Gianna or Giovanna?

[raisingalittleone1]

Please help me choose between these two names!

Names are always coming back into fashion. Gosh I remember hearing Alfie and Archie the first time on a baby and saying this. Now there isn't a class without at least one! The person makes the name what it is.

I prefer Giovanna - very pretty name.
I also like Giacinta, Giulietta and Gabriella.
Graziella and Giovanella are lovely too (sorry you can I tell watch too many Italian soaps)

I do find it fascinating how differently we can view a name without knowing any of the cultural context around it V when we do know its context.

Giovanna sounds gorgeous but an Italian saying 'mate, it's on a par with Mavis' would give me pause.

But likewise within the UK, there's many people who have used names that are considered 'old fashioned' for their kids.

Also, unless you've asked every single person in Italy, I don't think you can really say "most" of them would consider it awful.

I had a friend called Giovanna, we were in London together in the 90s. No one could pronounce her name (it really isn’t difficult), she tried to explain they could call her Jo but it was still mispronounced as Gee-o. In the end she told people she was called Jill.

someone further up the thread surmised that Gianna was like Liana or Breanna. That tells you all you need to know about how it will be pronounced in the U.K. I personally would avoid.

Well, obviously I haven't.
But in the same way not many people in the UK are going to say Mavis is gorgeous, everyone in Italy is going to think "oh, so ger gran is called Giovanna" Your husband knows this, right?

@TheMurderousGoose That's very true. I had a couple of names on my list when DD was born that to me sounded lovely, but then people kindly told me I'd be making her a laughing stock.

I like both but be aware that either will be heavily mispronounced in the UK

Exactly. Plus it's the polar opposite in terms of modernity to Leanna, Breanna etc. Or at least I think so. I see them as being uber modern.

You only have to hear how poor old Joe Varney Pernice gets his name mangled every year on Strictly!

I don't think either name is particularly hard to pronounce so I'm surprised people had so much difficulty!

I think both names are pretty, but if you are going to use Italian names you have to pronounce them correctly. Gianna is pronounced like 'Janna' , two syllables, NOT 'Gee-anna' , while Giovanna is pronounced like 'Jovanna' , not 'Gee-o-vanna' . I think they would be mispronounced constantly, like how some people used to think Siobhan was 'See-ob-han' before it became popular.

Can you have Giovanna nn Gianna? A bit like Giovanni nn Giani? Or are they always considered completely different names?

Giovanna would be my vote, it’s lovely.

I think Gabriella is stunning if it’s an option?

I really don’t think people would pronounce either name wrong (I can see them having trouble with Giacinta for example)
OP are these family names?

I like Gabriella too (and Giulietta and Giovanella)
Even if some people say these names are old fashioned they still sound lovely

I actually only like them when they are mispronounced 😂 Giovanna from the options given.

Apart from it not being pronounced similarly to those other names. Its more like Janna.

The OP isn’t in Italy, so this is seriously irrelevant.

I prefer Giovanna of the two, and think Ginevra and Gabriella are nicer again!

In Italy, it is usually Giovanna nicknamed Gianna. However, there are so many much nicer Italian names

Giovanna. Really nice, OP.

Surely it's more like calling a baby Joan? Classic regal/saints name but might make some people think it's grandma's/great-grandma's name? I know two babies called Joan, so why not Giovanna.

No, they won’t. Unless the person is very rude and ignorant, in which case they’d probably ask about any name. It’s very rude to interrogate someone about their heritage based on their name!

I love the name Mavis <misses the point>

I agree most people in the UK will mispronounce those two names - they'll tend to say "Jee-oh'" rather than "Jo". Depends whether that bothers you or your DH.

Either is nice, as long as you pronounce them properly. Not “Jee -Anna” or “Jee- oh- vanna”

But I’d heed the advice of the PPs here who know the Italian context.

DD has a french name that is popular in England (similar to Isabelle). Someone French told me it's very old-fashioned in France, but it doesn't matter to me as we don't live there. So I don't personally think it particularly matters if the Italian name you choose sounds old-fashioned in Italy.

Only on MN 🙄