This list covers some of the most popular Italian girl names and their meanings, so if you’re looking for a name for your baby girl, or you’re just interested in finding out more about the name of an Italian girl you know, this is the place for you.
Because, yes, Italian names are like a melody – each syllable flowing like music, adding a touch of dolce vita to everything. So let’s just jump right into these names that bring a bit of Italian warmth and character to whoever wears them.
Italian Girl Names and Meanings
Adelina (ah-deh-LEE-nah): Derived from the Germanic root “adal,” meaning “noble” or “kind.”
Anna (AHN-nah) – The name Anna comes from the name Hannah, which itself is derived from the Hebrew name Channah, meaning “favor, grace.”
Antonella (ahn-toh-NEHL-lah): Feminine diminutive form of Antonio, which originates from the Roman family name Antonius, possibly meaning “priceless” or “inestimable.”
Alessia (ah-LESS-ee-ah) – Italian feminine form of the Greek masculine name Alexis, which meant “helper” or “defender.”
Alice (ah-LEE-cheh) – From the Old French name Aalis, which was ultimately derived from the Germanic name Adelheidis, a name which combined the elements adal and heid, meaning “noble” and “kind, sort, type.”
Arianna (ah-ree-AHN-nah) – Italian form of the name Ariadne, which in Greek meant “most holy.” Derived from the Greek elements ari, meaning “most” and adne, meaning “holy.”
Aurora (ow-ROH-rah) – This name means “dawn” in Latin.
Related reading: Moving to Italy? See what to prepare for by reading my full guide to men in Italy.
Bianca (BYAHN-kah): Means “white” or “fair” in Italian, often symbolizing purity.
Bruna (BROO-nah): Derived from the Germanic word “brun,” meaning “brown.” This name has historical ties to Italy and symbolizes strength.
Camilla (kah-MEEL-lah) – Feminine form of the Roman name Camillus, of Etruscan origin and unknown meaning. This name most likely has no relation to the Latin word camillus, meaning “youth employed in religious service.”
Carla (KAHR-lah): Italian feminine form of Carlo, which comes from the Germanic word “karl,” meaning “free man.”
Caterina (kah-teh-REE-nah) – The Italian form of the name Katherine, which comes from the Greek name Aikaterine. This name most likely came from the Greek word hekateros, meaning “each of the two.”
Chiara (kee-AH-rah) – Italian form of the name Clara, which in Latin meant “bright, clear, famous.”
Claudia (KLOW-dee-ah): Derived from the Roman family name Claudius, which possibly means “lame” or “limping.” This name has been popular in Italy for centuries.
Donatella (doh-nah-TEHL-lah): Diminutive of Donata, which means “given” or “gifted” in Italian.
Elda (EHL-dah): Italian name derived from Germanic roots, meaning “battle” or “warrior.”
Elena (eh-LEH-nah) – A cognate of the name Helen, from the Greek name Helene. This name was most likely derived from the Greek word helene, meaning “torch, corposant” or possibly derived from the Greek word selene, meaning “moon.”
Elisa (eh-LEE-sah) – A short form of the name Elisabeth that comes from the Greek name Elisabet, which was ultimately derived from the Hebrew name ‘Elisheva’, meaning “my God is an oath.”
Emma (EH-mah) – This name was originally a short form for Germanic names that began with the name element ermen, meaning “whole” or “universal.”
Also read about the strange Italian habit of placing bottles of water in front of the house.
Fiammetta (fee-ahm-MEH-tah): Derived from the Italian word “fiamma,” meaning “flame.” This name symbolizes passion and vivacity.
Francesca – Italian feminine form of the Late Latin name Franciscus, which in Latin meant “Frenchman.”
Gaia – From the Greek word gaia, which means “earth.”
Giada – The Italian form of the name Jade, which comes from the name of the precious stone.
Ginevra (jee-NEH-vrah): Italian form of Guinevere, meaning “white shadow” or “white wave.” It carries a noble and mystical charm, symbolizing purity.
Gioia – This name simply means “joy” in Italian.
Giulia – The Italian form of the name Julius, which is a Roman family name most likely derived from the Greek word ioulos, meaning “downy-bearded youth.”
Greta – This name is a short form of the name Margaret, derived from the Latin name Margarita, which comes from the Greek word margarites, meaning “pearl.”
Ilaria – Italian feminine form of the Roman name Hilarius, which was derived from the Latin word hilaris, meaning “cheerful.”
