Italy carries more than 350,000 distinct surnames (1), the deepest pool of family names anywhere in the world. They grew out of Roman family lines, hometown labels, trades, and blunt nicknames about hair color, height, or temper.
These 100 Italian last names run the full range, from Rossi and Esposito at the top of the national list to regional survivors like Soncino and Ursillo. Most entries give the meaning, a pronunciation, real bearers, and where the name stands today.
Plenty of them double as first names in the United States. Giovanni ranked 123rd for American boys in 2025, while Cesare sat at 12,377th, roughly one birth in 333,333 (2). Pour an espresso and start browsing.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Giovanni, Dante, Alessandro, Capri and Bruno.
100 Popular Italian Last Names
Take a tour through these awesome Italian last names and explore the romance of the Italian peninsula in style.
Agosta
Agosta points straight at a place, the Italian town of Agosta, and it may also carry families from Augusta in the Sicilian province of Syracuse. The name settled early in Emilia-Romagna and spread from there. Written forms wander, and you will sometimes meet it accented as Agòstà.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: From Agosta (place name)
- Pronunciation: Ah-GOWS-Tah
- Variations: Agosti, Agosto
- Namesakes: Matteo Agosta, an Italian politician in the Chamber of Deputies from 1958 to 1964.
- Popularity: Agosta is rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy, ranking 1,953rd in 2014.
Aldi
Aldi grew out of the first name Aldo, so it began life as a way of saying whose son you were. Tuscany is its home ground, and the root idea is the old one or the elder, a nod to experience rather than age alone. The same four letters belong to a separate Indonesian name meaning gift of God, which is why the surname turns up far from Italy.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Of the old one, elder
- Pronunciation: AHL-dee
- Namesakes: Francesco Aldi, an Italian tennis player with a 111 ranking in 2005.
- Popularity: Aldi is rare worldwide and mainly used in Indonesia.
Alessandro
Alessandro is the Italian form of Alexander, itself built on the Greek version Alexandros. The meaning, defender of mankind, has kept it in steady use as both a given name and a family name. It remains common both in Italy and among Italian communities in the Americas.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Defender of mankind
- Pronunciation: Aa-leh-SSAEN-Drow
- Variations: Alessandra
- Namesakes: Victor Nicholas Alessandro, an American conductor of the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra. Danilo Alessandro, an Italian footballer for Cynthialbalonga.
- Popularity: Alessandro is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy. In the United States it is rising, ranking 497th for baby boys in 2025, its best rank since the data first listed it in 1933.
Allegro
Allegro was a personal name in the Middle Ages long before it settled into a surname, and it meant quick and lively then too. Musicians know it as the tempo marking for a brisk pace.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Cheerful
- Pronunciation: Ah-LEHG-Row
- Variations: Alegro
- Namesakes: John Allegro, an English archaeologist and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar.
- Popularity: Allegro is rare worldwide and mostly used in the U.S.
Amici
Amici is the plural of the first name Amico, which began as a medieval nickname drawn from the Latin amicus, friend. Families carrying it are concentrated in Italy, with a smaller presence in southern France.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Friend
- Pronunciation: Ah-MEE-Chee
- Variations: Ameche
- Namesakes: Francesco Amici, a Sammarinese sport shooter who competed at the 2004 Olympic Games. Denis Amici, the Sammarinese Captain Regent from April to October 2013.
- Popularity: Amici is rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy, where it ranked 1,490th in 2014.
Angelini
Angelini describes someone thought of as angel-like, a compliment that stuck to a whole family. Immigrant families often trimmed it to Angeli after arriving in America, which is why both spellings survive today. The shorter form travels better; the longer one keeps the diminutive softness of the original.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Angelic
- Pronunciation: Eyn-gih-LEEN-iy
- Variations: Angeli
- Namesakes: Claudio Angelini, an Italian-American political correspondent and later the President of RAI Corporation.
- Popularity: Angelini is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy, ranking 173rd in 2014.
