Popularity (or not) of Isabella in Italy.

[CremeEggThief]

Bit of an unusual one, but does anyone know if it's true that Isabella is seen as old-fashioned or outdated in Italy? I think of it as a classic Italian name and obviously it has become popular again in the States and UK post-2000.

I watch some Italian dramas and shows and since I heard this, I've noticed I rarely see an Isabella in the credits!

It's a kind of classic. I must admit, all the ones I know are in their 40s and 50s, apart from one, who was named after her gran.
It's almost always shortened to Isa which I personally think is horrible!

Just asked DH who's from Sicily and he's never met an Isabella!

I know one Italian Isabella - she’s about 40 and fabulous!

619 were born in 2019, and it's the 192nd most popular name!

I have family in Italy, lived there for a few years and don’t know any Isabellas my age (early 40s) or younger. Lots of Francescas and Alessias of my vintage, and plenty of Chiaras and Saras too.

This wouldn’t have any bearing on how much I liked the name though.

Wow, thanks for all your contributions so far and well done for finding those statistics, Geamhradh. Pinkywoo, I know someone from Sardinia who has a sister called Isabella, but she's in her 50s now. Which seems in keeping with the general consensus of this thread. I think it's a lovely, classic name, but interesting it hasn't been popular there for a while.

Are any names that seem outdated here popular there? I thought I saw Martina on a list of popular names there, for example. I went to school with a few in Ireland in the 80s and 90s, but I don't think I know any in the UK!

Come to think of it, Italy seems like the reverse of the UK as far as generations and naming goes. Many of the elderly people I know have fabulously unusual names that I haven’t come across on anyone else, whereas I can’t think of anyone younger that I know of personally with an unusual name.

Are you thinking of some very traditional Catholic names, AntiWorkBrigade?

I knew some Conceptas, Consuelos, Assumptas, Venetias, Philomenas, Veronicas, etc. in Ireland. I know twins who are 60 and one is Maria and the other Goretti.

Yes - there is a Nazareno among others. Also names from Greek myths and some I can’t place at all. Rural background, very down to earth - they obviously just got quite imaginative with names!

Martina is pretty trendy.
I'd say the most popular for girls certainly in my area is Alessia. I have one class with 7 in. They are teens though.
I think Sofia is pretty hear the top of the charts.
Maria Goretti has a lot of streets named in her honour

All the "unusual" names tend to be foreign influenced. Kevin, Catherine, Zoe etc. My favourite was a little girl in dd's class who had a very traditional surname and was called Whitney.

We’ve got family friends who are Sicilian, the Isabella I know in the family is around 40, and she was named after a grandparent or an aunt, I can’t remember which. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is an Isabella in the next generation of the family as they tend to use family names somewhere in each generation.

I'm in my thirties and originally from Italy - so lots of friends and cousins having babies atm. I don't know any little (or big!) Italian Isabellas.

Little girls I know - siblings Camilla and Caterina, Arianna, Greta, Sofia, and Nicole.

Every other little boy is Francesco. I also know a newborn Pasquale (named after a great grandfather)

Oh and I know a little baby girl Sveva which is quite "out there" by Italian naming standards.

Thanks for further contributions.

Camomila, I think your example of Greta is a name seen as old-fashioned here, but it's obviously popular in Italy. The male names sound very traditional too, to my ear. Come to think of it, I knew a couple of elderly Pascals in Ireland. I presume that it's the equivalent of Pasquale?

I think Francesco is especially popular because of the pope, and yy Pasquale is the equivalent of Pascal (I think Pascal sounds nicer though).