Category Archives: Italian Names

Abigail

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Biblical/Hebrew
Meaning: “her father’s joy” or “fountain of joy.”
(AB-ih-GALE)

In the Old Testament, the name is borne by the wife of King David and the mother of Amasa. The name sometimes appears in the Bible as Abagal and in, modern Hebrew, the name is rendered as Avigáyil (אֲבִיגַיִל)

Abigail did not become popular in the English speaking world til after the Reformation. It was a very popular choice among Puritans and early Americans. It was borne by the second First Lady of the United States, Abigail Adams (1744-1818), wife of President John Adams. It was also borne by their daughter who was known as Nabby Adams Smith (1765-1813).

In the 16th century, Abigail became a generic term for a servant woman or maid, thanks, in part, to Beaumont and Fletcher’s The Scornful Maid (1616). The name was ironically borne by the lady in waiting to Queen Anne, who was born quite a few years after the name was used to describe a servant woman (b. 1670).

In modern American culture, the name has become extremely popular for newborns. It started rising up the charts in the late 90s making it all the way up to # 4 by 2005. In 2008, it dropped back down to # 8.

Popular English nicknames include Abby, Nabby, & Gail.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Abigaïl (Dutch)
  • Abigaël/Abigaïl (French)
  • Abigaia Αβιγαια (Greek: Biblical)
  • Apikalia (Hawaiian)
  • Abigél (Hungarian)
  • Abigaille (Italian: very rare, pronounced, ah-bee-GUILE-ley)
  • Abigaili (Kiswahili)
  • Abigaíl (Spanish)

Adalbert, Wojciech, Vojtěch

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: German/Polish/Czech/Slovak
(Adal-bert) (VOY-chehk); (VOY-tyek).

The name, Adalbert, is derived from the Germanic elements adal meaning “noble” and behrt meaning “bright; shining; illustrious.”

The name was borne by a 9th century saint, who was known as the apostle of the Slavs.

He was a German Bishop of the town of Madgeburg who was assigned under the Pope as a missionary to Russia, upon the request of Queen Olga. Olga’s son oppossed Adalbert’s visit, and had his companions slain while Adalbert himself barely escaped alive. He returned to Germany where he established several archbishopric’s and trained missionaries for the Slavic tribes.

His feast day is commemorated on June 20.

One of his students was St. Adalbert of Prague, also known as Vojtech, in Czech, (or Slovakian), and as Wojciech, in Polish.

He was born into a noble Czech family in Bohemia and studied in Madgeburg under Adalbert of Madgeburg. He returned to Prague and entered the priesthood, eventually becoming the Bishop of Prague.

He was noted for his rejection of wealth and insisted to live a life of poverty. As a result, he gave up his Bishop’s position and decided to become a hermit instead. However, the pope had other plans for him in mind. The pope talked him back into becoming a bishop and was sent on a mission to convert the neighboring Slavs and Prussians in Poland.

He was succesful in coverting the Polish King Boleslaw the Brave, but met resistance in the west of Poland.

He was beheaded by the locals when he attempted to cut down an oak tree. He was martyred in what is now Elblag, Poland.

King Boleslaw retrieved his body and consecrated a church, in his honour, in Gniezno, Poland, where his body is still interned. His cult is still very popular in Poland, where he is known as Wojchiech (VOY-chehk).

Other forms of the name include:

  • Apke (Frisian)
  • Adalberta (Basque)
  • Adalbertu (Corsican)
  • Adalbert (Czech/Catalan/English/French/German/Hungarian/Polish/Slovak/Slovene)
  • Adelbert/Edelbert (German)
  • Adelbrecht (German)
  • Adelspret (German: Austrian dialectical form)
  • Aðalbert (Icelandic)
  • Adalbertus (Latin)
  • Adalberts (Latvian)
  • Adalbertas (Lithuanian)
  • Ahlert/Alert (Plattdeutsch)
  • Adal’bert Адальберт (Russian)
  • Aebi (Swiss-German)
  • Adalberto (Spanish/Galician/Italian/Portuguese)
  • Edilberto (Spanish)

Feminine forms are Adalberta and Adalbertina.

