Let’s start with a list of some of the most common Italian girl names:
As you can see, most Italian female names end with the letter ‘a.’
That reflects a more general pattern in the Italian language, where the ending ‘a’ often indicates feminine nouns. For example: “amica” (female friend), “donna” (woman), and “ragazza” (girl).
Here is a list of some Italian girl names that do not end in ‘a’:
Perhaps you are interested in names that are encountered less frequently. If so, have a look at this list of rare Italian girl names:
The suffix ‘-ina’ turns the Italian word “casa” (house) into “casina” (little house) or “gatta” (female cat) into “gattina” (female kitten). This suffix is also used with names.
The Italian suffix ‘-ina’ resembles the French suffix ‘-ine.’
Just as the French name Joséphine comes from adding the suffix ‘-ine’ to Josèphe (the French feminine form of Joseph), likewise Giuseppina (the Italian equivalent of Joséphine) corresponds to Giuseppa with the suffix ‘-ina.’
| Italian name | Italian name (alternate form) |
|---|---|
| Giuseppa | Giuseppina |
| Marcella | Marcellina |
| Chiara | Chiarina |
| Giorgia | Giorgina |
| Luigia | Luigina |
| Teresa | Teresia |
| Giovanna | Giovannina |
| Vittoria | Vittorina |
| Angiola | Angiolina |
| Paola | Paolina |
| Alda | Aldina |
| Rosa | Rosina |
There is another suffix that you often see in Italian girl names. It’s the suffix ‘-ella,’ which existed in Latin.
That suffix appears in the Italian words “arcatella” (little arch) and “cittadella” (citadel) as well as in the English word “umbrella” (derived from the Latin word “umbra,” which means “shadow”).
The suffix ‘-ella’ appears in the following Italian girl names:
| Italian name | Italian name (alternate form) |
|---|---|
| Donata | Donatella |
| Luisa | Luisella |
| Antonia | Antonella |
| Fiore | Fiorella |
| Rosa | Rosella |
| Maria | Mariella |
| Lora | Lorella |
| Grazia | Graziella |
| Serena | Serenella |
| Marina | Marinella |
| Bruna | Brunella |
William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” takes place in Italy (in the city of Verona). While Romeo is an Italian boy’s name, Juliet is not an Italian girl’s name.
The Italian title of the play is “Romeo e Giulietta.” As you can see, Giulietta is the Italian version of the name Juliet.
The spelling difference makes sense when you know that the base Italian alphabet consists of 21 letters, and does not include the letters J, K, W, X, and Y. Those letters rarely appear in Italian words, although they do appear in some loanwords, like “weekend” or “jeans.”
That’s why Italian girl names generally don’t use the letters J, K, W, X, and Y.
That explains why the Italian version of the name Alexandra is spelled Alessandra. And Alessia is the Italian version of the name Alexia.
Here are more examples:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Giacomina | Jacqueline |
| Giulia | Julia |
| Giuseppina | Josephine |
| Giovanna | Jane, Joanna |
| Gessica | Jessica |
| Giustina | Justine |
| Giuditta | Judith |
| Giuliana | Juliana |
| Rossana | Roxanne |
Some Italian girl names are spelled the same (except for their initial capital letter) as Italian vocabulary words.
In those cases, it is usually fairly easy to infer their meanings. Examples of such names are provided in the table below:
| Italian name | Italian word |
|---|---|
| Chiara | chiara (bright, clear) |
| Vittoria | vittoria (victory) |
| Stella | stella (star) |
| Luce | luce (a light) |
| Fiore | fiore (flower) |
| Grazia | grazia (grace) |
| Rosa | rosa (rose, the flower) |
| Colomba | colomba (dove) |
| Bianca | bianca (white) |
| Regina | regina (queen) |
| Aurora | aurora (sunrise, dawn) |
| Alba | alba (sunrise, dawn) |
| Gloria | gloria (glory) |
| Bruna | bruna (brunette) |
| Margherita | margherita (daisy) |
| Gioia | gioia (joy) |
| Costanza | costanza (constancy, being steadfast) |
| Gemma | gemma (gem, jewel) |
| Speranza | speranza (hope) |
| Luna | Luna (the Moon) |
| Viola | viola (the color violet or violet, the flower) |
| Serena | serena (calm, serene) |
| Angela | angela (female form of the word “angelo,” which means “angel”) |
Note that the Italian name Fiore is both a male and a female name.
Italian is a language that evolved from Latin. As a result, quite a few Italian girl names can be traced back to Latin words.
