Names by country
Italian names for characters
Popular Italian first names by birth decade, common and regional surnames, pronunciation, and the naming rules writers trip over.
How Italian names work
Most Italians use one given name; compounds like Maria Grazia or Pier Paolo count as one. Southern families traditionally name the first son and daughter after the paternal grandparents. Women keep their own surname for legal purposes after marriage.
Middle names. Middle names are rare in Italy; most people have one given name.
First names by birth decade
Names drift in and out of fashion. Pick from the decade your character was born, not the year your story is set.
Born before 1950
Girls
- Maria
- Anna
- Giuseppina joo-zep-PEE-nah
- Rosa
- Angela AHN-jeh-lah
- Giovanna joh-VAHN-nah
- Teresa
- Lucia loo-CHEE-ah
Boys
- Giuseppe joo-ZEP-peh
- Giovanni joh-VAHN-nee
- Antonio ahn-TOH-nyoh
- Mario
- Luigi loo-EE-jee
- Francesco frahn-CHES-koh
- Angelo AHN-jeh-loh
- Vincenzo veen-CHEN-tsoh
Born 1950–64
Girls
- Maria
- Anna
- Rita
- Patrizia pah-TREET-syah
- Gabriella
- Rosanna
- Maria Grazia mah-REE-ah GRAHT-syah
- Anna Maria
Boys
- Giuseppe
- Giovanni
- Antonio
- Mario
- Franco
- Roberto
- Bruno
- Paolo POW-loh
Born 1965–79
Girls
- Barbara
- Laura LOW-rah
- Paola POW-lah
- Monica
- Cristina
- Elena
- Sabrina
- Simona
Boys
- Marco
- Andrea ahn-DREH-ah
- Massimo
- Stefano STEH-fah-noh
- Luca
- Roberto
- Alessandro
- Paolo
Born 1980–94
Girls
- Giulia JOO-lyah
- Francesca
- Sara
- Chiara KYAH-rah
- Valentina
- Federica
- Silvia
- Elisa
Boys
- Andrea
- Marco
- Matteo maht-TEH-oh
- Luca
- Alessandro
- Simone see-MOH-neh
- Davide
- Francesco
Born 1995–2009
Girls
- Giulia
- Sofia
- Martina
- Chiara
- Sara
- Aurora
- Giorgia JOR-jah
- Alessia
Boys
- Alessandro
- Lorenzo
- Matteo
- Andrea
- Francesco
- Gabriele gah-BRYEH-leh
- Riccardo reek-KAR-doh
- Mattia maht-TEE-ah
Born 2010 onward
Girls
- Sofia
- Aurora
- Giulia
- Ginevra jee-NEV-rah
- Beatrice beh-ah-TREE-cheh
- Alice
- Vittoria
- Emma
Boys
- Leonardo
- Francesco
- Alessandro
- Lorenzo
- Mattia
- Tommaso
- Gabriele
- Riccardo
Common Italian surnames
- Rossi
- Russo
- Ferrari
- Esposito es-POH-zee-toh
- Bianchi BYAHN-kee
- Romano
- Colombo
- Ricci REET-chee
- Marino
- Greco
- Bruno
- Gallo
- Conti
- De Luca
- Mancini mahn-CHEE-nee
- Costa
- Giordano jor-DAH-noh
- Rizzo
- Lombardi
- Moretti
- Barbieri bar-BYEH-ree
- Fontana
- Santoro
- Mariani
Regional names
Where a character comes from inside Italy changes their surname, and sometimes their first name.
Lombardy (Milan, Bergamo, Brianza)
Surnames: Brambilla, Colombo, Ferrari, Bianchi, Villa, Galli, Sala, Cattaneo, Riva, Fumagalli
Veneto and Friuli
Venetian surnames often drop the final vowel (Zanon, Pavan, Furlan), unlike standard Italian.
Surnames: Zanetti, Zanon, Bortolon, Pavan, Scarpa, Baldan, Zago, Tonon, Visentin, Marangon
Naples and Campania
Esposito, the most common Neapolitan surname, was once given to foundlings (esposti). Children are traditionally named after their grandparents.
Surnames: Esposito, Russo, De Luca, Iovine, Capasso, Coppola, Ruggiero, Improta, Cozzolino, Annunziata
Girls: Assunta, Immacolata, Annunziata, Carmela, Concetta, Nunzia, Raffaella, Anna
Boys: Gennaro, Ciro, Salvatore, Vincenzo, Pasquale, Raffaele, Carmine, Gaetano
Sicily
Sicilian names honour local patron saints: Rosalia in Palermo, Agata in Catania, Calogero around Agrigento.
Surnames: Russo, La Rosa, Messina, Lo Bianco, Caruso, Grasso, Lombardo, Puglisi, Di Stefano, Lo Presti
Girls: Rosalia, Agata, Concetta, Carmela, Santa, Rosaria, Grazia, Venera
Boys: Salvatore, Calogero, Rosario, Carmelo, Sebastiano, Gaetano, Vincenzo, Giuseppe
Sardinia
Sardinian surnames are unlike mainland ones; Sanna, Pinna and Piras alone cover a large share of the island.
Surnames: Sanna, Pinna, Piras, Melis, Serra, Murgia, Deiana, Porcu, Cocco, Loi
Girls: Bonaria, Mariangela, Giovanna, Graziella, Sebastiana, Antonella
Boys: Efisio, Gavino, Salvatore, Giommaria, Antioco, Sebastiano
Questions
What are common Italian surnames?
Some of the most common Italian surnames are Rossi, Russo, Ferrari, Esposito, Bianchi, Romano. Regional surnames differ, so check the regional lists before choosing one for a character from a particular area.
How do Italian names work?
Most Italians use one given name; compounds like Maria Grazia or Pier Paolo count as one. Southern families traditionally name the first son and daughter after the paternal grandparents. Women keep their own surname for legal purposes after marriage. Middle names are rare in Italy; most people have one given name.
Build a Italian character in one tap
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