Romuald

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: German
Meaning: “to reign with glory.”
(ROM-wald)

The name is derived from the Old Germanic elements, hrom, meaning, “fame” or “glory” and valdan, meaning, “to reign.”

The name was borne by a 10th-century, Italian saint from Ravenna. He was born into nobility and was rather cavalier in his youth. After participating in a dual in which he killed a man. He felt so guilty about his actions that he decided to repent of his sins by living in a Benedictine monastery for 40 days, after which, he decided to stay on, and eventually became the abbott.

He went on to found several other monasteries and eventually found the austere monastery of Camaldolo Tuscany.

His feast is held on June 19th.

The name used in Poland, where it has a feminine counterpart of Romualda. Its Italian and Spanish form is Romualdo. There is also a latinate form of Romualdus.

Didier, Desiderius

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: French
Meaning: “longing; desire.”
(DEE-dyay)

The name is an old French form of Desiderius, which is from the Latin desiderium, meaning, “longing; desire.”

The name was borne by a 6th century French Bishop, who later resigned his seat and lived a life of poverty as a hermit. He founded a monastery in Vosges and his feast day is celebrated on June 19th.

Popular French nicknames include Die and Didi.

Other forms include:

  • Dider (Breton)
  • Dezsér (Hungarian)
  • Dezsider (Hungarian)
  • Dezső (Hungarian)
  • Dero/Derio (Italian)
  • Derino (Italian)
  • Desiderio (Italian)
  • Desio (Italian)
  • Desiderius (Latin/Dutch/German)
  • Dezydery (Polish)
  • Desidério (Portuguese)
  • Dezideriu (Romanian)
  • Dezider (Slovene)

Feminine forms include:

  • Didière (French)
  • Desideria (Italian/Spanish)
  • Desidera (Italian)
  • Dera/Derina (Italian)
  • Desia (Italian)
  • Dezyderia (Polish)
  • Desidéria (Portuguese)

The name Desirée is related but has a slightly different etymology, hence, I shall have a separate entry.

Zephyr

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “west wind.”
Ζεφυρος
(ZEF-er)

The name is derived from the Greek Zephyros (Ζεφυρος), meaning, “the west wind.”

In Greek mythology, the name is borne by one of the four wind gods, known as the Anemoi.

Zephyr was the god of the west wind; harbinger of gentle breezes and warm air that comes with late spring and early summer. He was the husband of Chloris (greenery) and the father of Carpos (fruit).

Another form is Zephyrinus, which was borne by a 3rd-century martyr and also borne by a Pope.

His Roman counterpart is Favonius.

Other forms include:

  • Zefirinus (Afrikaans)
  • Zèfir/Zeferí (Catalan)
  • Zeperino (Cebuano)
  • Zefirin (Croatian)
  • Zefyrinus (Czech/Danish/Dutch)
  • Zefyr (Danish/German/Norwegian/Polish/Swedish)
  • Zéphyr/Zéphyrin (French)
  • Zephyros Ζεφυρος (Greek)
  • Tzafrir צַפְרִיר (Hebrew)
  • Zephürosz (Hungarian: very obscure)
  • Zefiro (Italian)
  • Zephyrus/Zephyrinus (Latin)
  • Zefyras/Zefyrinas (Lithuanian)
  • Zefiryn (Polish)
  • Zéfiro/Zeferino (Portuguese)
  • Zefirin (Romanian)
  • Céfiro/Ceferino (Spanish/Galician)

Nicknames include Zef.

