101 ITALIAN BOY NAMES for 2024 + Pronunciations, Meanings & More

If you’re looking for Italian baby boy names for your little guy, you’ve found the right place! I’m a mamma in Italy and have named three little boys with Italian boys names.

I can assure you I’ve sifted through all possible Italian baby boy names (really – I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent researching them!). I’ve looked beyond the ‘most popular’ lists to find names that will work for you, no matter where you’re located.

I hope this list will help you in your search for the perfect Italian baby boy name for your new arrival!

Looking for an Italian baby girl name? Check out 101 Italian Baby Girl Names!
Looking for a gender-neutral name? Check out Gender-Neutral Italian Names!

The names listed are real Italian male names that you’ll find in Italy. You won’t see names like ‘Georgio,’ ‘Theo,’ or ‘Julio.’ Why not? Because they aren’t Italian names, even though they’re often listed as Italian names on baby name websites.

You won’t see every possible Italian male name, but you will find authentic, beautiful, classic Italian names for your little boy. They’ll stand the test of time and will be recognized throughout Italy.

In the first list, you’ll find the name, its pronunciation, the meaning of the name, and its origin.

In the second list, you’ll find the name, its famous namesakes, and its English language equivalent.

Following the lists, you’ll see the popularity of these boy names in Italy and the USA in 2022 (the most up-to-date data available).

After the lists, read on to find more information on:

• Masculine and feminine names in Italy
• Italian naming traditions
• Nicknames in Italy
• Shortened Italian names
• Descriptive nicknames in Italy
• Geographic considerations when choosing an Italian name
• Italian names in pop culture
• Onomastico (Name day) in Italy

Congratulazioni and happy searching! And remember to eventually bring him to Italy!

Note: We can guarantee that the names on this list are authentic Italian names that are spelled correctly and pronounced accurately. The origins and meanings of these names have been researched thoroughly and to the best of our ability, but we cannot guarantee their accuracy. If you find a name you like, please continue to research its origin and meaning. If you have any feedback, please let us know.

