So, I’m due any day with our first son. We have a daughter [name]Scarlett[/name] and we are italian with last name ending in -i. We have been leaning towards Italian boys names, but haven’t committed. After speaking to my husband last night about our final picks, he admitted he wasn’t that excited about any one name.
Please help us! Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Here are some we considered so you can see our style:
[name]Luca[/name] - great, but, too feminine with -a ending and we have a girl in the family named [name]Lucca[/name]. We don’t like any other [name]Luke[/name] variants
[name]Reece[/name] - is this also too feminine? Needs to be more manly
[name]Leo[/name] - my top, but hubs isn’t as crazy about
[name]Griffin[/name] - good, but means “hooked nose”, which I’m not that crazy about
[name]Fabrizio[/name] - a little over the top for me. Hubs likes.
[name]Luca[/name]- if you have a [name]Lucca[/name] in the family and find it feminine, I’d stay away from it.
[name]Reece[/name]- I do think it sounds feminine. Maybe [name]Reid[/name] or [name]Royce[/name]?
[name]Leo[/name]- a great name. My top pick of your list.
[name]Griffin[/name]- agree about the meaning being unpleasant. I’m just so-so on this one.
[name]Fabrizio[/name]- REALLY Italian with [name]Raphael[/name].
First, I love, love, [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Raphael[/name].
[name]Reece[/name] would look more masculine to me, spelt with the original Welsh spelling, [name]Rhys[/name]. Or at least, I’ve seen [name]Reese[/name] and [name]Reece[/name] on more girls than boys. But [name]Rhys[/name] only on boys. Or [name]Reed[/name], or [name]Rex[/name]. [name]Rex[/name] is sort of retro-cool I think.
[name]Leo[/name] - Okay but I think [name]Leo[/name] [name]Raphael[/name] is a little bit - please don’t kill me - Ninja Turtles. Or at least that’s where my mind went right after I thought “I like [name]Leo[/name], what about [name]Leonardo[/name]… Ohhhh.”
[name]Griffin[/name] - I would not worry over-much about the meaning. The only one I thought of pertained to the gryphon, which is a wise mythological creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion.
Other options that could work well with [name]Raphael[/name]:
[name]Dominic[/name]
[name]Dante[/name]
[name]Alexander[/name] or [name]Alessandro[/name]
[name]Flavio[/name] - A little less theatrical than [name]Fabrizio[/name] but still cool.
[name]Lorenzo[/name] - Doesn’t have the issues of [name]Leonardo[/name], still packs a punch.
[name]Matteo[/name]
First, why do you think [name]Griffin[/name] means “hooked nose”? That’s not the meaning we give and we consult several sources to come up with our meanings, but Behind the Name also does not list this as the meaning. The only connection to a hooked nose is the griffin bird which has the head of an eagle.
So if the meaning is not a problem, [name]Griffin[/name] is a great choice. But the deeper question is how committed you are to the first name being Italian? And how Italian do you want it to be?
[name]Leo[/name] is kind of Italian Lite – a great name but yes, a bit bland. Where [name]Fabrizio[/name] is Full Italian. And [name]Griffin[/name] of course is not Italian at all.
I’ve got to assume you don’t like [name]Raphael[/name] as a first name; definitely somewhere in the golden middle in terms of ethnic identity.
Otherwise you can go with Italian versions of traditional names and then, if it feels right, shorten the name to a more international nickname. For example:
[name]Alessandro[/name] – [name]Alex[/name]
[name]Antonio[/name] – [name]Tony[/name] or [name]Tonio[/name]
[name]Arturo[/name] – [name]Art[/name]
[name]Federico[/name] – [name]Freddy[/name]
[name]Gianni[/name] – sounds just like [name]Johnny[/name]!
[name]Matteo[/name] – [name]Matty[/name]
If you go to Supersearch in the upper right and plug in Boys and Italian, you’ll get the full range of choices in our database and may find further inspiration.
[name]Raphael[/name] is GORGEOUS! [name]Love[/name] it. I really like [name]Fabrizio[/name] & [name]Luca[/name] from your list, here are some suggestions:
My [name]Favorite[/name] is [name]Leo[/name] [name]Raphael[/name] out of your choices. [name]Leo[/name] is becoming trendy and it is a very strong name.
My personal favorite male italian name is [name]Giovanni[/name] with nn [name]Gio[/name]. I love it!
I love [name]Leo[/name] and [name]Griffin[/name]. The lion meaning behind [name]Leo[/name] is awesome. As for [name]Griffin[/name], most people will associate it with the mythological beast, so I wouldn’t worry about the “hook nose” meaning. I didn’t think [name]Reece[/name] or [name]Griffin[/name] were Itallian?! I like [name]Reece[/name], but I prefer the traditional spelling of [name]Rhys[/name] for a man, it seems more masculine. Personally, I don’t care for Italian names all that much, so [name]Fabrizio[/name] has zero appeal to me. [name]Luca[/name] is ok.