Feminine forms are

  • Zéphyrine (French)
  • Zeferina (Italian)
  • Zeferyna (Polish)

Bianca, Blanca, Blanche, Branca

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Gender: Feminine
Meaning: “white”
Italian (BYAHN-kah) Eng (bee-AHN-kuh); Sp (BLAHN-kah); Fre (BLOWnSH) Eng (BLANCH).

The etymology of the four above names are virtually the same. The original source is the Spanish, Blanca, which was first recorded in the 12th century, as the name of a Spanish princess, the daughter of King Garcia Ramirez of Navarre.

The name comes directly from the Spanish word for “white.”

It is uncertain how it caught on as a name, however, its meaning might have been synonymous with beauty at the time.

Others believe that it may be a direct translation of the Arabic name Elvira, brought to Spain via the Moors and later latinized as Blanca.

It has also been conjectured that it may have started off as a name given to blonde girls.

The name rapidly spread among Western European royalty due to intermarriages and ancestry. It was introduced to the English speaking world after the Norman Conquest of England.

The name was translated as Blanche in French, Bianca in Italian and Branca in Portuguese.

It was borne by Blanche of Champagne (1226-1283); Blanche of Artois (1248-1302); Blanche I of Navarre 1385-1444) and Blanca of Navarre (1420-1464).

Bianca became an exceedingly popular name among the Italian nobility, where it is still very popular till this day.

Blanca and Bianca have spread to Germany and particularly the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia, where they are often rendered phonetically, as Blanka and Bianka.

Currently, Bianca ranked in as the 204th most popular female name in the United States, in Australia, she was the 76th most popular female (2007), and the 9th most popular female name in Romania, (2008). In 2009, Bianka was the 78th most popular female name in Warsaw Poland.

Blanche has not ranked in the U.S. top 1000 since 1964, when it ranked in as the 911th most popular female names, the highest it has ranked in U.S. naming history was at # 51 in 1886. Perhaps its time for a revival?

As for Blanca, she recently fell out of the U.S. top 1000, she was last seen in 2007, where she came in as the 960th most popular female name. In Spain, in 2006, she was the 45th most popular female name. In 2009, Blanka was the 31st most popular female name in Warsaw, Poland.

Other forms of the names include:

  • Zuria (Basque: a direct translation)
  • Blanca (Catalan)
  • Bijanka (Croatian/Serbian: phonetic spellings)
  • Branca (Galician)
  • Bianchina (Italian: originally a diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent given name)

Common Italian compound forms include: Biancaurora, (literally meaning “white dawn”), Biancaluisa, Biancamaria and Biancarosa, (literally meaning “white rose.”).

Italian masculine forms include: Biancardo, Bianchino and Bianco.

Medard

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: French
Eng; (meh-DARD; MED-erd); Fre (may-DAR); Slovakian/Slovene (MEH-dard).

The name is an ald Frankish name composed of the Germanic elements madal meaning “gathering place”and hard meaning “firm; strong.”

The name is rather old fashioned in French speaking countries but is occassionally used in Belgium and the French speaking areas of Canada. It is also used in Slovakia and Slovenia.

The name was borne by a 6th-century French saint, Médard of Noyon. He was Frankish noble, the son of Nédard and Protage and the brother of Saint Gilard, Bishop of Rouen.

Medard himself eventually became a bishop and was beloved by his parishioners. He was the Bishop of Vermand but later moved his see to Noyon due to a war which was waging in his district.

Each year, in Rosieres France, on his feast day of June 8th, a tradition is attributed to him. A girl who is voted the most exemplary in the town is invited to participate in a ceremony in which 12 boys and 12 girls escort her down the Church aisle where she is crowned with roses and awarded a scholarship for her educational pursuits.

One legend attributed to the saint is that, one day, as a young boy, his father left him out in the rain by mistake. An eagle appeared, hovered over him, and sheltered him from the rain. Legend holds that if it rains on June 8th (his feast day), the next 40 years will be wet. However, if the June 8th weather is good, so will the weather be the next 40 years.