Irene – This name comes from the Greek name Eirene, which was derived from a Greek word that meant “peace.”
Isabella (ee-sah-BEHL-lah): Italian form of Elizabeth, meaning “pledged to God.” Extremely popular and with a touch of elegance.
Laura – Feminine form of the Late Latin name Laurus, which meant “laurel” alluding to the leaves of a laurel tree that were used to create victors’ garlands.
Lia (LEE-ah): A simple and charming Italian name, possibly derived from the Hebrew name Leah, meaning “weary,” or it could simply mean “mine” in Italian.
Ludovica – The latinate feminine form of the name Ludwig, which was derived from the Germanic name Chlodovech, a name composed of the Germanic elements hlud and wig, meaning “famous” and war, battle.”
Margherita (mar-geh-REE-tah): Italian form of Margaret, meaning “pearl.” Also the inspiration behind the Margherita pizza!
Maria – From the Greek name Maria, which was ultimately derived from the Hebrew name Miryam. There are two theories about the meaning of this name, some believe it means “sea of bitterness” or “rebelliousness,” however it was most likely derived from the Egyptian word mry, meaning “beloved.”
Mia – The diminutive form of the name Maria that also coincides with the Italian word mia meaning, “mine.”
Martina – Feminine form of the name Martin, most likely ultimately derived from the name Mars, the name of the Roman God of war, which was most likely derived from the Latin word mas, meaning “male.”
Melisa – A form of the name Melissa, which in Greek means “bee.”
Nadia (NAH-dyah): Although widely used in other countries, Nadia has been popular in Italy as well, meaning “hope.”
Nicole – French feminine form of the Greek name Nikolaos, which meant “victory for the people.”
Noemi – The Italian form of the name Naomi, which was derived from the Hebrew name Na’omi, meaning “pleasantness.”
Ornella (or-NEHL-lah): Italian name of Latin origin, meaning “flowering ash tree.” This name became popular due to the Italian writer Gabriele D’Annunzio’s novel La Figlia di Iorio.
Paola (POW-lah): Italian feminine form of Paolo, meaning “small” or “humble.”
Raffaella (rah-fah-EHL-lah): Feminine form of Raffaello (Raphael), which means “God has healed.”
Rebecca – From the Hebrew name Rivqah, whose meaning is unknown for certain, it’s possible that this name means “join, tie, snare.”
Romina (roh-MEE-nah): Likely derived from Rome, this name can mean “from Rome” or “Roman.”
Sara – A form of the name Sarah, which means “lady, noblewoman, princess” in Hebrew.
Simona (see-MOH-nah): Italian feminine form of Simon, meaning “he has heard” or “listener.”
Sofia – A form of the name Sophia, which means “wisdom” in Greek.
Tiziana (tee-TSYAH-nah): Derived from the Roman name Titianus, likely associated with the Latin “Titus,” meaning “honorable.”
Valentina (vah-lehn-TEE-nah): Feminine form of Valentinus, meaning “strong” or “healthy.” It’s especially popular around Valentine’s Day!
Viola – This name simply means “violet” in Latin.
Viviana (vee-VEE-ah-nah): Feminine form of Viviano, meaning “alive” or “lively.”
Vittoria – Italian form of the name Victoria, which means “victory” in Latin.
Zita (ZEE-tah): Of Italian origin, this name was borne by St. Zita, the patron saint of servants, and it means “little girl” in Tuscan dialect.
Most Common Italian Girl Names
In recent years, names like Sofia, Aurora, and Ginerva have topped the popularity charts in Italy. The top two are popular for several years now. According to the Italian statistics agency Istat, here are the top five most common female names in Italy (for new babies):
- Sofia
- Aurora
- Ginerva
- Vittoria
- Giulia
A lot of these names are also commonly given to Spanish and French girls, for example, the name Giulia, despite being Italian by origin, is a very popular name for French girls, Romanian girls, and so on.
Conclusion
There we have it, I hope my list of Italian girl names helped you find what you were looking for – from popular names, to less popular but still melodic.
Remember, choose the name of your baby girl with your heart. Not only that she will carry it for life, but it will also tell stories of tradition and cultural significance. So make sure you choose a special one – one you really enjoy.
And don’t forget to tell us all what is your favorite Italian girl name by commenting below. And if you have one you’d like to know the meaning of, let me know and I will answer ASAP.
If you’re looking for more inspiration in the realm of names, we can switch the geographical region a bit with the suggestions below:
