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “most holy; most chaste.”

The name is composed of the Cretan elements ari meaning “most” and adnos meaning “holy.” Other sources argue that it is composed of the ancient Greek elements ari meaning “most” and hagne meaning “chaste.”

In Greek mythology the name is borne by the daughter of King Minos and his wife Pasiphaë of Crete. Ariadne is most known for helping the hero Theseus overcome the minotaur and find his way back through the labyrinth by giving him a ball of red yarn. Ariadne was in love with Theseus and ran off with him after he had killed the minotaur, but Theseus had abandoned her while she was sleeping, on the isle of Naxos. This part of the myth has been popularly rendered in paintings. It is said that Ariadne later married the god Dionysus. Many scholars suggest that Ariadne was originally a pre-Olympian Cretan goddess.

The name was also borne by an early Christian martyr, a Christian slave who refused to participate in the regulatory libations to the local gods, legend says that she was hunted down by the authorities until she ran into a chasm that miraculously swallowed her up. Her feast is held on September 17 and she is a popular saint in the Greek Orthodox Church. In modern Greece, where the it is rendered in the conventional form of Ariadni, the name is still relatively common. It is growing in popularity in Spain and Poland as Ariadna. The Latin and Italian rendition of the name is Arianna, also a common name in Greece.

The name is borne by Greek-American author and syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington (b. 1950).

In recent years, its Italian form of Arianna has become quite prevalent in the U.S. coming in at # 66 among the top 1000 female names of 2008. The French form is Ariane and the more obscure Arienne. Another more modern version is Ariana, which comes in as the 81st most popular female name in the United States ( 2008). There is also an ancient Etruscan form Areatha.

Other forms include:

  • Arijadna (Croatian)
  • Ariadné (Hungarian)
  • Ariadnė (Lithuanian)

Athene, Athena, Athina

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: debated
Αθηνα
Eng (uh-THEE-nah; uh-THEE-nee); Mod Grek (ah-THAY-nah; ah-THEE-nah).

The name is of debated origin, but is speculated to be composed of the elements ather meaning “sharp” and aine meaning “praise.” Others suggest that it is composed of pre-Greek elements, possibly constructed from the Lydian word ati meaning “mother” and combined with the name of a Hurrian goddess: Hannahanna or Ana. Plato himself claimed the name was derived from Atheonoa, a compound of the Greek theos meaning “the gods” and nous meaning “mind.”

In Greek mythology, the name is borne by the goddess of wisdom, reason, warfare and peace. She was also the patron goddess of the region of Attica and the city of Athens, which was named for her. I don’t believe I can do justice to the role Athena played for the ancient Greeks. But to be to the point, the Greeks so admired Athena that she appears as a recurrent figure in many Greek tragedies and epics. Athena was also the goddess of weaving and handicrafts. It is interesting to note, that unlike the other Greek goddesses, Athena remained a virgin, and was celebrated for her chastity. Though Greece no longer worships the ancient pantheon of Mt. Olympus, the names Athena and Athina still prevail in the small mediterranean country.

The name is borne by the grand-daughter of Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, Athina Onassis Rousel (b. 1985).

In Greece, its designated name day is September 1st. Other interesting forms include: the Ancient Attic Athenaia and the Doric Athana.

Other modern forms include:

  • Atenea (Asturian/Spanish)
  • Afina (Azeri/Russian)
  • Atena (Catalan/Italian/Polish/Portuguese/Romanian/Serbo-Croatian/Slovene)
  • Athéna (Czech)
  • Athene (Danish/French/German)
  • Athéna/Athéné (French)
  • AÞena (Icelandic)
  • Atēna (Latvian)
  • Atėnė (Lithuanian)
  • Atene/Athene (Norwegian)
  • Aténa (Slovakian)


 

Hermione, Ermioni

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Ερμιόνη
Eng (/hərˈmaɪ.ɵniː/ hər-MYE-o-nee); mod Grk (air-MYOH-nee)

She probably reminds you of Hermione Granger, the character from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. The name is of ancient Greek origin and it is derived from the masculine name Hermes.