St. Medard is the patron saint of good weather and against thunderstorms.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Méard (French)
  • Médard (French)
  • Machtard (German: archaic form)
  • Medard/Medardus (German/Czech/Polish)
  • Medárd (Hungarian)
  • Dardo (Italian)
  • Metardo (Italian)
  • Medardo (Spanish/Italian)

A feminine version is the Italian Medarda.

Margaret, Margarita, Marguerite, Margherita

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: ‘pearl’
Eng: (MAR-gret); Fre: (mar-GUR-eet); It/Sp (mar-gay-REE-tah).

The name is derived from the Greek word μαργαρίτης, (margarites), meaning, “pearl.” It is believed that the Greek word itself is derived from the Persian word Marg, Marq or Marka meaning bird, possibly due to the resemblance of the pearl to birds’ eggs.

The name was popularized in late antiquity due to the cult of St. Margaret of Antioch.

Legend has it that she was the daughter of a powerful Antiochian priest. Due to her Christianity, she was disowned by her father and lived as a shepherdess in the hills of Turkey. A nobleman went to her father and asked for her hand in marriage. Her father consented and sent the suitor to the Turkish hills to find Margaret. There, the suitor begged her to turn away from her religion and to marry him. When Margaret said no, the nobleman had her tortured. One legend has it, that while being tortured, she had a vision of Satan appearing to her in the form of a dragon and swallowing her whole. The beast regurgitated her back up due to the golden cross she was wearing. She was finally beheaded. Her death is set around 304 A.D. and her feast is usually held around the middle of July.

In Medieval England, Margaret’s cult became especially popular. She was considered protector of pregnant women, possibly due to her incident with the dragon. She is considered to be one of the Holy Helpers who appeared to Joan of Arc.

In the English speaking world, she has been in usage since the Middle Ages, also producing the English offshoot of Margery or Marjorie, which was popular in the early Middle Ages and was revived in the 18th-century. The last time Marjorie was seen in the U.S. top 1000 was in 1994, coming in as the # 991st most popular female name. The highest she ever ranked in U.S. naming history was between 1921 and 1924 when she came in as the 16th most popular female name.

In United States naming history, she peaked 7 years in a row coming in at as the 3rd most popular female name between 1905 and 1911. Currently, she comes in as the 180th most popular female name, and other forms have outranked her.

For instance, the Welsh form of Megan, is currently the 100th most popular female name in the United States, but in previous years, she has ranked even higher, in 1985, she was the 10th most popular female name. In other countries, Megan’s rankings are as follows:

  • # 47 (Canada, B.C., 2008)
  • # 15 (England/Wales, 2008)
  • # 30 (Ireland, 2007)
  • # 170 (the Netherlands, 2008)
  • # 31 (Scotland, 2008)