101 Italian Boy Names + Pronunciation, Meaning, & Origin

101 Italian Boy Names + Namesakes & English Equivalents

Name	Famous Namesakes	English (US) Equivalent
Adriano	Adriano Olivetti, engineer; Adriano Giannini, actor, Adriano Pappalardo, singer; Adriano Panatta, tennis player	Adrian
Agostino	Agostino Tassi, painter
Alberto	Alberto Tomba, ski racer	Albert
Alessandro	Alessandro Volta, inventor of the battery; Alessandro Borghese, restauranteur; Alessandro Borghi, actor	Alexander
Alessio	Alessio Figalli, mathematician; Alessio Boni, actor	Alexis
Alfredo	Alfredo Pedulla, journalist	Alfred
Ambrogio	Ambrogio Lorenzetti, painter; Ambrogio Fogar, sailor
Amedeo	Amedeo Avogadro, chemist; Amedeo Modigliani, artist	Amadeus
Amerigo	Amerigo Vespucci, explorer	Emmerich
Antonio	Antonio Pisanello, painter; Antonio Banderas, actor	Anthony
Apollo	Apollo, son of Zeus
Arturo	Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, pianist; Arturo Vidal, soccer player	Arthur
Augusto	Augusto, emperor	August
Aureliano		Aurelius
Aurelio	Aurelio de Laurentiis, film producer; Aurelio Andreazzoli, soccer coach	Aurelius
Beniamino	Beniamino Gigli, opera singer	Benjamin
Brando	Brando Giorgi, actor
Carlo	Carlo Ponti, conductor	Charles
Cesare	Giulio Cesare, emperor
Ciro	Ciro Immobile, soccer player	Cyrus
Corso
Cosimo	Cosimo de’ Medici, ruler
Cristiano	Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer player	Christian
Damiano	Damiano Carrara, chef; Damiano Cunego, cyclist	Damian
Daniele	Daniele Scardina, boxer; Daniele Silvestri, singer	Daniel
Dante	Dante Alighieri, poet
Dario	Dario Argento, film director; Dario Bressanini, chemist
Davide	Davide Rossi, violinist	David
Diego	Diego Rivera, painter; Diego dalla Palma, make-up artist; Diego Maradona, soccer player
Edoardo	Edoardo Bennato, singer	Edward
Elio	Elio Petri, filmmaker; Elio Toaff, rabbi
Emanuele	Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, prince of Venice; Emanuele Severino, philosopher	Emmanuel
Emiliano	Emiliano Zapata, revolutionary; Emiliano Sala, soccer player; Emiliano Brancaccio, economist	Emil
Emilio	Emilio Pucci, fashion designer; Emilio Salgari, writer	Emil
Enrico	Enrico Fermi, physicist; Enrico Letta, former prime minister; Enrico Brignano, actor	Henry
Enzo	Enzo Ferrari, racecar driver; Enzo Amore, wrestler	Heinz
Ettore	Ettore Bugatti, automobile designer; Ettore Scola, screenwriter	Hector
Eugenio	Eugenio Montale, poet	Eugene
Ezio	Ezio Greggio, comedian
Fausto	Fausto Coppi, cyclist; Fausto Melotti, sculptor
Federico	Federico Fellini, film director; Federico Garcia Lorca, poet	Frederick
Filippo	Filippo Inzaghi, soccer player; Filippo Neri, saint; Filippo Nardi, DJ	Phillip
Fiorenzo	Fiorenzo Magni, cyclist; Fiorenzo Carpi, composer	Florence
Gabriele	Gabriele d’Annunzio, poet; Gabriele Muccino, film director	Gabriel
Giacomo	Giacomo Leopardi, philosopher; Giacomo Puccini, composer	James, Jacob
Giancarlo	Giancarlo Giannini, actor	John Charles
Gianmarco	Gianmarco Saurino, actor; Gianmarco Zagato, author	John Mark
Gianni	Gianni Agnelli, industrialist; Gianni Rodari, writer; Gianni Versace, fashion designer	John
Giorgio	Giorgio Armani, fashion designer; Giorgio Locatelli, chef; Giorgio Rosa, engineer	George
Giovanni	Giovanni Casanova, adventurer; Giovanni Moroder, composer; Giovanni XXIII, pope	John
Giuliano	Giuliano l’Apostata, emporer; Giuliano Gemma, actor; Giuliano di Bernardo, philosopher	Julian
Giulio	Giulio Cesare, politician and general; Giulio Ferrari, entrepreneur; Giulio II, pope	Julius
Giuseppe	Giuseppe Verdi, opera composer; Giuseppe Garibaldi, military leader; Giuseppe Zanotti, fashion designer	Joseph
Gregorio	Gregorio, saint	Gregory
Gustavo	Gustavo Rol, painter; Gustavo Gutierrez, philosopher	Gus