In Greek mythology, Hermione was the only daughter of Helen and Menelaus. The name is also found in the calender of Saints, Hermione of Ephesus was an early martyr, and as an interesting side note, the Hermione of Harry Potter is named for the saint and not for the maiden of Greek Legend.

Hermione of Sicily is a character featured in Shakespeare’s Play, A Winter’s Tale (1610).

The name, though quirky and a bit extravagent, seems to have been a common moniker in Britain prior to Harry Potter fame. It is borne by several British actresses, Hermione Baddeley (1906-1986), Hermione Cockburn (b.1973) Hermione Gulliford, Hermione Hannen (1913-1983) and Hermione Norris (b.1968). It is also borne by British painter, Hermione Hammond (1910-2005).

It is also the name of an Opera, based on the Hermione of Greek Mythology.

In modern Greece, the name is often transliterated as Ermioni and Ermione where its designated name day is September 4th. It is also the name of a town in the Peloponnese.

In Italy, Ermione is the prefered form.

Despite the charming associations with Harry Potter, the name has not ranked in the US top 1000. In Britain, it does not appear in their top 100, but I have seen many instances of babies with the middle name or even the first name of Hermione in the British birth announcements. Other forms Herminie and Hermia. To hear the way the name is pronounced in Italian, you can listen to it here: http://www.forvo.com/search/Ermione/

Other forms include:

  • Hermiona (Croatian/Czech/Serbian)
  • Hermioné (Czech/Hungarian)
  • Hermelien (Dutch: could also be a feminine form of Herman)
  • Hermine (German/Norwegian)
  • Hermione (French)
  • Ermione (Italian: air-MYOH-nay)
  • Hermiona (Lithuanian/Polish)
  • Ermion (Piedmontese)
  • Hermiuona (Saimogaitian)
  • Hermíone (Spanish/Portuguese)

Adelind

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: German
Meaning: “noble and tender”

I have seen Adalyn quite a few times in the birth announcements. I don’t know if this is suppose to be a tryndification of Adeline or if its just a smush of Ada and Lynn, but whatever its origins, it may be the next Madelyn. That said, Adelind, a very obscure German female given name, is composed of the ancient Germanic elements adal meaning noble and lind meaning “tender.” Variations include the Italian and Spanish Adelinda. Possible nickname options are of course Addie, Ada, Del and Lindy.

Assunta, Asuncion, Jasone

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Italian/Romansch/Spanish/Basque
Meaning: “assumption.”
It (ahs-SOON-tah); Sp (ah-soon-THYONE); Lat Am (ah-soon-SYONE); Basque (zhah-SOH-neh).

Assunta comes directly from the Italian word for assumption and is usually given in honor of the Virgin Mary. It is far more common in the southern regions of Italy than in the northern regions. It is also used in the Romansch speaking cantons of Switzerland.

August 15 is the Feast of the Assumption, where, according to Catholic tradition, Mary was assumed into heaven body and soul.

Today, the name is considered rather old fashioned in Italy. It’s Spanish cognate is Asuncion and its Basque form is Jasone.

Assunta is borne by Filipina actress, Assunta de Rossi.

Lydia

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin/Greek
(LID-dee-uh)

Lydia has a sweet feminine vibe. Its classic without sounding too stuffy. Lydia could work just as well on a five month old as it would on a 55 five year old. It has the same feel as the popular Olivia and it wouldn’t be surprising if Lydia soon took Olivia’s place. Lydia currently stands as the 120th most popular female name in the United States.

As for Lydia’s history, it first appears as a given name in the New Testament. It was the name of a woman who had converted to Christianity after befriending St. Paul. Some scholars believe that Lydia was not her actual name, rather, it was a nickname to denote her place of origins, (Lydia in Asia Minor).

Lydia is a Greek word for an ancient country, known in Assyrian as Luddu, this particular’s country’s culture and language has been lost to history and speculation. The Greeks talked quite a bit about it, and in the Bible it is often refered to as Lud.