In addition to her, there are several other saints who bear this name. Throughout history the name has been borne by several English and French Monarchs.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Margarid (Armenian)
  • Maharyta/Maharèta (Belarusian)
  • Marc’harid (Breton)
  • Mégane (Breton)
  • Margarita Маргарита (Bulgarian/Late Latin/Lithuanian/Russian/Spanish)
  • Margrethe (Danish/Norwegian)
  • Margretje (Danish)
  • Merete/Meret (Danish)
  • Merit/Merrit (Danish)
  • Mette (Danish/Norwegian)
  • Margreet/Margriet (Dutch/Limburgish)
  • Margaretja (Dutch)
  • Margalida (Catalan)
  • Markéta (Czech/Slovak)
  • Markit (Czech: obscure form)
  • Muchlina (Czech: obscure form)
  • Margaret (English)
  • Margo (English)
  • Marga (Estonian/Catalan)
  • Maret/Mareta (Estonian)
  • Maarit (Finnish)
  • Margareeta/Margareetta (Finnish)
  • Margariita/Margariitta (Finnish)
  • Marjatta (Finnish)
  • Marketta (Finnish)
  • Margaux/Margot (French)
  • Maguy (French: medieval diminutive form occasionally used as an independent given name. mah-GEE)
  • Marguerite (French: also the French word for daisy)
  • Margarida (Galician/Portuguese: also coincides with the Galician and Portuguese word for daisy)
  • Margalita (Georgian)
  • Margareta (German/Dutch/Finnish/Romanian/Scandinavian/Slovene)
  • Margarete/Margret (German)
  • Margaretha (German/Dutch)
  • Margarethe (German/Danish)
  • Margrit (German)
  • Margott (German)
  • Meta (German/Scandinavian: originally a diminutive form, now used exclusively as an independent given name)
  • Margarita Μαργαρίτα (Greek: Modern)
  • Margalit (Hebrew: also the modern Hebrew word for pearl)
  • Margaréta (Hungarian)
  • Margita (Hungarian/Slovakian)
  • Margit (Hungarian/Scandinavian)
  • Margrét (Icelandic)
  • Mairéad (Irish-Gaelic)
  • Pegeen (Irish-Gaelic: Gaelicization of the English diminutive Peggy, used as an independent given name)
  • Margherita (Italian: also the Italian word for cheese pizza and the daisy)
  • Malgozata (Lithuanian)
  • Margaid (Manx)
  • Margrete (Norwegian)
  • Marit (Norwegian/Swedish)
  • Magalòna (Occitanian)
  • Małgorzata (Polish)
  • Magali (Provençal)
  • Marghareta (Romanian)
  • Marghita (Romanian)
  • Maighread (Scotch-Gaelic)
  • Maisie (Scotch-Gaelic: originally a diminutive form of Maighread and Margaret, the name has a long history of usage as an independent given name. Pronounced like (MAY-zee), rhymes with Daisy).
  • Chmarietta (Slovene)
  • Marjeta (Slovene)
  • Merit (Swedish)
  • Makalesi (Tongan)
  • Marged (Welsh)
  • Mared (Welsh)
  • Megan (Welsh)
  • Mererid (Welsh)

There is also the Germanic off spring of Greta and all her various forms, once used as a diminutive form, Greta and all her variations have a long history of being used as independent given names.

In the United States, Greta is currently the 694th most popular female name, her German sister of Gretchen currently ranks in as the 945th most popular female name.

  • Greta (Danish/German/English/Plattdeutsch/Norwegian/Romansch/Swedish)
  • Grete (Danish/German/Plattdeutsch)
  • Grethe (Danish/Norwegian)
  • Greet/Griet (Dutch/Limburgish)
  • Greetje (Dutch)
  • Gretje/Grietje (Frisian)
  • Gretta (English)
  • Gretchen (German/English)
  • Gretel/Gretl (German)
  • Gréta (Hungarian/Icelandic)
  • Ghita (Italian)
  • Grieta (Latvian)
  • Greetke (Plattdeutsch)
  • Greth (Plattdeutsch)
  • Gretje (Plattdeutsch)
  • Gretjen (Plattdeutsch)
  • Grettina (Romansch)

Another diminutive offspring that has a history as an independent name is Rita, which originated as a Spanish and Italian contracted form and is now used in English, German, Hungarian, Portuguese, and the Scandinavian languages, Reeta/Reetta are Finnish forms.

There is the Italian masculine form of Margherito.

Common English diminutives are Daisy, Madge, Mae,  Maggie, Mamie, Marge, Margie, Mayme, Meg, Meggie, Midge, Peg, Peggy, and Jorie (for Marjory).

Czech diminutives are: Gita, Gitka and Gituška, Polish diminutives are Gosia, Gośka, Małgorzatka, Małgosia and Małgośka.

A Hungarian diminutive is Manci, a Spanish pet form is Tita and a Manx diminutive is Paaie.

A Swiss-German dialectical diminutive is Gretli.

Pearl

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: English
(PERL)

The name comes directly from the word for the precious gem created by the clam. Its usage as a given name first appeared in the 19th-century, possibly originally as a nickname for Margaret, (See Margaret).

The pearl is attributed as the birth stone for the month of June.

The pearl has been symbolically used in many major religions. In Christianity, it is found written in the New Testement that Christ compared the kingdom of heaven as that of a merchant finding the most expensive and worthy pearls. In the Church of Mormon, Pearl of a Great Price is the name of one of the sacred scriptures. In Gnostic texts, a poem entitled Hymn of the Pearl is found. In Islam, it is mentioned in the Qu’ran that those who make it to paradise will be adorned with pearls. Vedic tradition describes the Nine Sacred Pearls, first recorded in one of the holy texts of Hindu, the Garuda Purana.

The name was borne by Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) a famous American author and pulitzer prize winner who grew up in China. (Née Pearl Comfort, she was known as Comfort and not Pearl in her personal life).

In Literature, it is found as the name of a character in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novel, The Scarlett Letter.

Currently, Pearl does not rank in the U.S. top 1000, the last time she was seen was in 1986, coming in as the 972nd most popular female name.

The highest she ever ranked in U.S. naming history was between 1889-1890 and again in 1900 coming in as the 24th most popular female name.

Other forms include:

  • Perlezenn (Breton)
  • Perle (French: obscure)
  • Perlette (French: obscure)
  • Perline (French: obscure)
  • Perla (Italian/Spanish: obscure)
  • Perlita (Spanish: obscure)

Juno, June, Junia

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: uncertain
Eng (JOO-no); Lat (YOO-no); (JOON); Eng (joo-NEE-uh; JOON-yah); Lat (yoo-NEE-ah).

The name Juno is an ancient one; possibly going all the way back to the period of the Etruscans.

The origin and etymology is strongly contended and not quite certain. Some sources believe that it may be derived from the Etruscan name Uni which possibly means “alone; one; unit.” Others argue that it is derived from the Indo-European element Yeu, referring to youth and vitality.

In Ancient Rome, Juno was the supreme goddess. She was considered the protectress and counselor of the State. She was revered as a queen and known under the title of Juno Regina (Juno, the Queen).

Under the title of Juno Moneta, she was revered as the patroness of all things financial and econonimical.

The month of June gets its name from her, and as the patroness of women, marriage and fertility, the idea that June is the best time to marry comes from ancient Roman tradition, when young women chose to marry on the month in hopes that Juno would be more favorable in dispensing luck upon their marriage.

Juno was actually a goddess of many faces and incarnations. She was also revered as a counterpart to the Greek goddess Athene Pallas, as well as a counterpart to Hera. She was seen as the patroness of children and childbirth under the title of Lucina.

In Popular Culture, the name has recently sparked a small revival and interest thanks in part, to the 2007 independent film Juno (Ellen Page), in which it is mentioned in the movie that the character was named for the goddess, though the name has still yet to have even made it to the top 1000 names in the United States.

There is also the form of Junia, which was more often used on real people in ancient Rome rather than Juno itself. The name was ususually used in honour of the goddess and it appears in the New Testement as the name of a Roman matron.

There is also the masculine version of Junius or Iunius. Junilla was an ancient Latin diminutive form which might appeal to some modern parents.

The month name of June itself first became popular in the 19th-century. Another name to consider is the more unusual Cornish form of Metheven (METH-eh-VEN).

Other forms of the name include:

  • Junona (Croatian/Czech/Lithuanian/Polish/Serbian/Slovene)
  • Junon (French)
  • Júnía (Icelandic)
  • Giunia (Italian)
  • Giunone (Italian: joo-NOH-nay)
  • Ġunone (Maltese: joo-NOH-nay)
  • Iuno (Latin/Romanian: YOO-no)
  • Giununi (Sicilian)
  • Juni (Norwegian/Swedish)