Jacopo	Jacopo Peri, composer; Jacopo da Lentini, poet	James
Leonardo	Leonardo da Vinci, polymath; Leonardo DiCaprio, actor	Leonard
Leone		Leon
Leopoldo	Leopoldo Pirelli, businessman, Leopoldo Luque, soccer player; Leopoldo Galtieri, former president	Leopold
Lorenzo	Lorenzo de’ Medici, statesman; Lorenzo Insigne, soccer player, Lorenzo Lamas, actor	Lawrence
Luca	Luca Zingaretti, actor; Luca Guadagnino, filmmaker	Luke
Luciano	Luciano Pavarotti, opera singer; Luciano Ligabue, singer; Luciano, DJLuciano Pavarotti, opera singer; Luciano Ligabue, singer; Luciano, DJ	Lucian
Luigi	Luigi Tenco, singer; Luigi Sturzo, priest; Luigi Zingales, author	Ludwig
Lupo
Marcello	Marcello Mastroianni, actor; Marcello de Cecco, economist; Marcello Lippi, soccer player	Marcel
Marco	Marco Polo, explorer; Marco Aurelio, philosopher; Marco Pantani, cyclist; Marco Giallini, actor	Marcus
Mario	Mario Lopez, actor; Mario Andretti, racecar driver; Mario Lemieux, hockey player; Mario Draghi, prime minister; Mario Balotelli, soccer player	Marius
Massimiliano	Massimiliano Rosolino, swimmer; Massimiliano Morra, actor; Massimiliano Allegri, soccer coach	Maximilian
Massimo	Massimo Bottura, restauranteur; Massimo Boldi, comedian; Massimo Ranieri, singer	Maximus
Matteo	Matteo Garrone, filmmaker; Matteo Romano, musician	Matthew
Mattia	Mattia Destro, soccer player; Mattia Torre, screenwriter	Matthew
Milo	Milo Ventimiglia, actor; Milo de Angelis, poet	Miles
Moreno	Moreno Cedroni, chef; Moreno Roggi, soccer player; Moreno Donadoni, rapper, Moreno Morello, journalist
Niccolò	Niccolò Machiavelli, political philosopher	Nicholas
Nico		Nicholas, Nicodemus
Oliviero	Oliviero Toscani, photographer; Oliviero Corbetta, actor	Oliver
Ottavio	Ottavio Bugatti, soccer player; Ottavio Rinuccini, poet	Octavius
Paolo	Paolo Veronese, painter; Paolo Fox, astrologer; Paolo Villaggio, actor	Paul
Piero	Piero della Francesca, painter; Pero Pelu, singer; Piero Manzoni, artist; Piero Angela, television host	Peter
Pietro	Pietro della Valle, composer; Pietro Sermonti, actor; Pietro Morreale, soccer player	Peter
Raffaele	Raffaele Riario, painter; Raffaele Riefoli, singer	Raphael
Remo	Remo d’Souza, choreographer; Remo Remotti, actor, Remo Bodei, philosopher	Remington
Riccardo	Riccardo Zanotti, singer; Riccardo Muti, conductor	Richard
Roberto	Roberto Benigni, actor; Roberto Saviano, writer; Roberto Cavalli, fashion designer; Roberto Bellarmine, saint	Robert
Rocco	Rocco Tanica, keyboard player; Rocco Hunt, rapper; Rocco Papaleo, actor
Romeo	Romeo Gigli, fashion designer; Romeo Beckham, model; Romeo Santos, singer
Samuele	Samuele Bersani, singer; Samuele Longo, soccer player	Samuel
Saverio	Saverio Costanzo, film director; Saverio Indrio, actor; Saverio Raimondo, comedian	Xavier
Sebastiano	Sebastiano del Piombo, painter; Sebastiano Esposito, soccer player; Sebastiano Mauri, actor	Sebastian
Sergio	Sergio Perez, racecar driver; Sergio Garcia, golfer; Sergio Leone, film director; Sergio Mattarella, Italian President	Sergius
Simone	Simone Rugiati, chef; Simone Moro, alpinist	Simon
Stefano	Stefano Gabbana, fashion designer; Stefano Montanari, writer	Steven
Teodoro	Teodoro Giambanco, actor	Theodore
Timoteo		Timothy
Tommaso	Tommaso d’Aquino, philosopher; Tommaso Paradiso, singer	Thomas
Ugo	Ugo Foscolo, writer; Ugo Bologna, actor; Ugo Borghetti, musician	Hugh
Valentino	Valentino Rossi, motorcycle racer; Valentino, fashion designer	Valentine
Vieri		Oliver
Vincenzo	Vincenzo Nibali, cyclist; Vincenzo Montella, soccer player; Vincenzo Gambi, pirate; Vincenzo Bellini, composer	Victor
Vittorio	Vittorio Emanuele II, king of Italy; Vittorio Monti, composer; Vittorio de Sica, director	Victor
Zeno	Zeno of Elea, philosopher	Zeus

Popular Boy Names in Italy – 2022*:

1. Leonardo
2. Francesco
3. Tommaso
4. Edoardo
5. Alessandro
6. Lorenzo
7. Mattia
8. Gabriele
9. Riccardo
10. Andrea
11. Diego
12. Nicolò
13. Matteo
14. Giuseppe
15. Federico
16. Antonio
17. Enea
18. Samuele
19. Giovanni
20. Pietro

*latest data available on ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics)

Popular Italian Boy Names in the United States in 2022*:

22. Leo
28. Luca
75. Leonardo

*latest data available on SSA (Social Security Administration)

Things to Think About When Choosing An Italian Boy Name

Things To Think About – Masculine vs Feminine Names in Italy

Some Italian baby boy names end in -a. For example, Andrea is a boy’s name in Italy, but in the United States, it’s usually a girl’s name.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t choose the name, but it’s something to be aware of. Outside of Italy, many parents are choosing gender-neutral names or names that are traditionally given to the opposite sex (think James or Ryan for a girl or Charlie for either sex).

It’s more difficult to choose a gender-neutral Italian name, as most names end in -a (feminine) or -o (masculine).

Typical Endings for Italian Names

Ending	Feminine or Masculine	Masculine Examples
-a	Usually Feminine, but can be Masculine	Andrea, Elia, Luca, Mattia, Nicola
-o	Masculine	Antonio, Federico, Roberto, Tommaso, Vincenzo
-e	Both	Emanuele, Ettore, Leone, Raffaele, Simone
-i	Usually Masculine, but can be Feminine	Gianni, Giovanni, Luigi, Neri, Ranieri
-consonant	Both, typically foreign origin	Cristian, Walter

Things To Think About – Italian Naming Tradition

Some Italians still follow tradition in naming their children:

• The first son is named after the paternal grandfather.
• The first daughter is named after the paternal grandmother.
• The second son is named after the maternal grandfather.
• The second daughter is named after the maternal grandmother.

So, if Giovanni and Sara have a son, he will be named after Giovanni’s grandfather. If they have a second son, he will be named after Sara’s grandfather.

If they have a third son, they may choose to name him after a saint, the godparents, or another family member (like a favorite uncle).

As you can imagine, following this tradition, it’s easy to end up with a lot of family members with the same name. So, many Italians have nicknames.

Be sure to read
Italian Baby Traditions
Italian Naming Traditions

Things To Think About – Nicknames in Italy

Most Italian names have a nickname and Italian friends and family will usually call you by your nickname.

There are a couple of types of nicknames (soprannomi) used in Italy – shortened names and descriptive names.

Things To Think About – Shortened Names For Your Baby Boy

Many Italian boy names are long, like Francesco, Lorenzo, Salvatore, Riccardo, Leonardo, Guglielmo. Rather than pronounce all syllables, friends and family will shorten the name.

For example:

• Francesco – Checco
• Filippo – Pippo
• Mattia – Matti
• Leonardo – Leo*

Professors, doctors, and others who aren’t close to the boy will call him by his full name.

The shortened name is used verbally and rarely written.

*I hear more and more Italians calling their sons Leo (legally) instead of the traditional Leonardo.

Things To Think About – Descriptive Nicknames for Your Baby Boy

Remember the Italian naming tradition and how many have the same name? Rather than having five Matteo Ferraris in the neighborhood, you may find each Matteo has a descriptive nickname.

For example:

• Tesoro – treasure
• Piccolino – tiny
• Pulcino – little chick
• Topolino – little mouse
• Ciccio – chubby

Things To Think About – Where You’ll Be Living With Your Baby

If you’re choosing an Italian name for your baby boy, think about how the name will be pronounced where you live.

Difficult spellings aren’t fun for parents or children. While Vittorio is easily spelled in Italy, it can be confusing in the United States (“Victorio?” “Vittorrio?”).

If you’re living in a Spanish-speaking area, remember that certain letters and sounds are pronounced differently. For example, Gianmarco is pronounced with a hard ‘G,’ as “jon-MAR-co,” versus a soft ‘G’ in Spanish.

Certain names (like Leonardo) are pronounced differently, depending on where you are located. In Italian, it’s pronounced “lay-oh-NAR-do,” while in the United States it’s “lee-oh-nar-do.” If the way it’s pronounced where you live bothers you, choose a different name or be prepared to correct the pronunciation or just deal with it.

Things To Think About – Your Italian Baby Boy Name in Pop Culture

If it’s important to you, research baby boy names in the context of pop culture where you’ll be raising your little guy.

For example, in Italy, Fabio and Guido are beautiful and common name choices, but to some people in the United States, Fabio brings to mind a long-haired cheesy model and Guido recalls wild Italian-American teens.

Things To Think About – Name Day (Onomastico)

Some Italians also celebrate their onomastico, or name day, which is a day that celebrates a particular saint.

The name day is celebrated more in the south, and by religious families. It is celebrated less and less by the younger generations.

But, it can be a fun excuse to celebrate, especially if your little boy’s name day is during a different part of the year. For example, if your son Lupo is born in December, you can celebrate his summer onomastico on July 27th.

FAQ About Italian Baby Boy Names