The table below shows the Latin roots for a large selection of Italian female names.
| Italian girl name | Latin root |
|---|---|
| Silvia | silva (forest) |
| Lucia | lux (light) |
| Serena / Serenella | serenus (calm, serene) |
| Aurelia | aurum (gold) |
| Vittoria / Vittorina | victōria (victory) |
| Flavia | flāvus (blond) |
| Beatrice | beātus (blessed, happy) |
| Felicia | felix (happy, fortunate) |
| Regina | regina (queen) |
| Rosa | rosa (rose) |
| Marina | marīnus (of the sea) |
| Natalia | nātālis (of birth) |
| Alba | albus (white) |
| Chiara | clārus (clear, bright) |
| Lorenza | laurus (laurel tree) |
| Giustina | iūstus (just, proper) |
| Renata | renātus (reborn) |
| Gioconda | iūcunda (pleasant, agreeable) |
| Luna | lūna (moon) |
| Aurora | aurōra (dawn) |
| Leonarda | leō (lion) |
| Valeria | valēre (to be strong) |
| Donata / Donatella | dōnātus (given) |
| Celestina | caelestis (celestial, divine) |
| Fausta / Faustina | faustus (favorable, fortunate) |
| Severina | sevērus (severe, serious) |
| Augusta | augustus (solemn, majestic) |
| Romana | rōmānus (Roman) |
| Patrizia | patriciā (noble) |
| Germana | germānus (of siblings) |
| Clementina | clēmēns (merciful, gentle) |
| Lucrezia | lucrum (gain, profit) |
| Nives | nivēs (snow) |
| Viviana | vīvus (alive, lively) |
| Flora / Floriana | flōs (flower) |
| Amabile | amābilis (lovable, pleasant) |
| Onorina | honor (honor, dignity) |
| Prima | prīmus (first) |
| Diva / Divina | dīva (divine) |
| Placida | placidus (calm, gentle) |
| Veneranda | venerandus (venerated) |
| Ilaria | hilaris (cheerful, jovial) |
| Domizia | either from “domitus” (docile) or from “domus” (house) |
Italian and Spanish are languages that evolved from Latin, so it is not surprising that some Italian first names are similar to their Spanish versions.
Some Italian girl names are spelled the same as the corresponding Spanish names. Here are some examples:
| Italian | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Valentina | Valentina |
| Silvia | Silvia |
| Carla | Carla |
| Valeria | Valeria |
In some cases, there are only small spelling differences like accents:
| Italian | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Maria | María |
| Monica | Mónica |
| Lucia | Lucía |
| Angela | Ángela |
Some Italian names differ from the corresponding Spanish name by a single letter:
| Italian | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Maddalena | Magdalena |
| Patrizia | Patricia |
| Stefania | Estefanía |
| Francesca | Francisca |
| Antonietta | Antonieta |
| Grazia | Gracia |
| Cinzia | Cintia |
| Vittoria | Victoria |
Here are some that differ by two letters:
| Italian | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Raffaella | Rafaela |
| Alessandra | Alejandra |
| Chiara | Clara |
| Giuliana | Juliana |
| Caterina | Catalina |
A famous namesake can sometimes make a name more attractive. The table below lists some examples of well-known individuals with Italian female names.
| Individual | Occupation |
|---|---|
| Cecilia Bartoli | Italian opera singer |
| Claudia Cardinale | Italian actress who starred in the movies “The Leopard” by Luchino Visconti and “8½” by Fellini |
| Caterina Murino | Italian actress who starred in the James Bond movie “Casino Royale” |
| Chiara Ferragni | Italian blogger and fashion designer |
| Donatella Versace | Italian fashion designer |
| Elsa Schiaparelli | Italian fashion designer |
| Grazia Deledda | Italian writer born in Sardinia who received the Literature Nobel Prize. |
| Monica Bellucci | Italian actress and model |
| Mirella Freni | Italian opera singer |
| Mariangela Melato | Italian actress |
| Maria Montessori | Italian physician and educator who founded the Montessori education method |
| Marisa Pavan | Italian actress |
| Micaela Ramazzotti | Italian actress |
| Giorgia Meloni | Italian politician (she is the first woman to become prime minister of Italy) |
| Nicoletta Braschi | Italian actress |
| Rita Levi-Montalcini | Italian neurobiologist who won the Nobel Prize |
| Rossella Brescia | Italian TV presenter |
| Rosanna Schiaffino | Italian actress |
| Rosina Storchio | Italian opera singer |
| Renata Tebaldi | Italian opera singer |
| Silvana Mangano | Italian actress |
| Valeria Golino | Italian actress who starred in movies such as Rain Man and Hot Shots! |
| Giulietta Masina | Italian actress who starred in La Strada and Nights of Cabiria, two movies directed by Federico Fellini that both won Oscars |
| Anna Magnani | Italian actress who starred in several movies including L'Amore by Roberto Rossellini and Bellissima by Luchino Visconti |
| Carla Bruni | Italian-French singer and former first lady of France when she married Nicolas Sarkozy |
| Giuseppa “Giusy” Ferreri | Italian singer |
| Gianna Nannini | Italian singer |
| Ornella Vanoni | Italian singer |
| Luigia “Gina” Lollobrigida | Italian actress who starred in European movies and Hollywood movies |
| Fiorella Mannoia | Italian singer |