Lydia has multiple forms, including:

  • Lidiya Лидия (Bulgarian/Russian: Lidochka is a Bulgarian diminutive form)
  • Lídia (Catalan/Hungarian/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Lýdie (Czech: LEED-yeh)
  • Lydia Λυδια (English/Estonian/Greek)
  • Lii/Ly (Estonian)
  • Liidia/Liidi (Estonian)
  • Lyydia/Lyyti (Finnish)
  • Lydie (French: LEE-DEE)
  • Lida (Hungarian)
  • Licia (Italian: lee-CHEE-ah).
  • Lidia (Polish/Italian/Romansch: a Polish diminutive form is Lidka.)
  • Livli (Sami)
  • Lýdia (Slovakian)
  • Lidija (Slovene/Croatian: diminutive forms are, Lidonka, Lidunka and Liduška)

In other Continental European countries, the name is usually rendered the same as it is in English. In German speaking countries its pronounced (LUY-dee-ah). Its designated name day is August 3rd.

August

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It’s the beginning of August and summer is almost over. Hence is why I have decided to write about the August names.

The root of these names is the Latin verb augere meaning “to increase.” Augustus was a title given to Octavian, the first Emperor of the Roman Empire.

Augustus as a title implied a person with great reverence and awe, usually suggesting “venerated” or “exhalted.” The name eventually spun off as a first name, and even left an impact on our month names. In the Roman Empire, the month of Sexitilis’ name was changed to August in honour of the Emperor Octavian. Its feminine version is the austere and rather severe, version of Augusta. Both Augustus and Augusta have a lot of potential. Augustus fits right in with the other “old man” dramatic chic names that seem to be rising up the charts. Think Jasper, Atticus and Leo. There is a certain nobility and sophistication to the name. Its feminine version has the same vibe, fitting right in with other current trends, such as Sophia, Matilda and Eleanor.

We also have the much shorter version of August, which has been used across central Europe for centuries. August seems to be climbing up the American charts, he currently comes in at # 482, while the more formal version of Augustus has ways to go, coming in at # 795. If August still feels too wordy to you, then you might like August with an e, Auguste is the French form.

Of course, how could we ever forget the saintly and scholarly Augustine. The name Augustine is a derivative of the Latin, Augustinus. It has the same meaning as Augustus.

The name was borne by the renowned Catholic Theologian and Doctor of the Church, Augustine of Hippo. Either pronounced (uh-GUS-tin) or (AW-guh-STEEN) the name does not even appear in the top 1000. Parents may find the –stine ending too feminine. It would make a great middle name, or a great alternative to the more common Austin.

Other forms of the name include:

Augustus Forms

  • Augustu (Asturian/Sicilian)
  • Avqust (Azeri)
  • Aogust (Breton)
  • August (Catalan)
  • August (Croatian/English/German/Letzeburgish/Occitanian/Polish/Romanian)
  • Augustus(Czech/Danish/Dutch/English/Finnish/Frisian/Estonian/German/Latin/Norwegian/Swedish)
  • Guus (Dutch: originally a diminutive form, now used as an independent given name)
  • Aukusti/Aku/Aki (Finnish)
  • Auguste (French)
  • Ágost (Hungarian)
  • Ágústus (Icelandic)
  • Augustale (Italian: obscure)
  • Ágastas (Irish/Gaelic)
  • Augusts (Latvian)
  • Ësti (Letzebergish: initially a diminutive form)
  • Gust/Gusti (Letzebergish: initially diminutive forms)
  • Augustas (Lithuanian)
  • Ágošt (Prekmurian)
  • Aujußß (Ripoarisch)
  • Aokuso (Samoan)
  • Augosts (Samogaitian)
  • Austu (Sardinian)
  • Avgust (Slovene)
  • Augusto (Spanish/Italian/Portuguese/Aragonese/Basque)
  • Awgust (Sorbian/Turkmen)
  • Ågusse (Walon)

