Red-headed Italian!

General Name Discussion
1

My husband and I just found out we’re expecting a little one in [name]September[/name] and since I’m a name junkie, I immediately started thinking about names. Our last name is Montanaro so I really love the idea of going with an Italian first name but my husband is a red-head and I just don’t feel right about giving a red-headed little girl an Italian name. That seems off. [name]Don[/name]'t even bother discussing boys names because my husband is set on having a [name]Junior[/name]. These are the names that we really like so far:

If she comes out with brown hair:
[name]Gabriela[/name]
[name]Sofia[/name]
[name]Alessia[/name]

If she comes out with red hair:
I’m completely in love with the name [name]Gemma[/name] but there are two issues with it. 1) his sister’s name is [name]Jenna[/name] and 2) the name reminds him of [name]Katy[/name] Segual on Sons of Anarchy and I guess she’s a slutty character, according to [name]Zack[/name].

If she comes out bald:
[name]Everley[/name]
[name]Haley[/name]
[name]Violet[/name]
[name]Victoria[/name]
[name]Charlotte[/name]
[name]Blakeley[/name]

New suggestions are welcome, I’d just like some input and ideas!
Thanks!

2

I think you should choose a name that you love and not worry so much about hair color…I have three children and none of them have the same color hair that they were born with…or eyes…everything can change in months or years…go with your heart, not hair color.
(I am half Italian and have lots of red and blonde haired people in my family…) My mom is 100% Italian and her name is [name]Juliana[/name]…I like [name]Victoria[/name] and [name]Charlotte[/name] from your list. One of my favorites is [name]Francesca[/name], I think [name]Francie[/name] is the cutest nn.
Best Wishes,
[name]Kelly[/name]

3

My grandma is a red-headed Italian and so was her dad :slight_smile: I agree with the previous poster that hair color isn’t really that big deal and I wouldn’t let it affect my naming choice. Sometimes baby’s hair changes color anyway so there is no guarantee the hair she comes out with is the hair she’ll keep.

I like:
[name]Gianna[/name]
[name]Giada[/name]
[name]Dalia[/name]
[name]Gabriela[/name]
[name]Magda[/name]
[name]Talia[/name]

They’re Italian but they aren’t super unsusual in the US. I also really like [name]Gemma[/name]/[name]Jemma[/name]. (I don’t think enough people watch Sons of Anarchy for that to be a big deal.) Good luck

4

I agree 110% with the other posters: don’t let hair color determine the name you pick!

My son was born with stick-straight nearly-black hair and deep blue eyes and now has blonde curls and medium blue/green eyes. As he gets older his hair will most likely turn dark again (just how it usually works with our Scandinavian heritage).

Besides, there is nothing wrong with an Italian name on a red-headed girl! I actually know several red-headed Italians!

Here’s my pick out of your names:

[name]Alessia[/name]-- definitely the best of your Italian names. Less popular than [name]Sophia[/name] and the like, but still beautiful!

Some other names with Italian flair:

[name]Adelina[/name]
[name]Alessandra[/name]
[name]Allegra[/name]
[name]Angelina[/name]
[name]Antonia[/name]
Caramia
[name]Chiara[/name]
[name]Cosima[/name]
[name]Elettra[/name]
[name]Eliana[/name]
[name]Elisabetta[/name]
[name]Emilia[/name]
[name]Emiliana[/name]
[name]Fiammetta[/name]/[name]Fiamma[/name]
[name]Fiorella[/name]
[name]Francesca[/name]
[name]Gia[/name]
[name]Giada[/name]
[name]Gianna[/name]
[name]Gianetta[/name]
[name]Giulia[/name]
[name]Grazia[/name]
[name]Isadora[/name]
[name]Lucia[/name]
[name]Marietta[/name]
[name]Mia[/name]
[name]Minna[/name]
[name]Mirabella[/name]
[name]Nina[/name]
[name]Oriana[/name]
[name]Pietra[/name]
[name]Rachelle[/name]
[name]Renata[/name]
[name]Rosa[/name]
Rosettla
[name]Serafina[/name]
[name]Tullia[/name]
[name]Vanessa[/name]
[name]Viola[/name]
[name]Violetta[/name]
[name]Vittoria[/name]
[name]Viviana[/name]

[name]Just[/name] a thought on a boy: would your husband consider using a different means of honoring himself?

You could give your son an international variation of his name ([name]John[/name]= [name]Sean[/name], [name]Johan[/name], [name]Jones[/name], [name]Johnson[/name], [name]Jack[/name], [name]Gianni[/name], etc.).

You could also give him a name that starts with the same initial or give your son his father’s first name as a middle name (that’s the common thing to do in my area).

In my husband’s family they pass on a name that starts with the same initial and the same middle name.
Ex: S. [name]James[/name]. [name]Samuel[/name] [name]James[/name] father to [name]Simon[/name] [name]James[/name], father to [name]Sean[/name] [name]James[/name], etc. That way you can still be considered a junior in some ways (S. [name]James[/name] II, S. [name]James[/name] III, etc.).

There are so many ways to honor a father without having to make Juniors!

5

[name]Sofia[/name] is gorgeous and i definitely wouldnt worry about matching a name with hair colour. However loked up Italian names that mean red and i found these darling ones

[name]Rufina[/name]
[name]Sienna[/name]
[name]Ambra[/name] and
Rossa

6

Montanaro is a fabulous last name! [name]How[/name] lucky you are! Personally, I think if you go with the “right” Italian name, it will work well for a red-headed little girl…

Of your brown hair choices, my favorite is [name]Sofia[/name] Montanaro, and I think this could work just as easily for a red-haired or blonde child. I’m not a fan of [name]Alessia[/name], as it reminds me of [name]Alexandria[/name], and [name]Gabriela[/name] is so very popular (like [name]Sofia[/name]), but not as elegant as [name]Sofia[/name]…

I feel the need to comment on your red-head choice, [name]Gemma[/name]. In addition to the problems you have noted with it, [name]Gemma[/name] Montanaro is very M heavy, and I don’t think it has good flow…

Off your bald list, I would eliminate the trendy [name]Everley[/name] and [name]Blakeley[/name], and probably [name]Haley[/name], too. They just don’t sound elegant to me! I love [name]Charlotte[/name], but with your last name, [name]Violet[/name] is my favorite. [name]Violet[/name] Montanaro is really cool!

Here are some Italian names I could see on a red-head:

[name]Angelina[/name] Montanaro
Carabella Montanaro
[name]Fiorella[/name] Montanaro
[name]Ginevra[/name] Montanaro - [name]Ginny[/name] is so red-head! Think [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name]…
[name]Marisa[/name] Montanaro
[name]Mirella[/name] Montanaro
[name]Renata[/name] Montanaro
[name]Sarafina[/name] Montanaro
[name]Sienna[/name] Montanaro
[name]Valeria[/name] Montanaro
[name]Viola[/name] Montanaro

[name]Rufina[/name] Montanaro would be perfect, too, as it means red-haired. Or, Rossa Montanaro, as Rossa means red.