My vote goes to [name]Griffin[/name] and [name]Leo[/name]. Possibly [name]Rhys[/name].
[name]Luca[/name] - I really, really like [name]Luca[/name].
[name]Reece[/name] - I like this, but not this spelling. I prefer [name]Reese[/name] or [name]Rhys[/name].
[name]Leo[/name] - This is one of my personal favorites.
[name]Griffin[/name] - I think you’re confusing [name]Griffin[/name] with [name]Cameron[/name]? [name]Cameron[/name] means “crooked nose.” Behind the Name, which is a really reliable source when it comes to etymology, has [name]Griffin[/name] listed as being derived from a Welsh element that means “lord” or “prince.” I’ve never seen the “crooked nose” meaning before, so I would advise you to be skeptical of the source that you got that from. I think it’s a really nice name, and I love the idea of [name]Fin[/name] or [name]Finn[/name] as a nickname.
[name]Fabrizio[/name] - I agree with you that this is probably a little over the top as a first name, but it could maybe make for a cool middle name. Is your husband a fan of The Strokes? I associate this pretty strongly with their drummer, [name]Fabrizio[/name] Moretti. I believe he often goes by Fab, which is a pretty cool nickname. It does also sort of make me think of Febreze, like the air freshener.
Perhaps you guys might like [name]Elio[/name]? It’s similar to [name]Leo[/name], but much less popular and has a much more Italian vibe to me.
Obviously I’m very partial to [name]Raphael[/name]. It’s a beautiful, evocative and very versatile name.
It seems like you are drawn to names from a variety of backgrounds. If you select an Italian name, you’d like it to be “Italian lite,” as [name]Pam[/name] said; sister [name]Scarlett[/name] after all doesn’t have an Italian name.
Some thoughts, which include Catholic names that aren’t necessarily Italian in form:
Thank you all so much for your responses. We are considering the names you provided. Up to the top is now [name]Enzo[/name], [name]Ezra[/name], [name]Matteo[/name], [name]Dante[/name] and [name]Massimo[/name]. Thankfully, baby is giving us a few more days of thought.
[name]Pam[/name], I’m honored you responded. I got help from the Berries for my daughter and this is truly a marvelous site.
Also, [name]Leo[/name] [name]Raphael[/name] is ninja turtles! Have to take that one off or change the middle name, at the least.
[name]Hi[/name], I’m italian too (and I live in [name]Italy[/name]).
[name]Fabrizio[/name] is a beautiful name, it could have pronunciation problems in an English-speaking country though.
[name]Luca[/name]… is boring, at least for me because here is too popular and it was even more during my generation, so it feels anonymous.
[name]Matteo[/name] is another too common name I never liked.
[name]Enzo[/name] is a nickname whitout personality (I know many [name]Enzo[/name], all over 40, that use this nickname because they dislike their full name [name]Vincenzo[/name], inherited from their grandfathers). I prefer [name]Vincenzo[/name] which I don’t find “old” like many other people, it’s not a name I would choose but it’s interesting.
[name]Leo[/name] is nice but I wouldn’t use it as a full name.
I don’t like [name]Griffin[/name] and [name]Reece[/name].
[name]Ezra[/name] is not bad but not my style.
I like [name]Massimo[/name] and love [name]Dante[/name].
An italian name that I think could work for you is [name]Orlando[/name]. I also like it with [name]Scarlett[/name].
[name]Luca[/name]- Agree it’s a little androgynous, though I like it.
[name]Reese[/name]- I find this name kind of sterile.
[name]Leo[/name]- Like this a lot for you, but as a nn for [name]Leone[/name] ([name]Ottilie[/name]'s suggestion.) I think that solves the ninja turtle issue too.
[name]Griffin[/name] - Dislike with [name]Raphael[/name]. Something about having two different species of F-sound in one name… [name]Raphael[/name] is so soft yet masculine and so Italian; [name]Griffin[/name] is sort of stormy and oddball and not at all Italian (love it as a name in general though)
[name]Fabrizio[/name] - I think it’s a great name, but I also hear “Febreze” as in the air-freshener.
[name]Ezra[/name]- Feels Jewish to me, not specifically Italian.
[name]Enzo[/name]- Yes definitely. Cute for a boy, handsome for a man. Authentically Italian, but sounds modern. [name]Love[/name] the Z sound and the O ending. Ok edit: [name]Cathy[/name] in [name]Italy[/name] says it’s not authentically Italian, rather a nickname there. I still like it, but I think [name]Vincenzo[/name] is excellent too.
[name]Matteo[/name]- I think it has those same qualities of adaptability from boy to man, Italian but versatile.
[name]Dante[/name]- Kind of over-the-top because there will always be the association with [name]Dante[/name] Alighieri (though he’s an excellent namesake.) That said, the name itself is beautiful.
[name]Massimo[/name]- I find this one macho. I know a [name]Massimo[/name], and he’s a “massive schmo” so I’m biased.