German diminutives are Gustel, Gustl, Gusti and Augi. Slovenian diminutives are: Gustek, Gustel, Gustelj and Gusti

Feminine forms include:

  • Augusta (Czech/Danish/Dutch/English/German/Italian/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Gusta/Guusje/Guuske (Dutch: initially diminutive forms, used as independent given names)
  • Auguste (German: final E is pronounced)
  • Auguszta/Ágosta (Hungarian)
  • Ágústa (Icelandic)
  • Avgusta (Slovene)

Augustine Forms

  • Augustini (Albanian)
  • Agostín (Aragonese)
  • Avqustin (Azeri)
  • Aogustin (Breton)
  • Agustí (Catalan)
  • Augustín (Czech/Slovak)
  • Augustijn (Dutch)
  • Augustine (English)
  • Austin (English: a medieval contracted form of Austin, in the United States, this is the most prevalent form of the August names, in 2008, he was the 55th most popular male name, between 1997-1998, he was the 9th most popular male name)
  • Gus (English: sometimes used as an independent given name)
  • Augustin (French/Basque/Croatian/Danish/Norwegian/Romanian)
  • Agostiño (Galician)
  • Ágoston (Hungarian)
  • Ágústínus (Icelandic)
  • Agaistín (Irish/Gaelic)
  • Agostino (Italian)
  • Augustinus (Latin/Dutch/Frisian/Estonian/Finnish/German/Swedish)
  • Augustīns (Latvian)
  • Augustinas (Lithuanian)
  • Wistin (Maltese)
  • Agustin (Piedmontese)
  • Augustyn (Polish)
  • Agostinho (Portuguese)
  • Aujustin (Ripoarisch)
  • Augostėns (Samogaitian)
  • Austinu (Sardinian)
  • Avguštin (Slovene)
  • Agustín (Spanish/Asturian)
  • Awstin (Welsh)

Feminine forms include

  • Austine (English)
  • Augustine (French/German)
  • Agostina (Italian)
  • Augustina (Latin)
  • Augustyna (Polish)
  • Austina (Sardinian)
  • Agustina (Spanish)

Ignatius

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: unknown.
Eng (ig-NAY-shus).

This solid masculine name may sound too much like a hospital or church for some parents; the fact that it has some great associations, however, should not be overlooked.

The name is derived from an old Roman family name of uncertain origins and meaning. Originally spelled Egnatius, it was borne by an early Christian martyr of Antioch. The meaning of the name has often been associated with the Latin word, ignis, meaning, “fire.”

The name was later borne by another Saint, Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. Of Basque extraction, his real name Iñigo, a Basque name of obscure origins, however, in contemporary Spain, Iñigo is often hispanicized to Ignacio.

Another interesting side note is that Inigo was in usage in Renaissance England, it was borne by Inigo Jones, a famous architect and stage designer.

Ignatius itself never really caught on in the English speaking world, though among some devout Roman Catholic families, the name has been used, and even then, it is rarely ever heard other than as a confirmation name or as a religious name. He currently does not rank in the U.S. top 1000.

The name has enjoyed considerable usage in Latin America and in Spain as Ignacio, which is often shortened to Nacho.

Potential English nickname options could be:  Iggy, Nash, and Nacho. Nameday is July 31.

Other forms include

  • Injaci (Albanian)
  • Iñaki (Basque)
  • Iñigo (Basque)
  • Ignasi (Catalan)
  • Ignac (Croatian/Slovene)
  • Ignacije (Croatian)
  • Ignác (Czech/Hungarian)
  • Ignaas (Dutch)
  • Inigo (English: obscure)
  • Ignatios (Estonian/Finnish)
  • Ignace (French)
  • Ignatz (German)
  • Ignazio (Italian)
  • Ignas (Kiswahili)
  • Ignacy (Polish)
  • Inácio (Portuguese)
  • Ignatziu (Sardinian)
  • Ignacij (Slovene)
  • Ignacio (Spanish)

Feminine forms include the Polish Ignacja and the Spanish Ignacia.