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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Italian / International boys name

39 replies

Italophil · 22/01/2009 14:41

I am looking for Italian boys names that work internationally and can be pronounced (also by myself!!!). DH is Italian. If I cannot find a name that works internationally, i will have to impose an international name on him (although likely to sound like a mafioso given Italian last name ).

What do you think of:
Leone
Tancredi (very Sicilian I know)
Niccolo'
Matteo

Alternative would be Maximilian.

Don't really like the usual "international-sounding" suspects such as Luca, Ludovico, Fabio, Dario, etc

Running out of ideas!! Thanks for your help!

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oneblueandonepink · 25/01/2009 19:04

Tinasan - Elena and Matteo sound lovely together

Cies · 25/01/2009 11:53

I really like Matteo and Alessandro. In fact those are names that I always try out on my Spanish DH.

MrsWeasley · 25/01/2009 11:46

what about Alessandro ?

Tinasan · 25/01/2009 11:43

I've got the exactly the same problem Italophil - am being induced on Wed (eek!) and still don't have the name sorted out. Was much easier with girls names (we already have an Elena). Don't know if any of these will be helpful but names we keep coming back to are:

Enrico
Piero
Gianluca
Giovanni
Tommaso
Matteo (or Mattia)

Anyone have any views on these? (don't want to call him a too posh or too common name unwittingly and my dh is clueless about such things!)

lotspot · 24/01/2009 23:15

i like Matteo

some boy's i have taught recently with Italin heritage;

Gian-Luca & Gian-Carlo (twins, known as Luca and Carlo)
Marcello (possibly spelt wrong there.....but being a cello player just couldn't think how else to spell it lol) sometimes known as Marc (or flump due to someone mishearing it as marshmellow lol)
Dino
Gino

sure there are more but having a mental block =]

KristinaM · 22/01/2009 20:55

sorry i dont think that Nicola or Andrea work in English for a boy. unless you use Nicolas or Andrew. Like it or not, its not cool in the Uk to be a boy with a "girl's" name. Although its ok to be a girls with a "boys" name eg Jamie, Charlie, Cameron

francagoestohollywood · 22/01/2009 16:36

I like
Michele
Nicola
Giacomo
Giovanni
Matteo
Francesco
and of course Andrea, which is possibly not ideal if you are in germany (andreas is just not Italian)

They are nice, and don't have a particular social connotation.

Leone is very unusual here in Italy and possibly perceived as "snobby" here. I personally love it, especially if inspired by Leone Ginzburg.

Original poster
Italophil · 22/01/2009 16:28

looks like Matteo is a favorite! like it a lot.

OP posts:
KristinaM · 22/01/2009 16:21

i know nothing about italian names but sympathise with problem of preferring " international" names, as Dh works abroad a lot

of your list i prefer maximilian, Tomas and matteo, as max, tom and matt are all easy names in English

would michale not be acceptable, as only the italians would pronounce it michele?

MKG · 22/01/2009 16:21

I love Matteo (but that is because ds1 is a Mateo)

BonsoirAnna · 22/01/2009 16:19

Sting has a son called Giacomo.

Brangelina · 22/01/2009 16:17

No, don't do Luca, it's too common and highly unimaginative.

oneblueandonepink · 22/01/2009 16:09

Matteo is perfect - go for it!!!

CoteDAzur · 22/01/2009 16:09

Luca

Brangelina · 22/01/2009 16:05

Emanuele Filiberto?

Brangelina · 22/01/2009 16:05

Dante?
Giacomo (although I could imagine that as being beyond many non Italians pronounciation wise)
Enrico?
Elia (was on my shortlist)
Achille?
Ennea?
Gabriele (v.popular atm)

Beforesunrise - Niccolò is no longer posh, I've heard it screeched across parks by many a "non posh" mother lately.

crumpet · 22/01/2009 15:52

Love Tancredi, but re poshness, the only one I ever met was a principe.

Lorenzo?
Cristoforo?

Bucharest · 22/01/2009 15:50

I only like Niccolo from your list which is refreshing as I live in a town where Nicola is the patron saint, so am surrounded by Nicola's!

The combo-names like Gianfranco, Gianluca, Pierluigi are the nouveau posh, apparently.

CioccolataCalda · 22/01/2009 15:50

Sileno?
Jacopo?

Original poster
Italophil · 22/01/2009 15:46

Thanks a lot, i got lots to think about now!

OP posts:
thirtysomething · 22/01/2009 15:34

Leo? Teo?Paolo, Gianni, Gianfranco, Vicenzo, Vito, Antonio/nino, Daniele, Luciano, Tomaso, Domenico, the list is endless! Do you prefer more German or more italian? Got a friend with same issues and she had 2 DDs with names that were the same in English, German and Italian but much harder with boys!!

lastboxoftampons · 22/01/2009 15:33

I like Niccolo (nn Nico) and Matteo.

Some names from my family (even though you didn't ask ):

Armando
Francesco
Lucian
Alfonso

do you know for sure it's going to be a boy? Do you have names picked out for a girl?

ErnestTheBavarian · 22/01/2009 15:31

Really like Matteo.

How about Nico?
Tobias
Noah
Ellias
Stefan
Jonah

LaTrucha · 22/01/2009 15:23

I think you might have problems with Leone. I know a couple of English, female Leones. I empathise with the problem though. My DH is Spanish.

duchesse · 22/01/2009 15:14

Cosimo, Bruno, Luca?

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