Anselmo
Anselmo carries divine protection in its meaning and reaches back to the Germanic Anselm, built from elements for god and helmet. St. Anselm gave it religious weight, and it became a favorite in Lombardy during the Middle Ages among families with saintly leanings. The Italian form kept the sound and dropped the hard Germanic edge.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: With divine protection
- Pronunciation: Aen-SEHL-mow
- Variations: Anselm
- Namesakes: Philip Anselmo, the American lead singer for Pantera. Anthony Anselmo, an American voice actor and the voice of Donald Duck since 1985.
- Popularity: Anselmo is rare worldwide and primarily used in Mozambique, where it ranked 403rd in 2014. U.S. records have carried it since 1907, though it has slipped to 10,788th in 2025 from a best rank of 1,157th in 1932.
Antonini
Antonini is the plural of the first name Antonino, which traces back to the Roman Antonius. Antonini means “strength” and belonged to a family line of ancient Rome. Today it also turns up in Corsica and southern France.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Highly praiseworthy
- Pronunciation: Aen-tow-NIYN-nee
- Variations: Antoni, De Antoni
- Namesakes: Michael Antonini, an American baseball player for the New York Mets. Stefania Antonini, an Italian footballer for the women’s national football team.
- Popularity: Antonini is rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy, ranking 273rd in 2014.
Argento
Argento is the Latin argentum, silver, worn as a family name. It first took root in Rome, and an accented Catalan form, Argentó, developed separately. Silversmiths, silver traders, and anyone associated with the metal could pick it up.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Silver
- Pronunciation: Ahr-GHHEN-Tow
- Namesakes: Dario Argento, an Italian film director of horror movies known as giallo. Valentino Argento, an Italian fencer who competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Argento is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy.
Bacci
Bacci belongs to the first wave of hereditary Italian surnames, the ones that settled into place across the 10th and 11th centuries. It comes from the personal name Baccio and behind that from baci, to kiss.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Kiss
- Pronunciation: BAA-chee-Oh
- Variations: Baccio
- Namesakes: Giovanni Bacci, an Italian politician and one of the leaders of the Italian Socialist Party. Antonio Bacci, an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and the Secretary of Briefs to Princes from 1931 to 1960.
- Popularity: Bacci is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy, ranking 488th in 2014.
Baldassare
Baldassare is the Italian form of the biblical Belshazzar, which means God protect the king in Hebrew. It doubles as Baltazar in other languages and has served as a boys’ first name for centuries.
- Origin: Italian, Hebrew
- Meaning: God protect the king
- Pronunciation: Baal-dah-SAA-Rey
- Variations: Baldassarre
- Namesakes: Pietro Baldassare, an Italian Baroque composer and maestro di cappella in Brescia from 1714 to 1768.
- Popularity: Baldassare is very rare worldwide and mostly used in the U.S. It surfaced in U.S. baby name data only once, at 4,400th in 1924.
Balducci
Balducci began as a nickname for Baldó, and its meaning runs toward bold and cocky. Another thread links it to the French baud, meaning joyful, which makes it one of the sunnier entries here.
- Origin: Italian, German
- Meaning: Bold, cocky
- Pronunciation: Bahl-DOOCH-ee
- Namesakes: Ed Balducci, an American magician who created the “Balducci levitation,” used by magician David Blaine. Francesca Balducci, an Italian racing cyclist for UCI Women’s Continental Team.
- Popularity: Balducci is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy, where it ranked 505th in 2014.
Barberi
Barberi comes from the Italian barbiere, barber, an occupational name for the man who cut hair. Sicily and Emilia-Romagna were its first strongholds.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Barber
- Pronunciation: BAAR-beh-Ree
- Variations: Barbieri
- Namesakes: Andrea Barberi, an Italian sprinter who competed at the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships. Katie Barberi, a Mexican actress, known for the series Every Witch Way.
- Popularity: Barberi is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy.
Basilio
Basilio comes from the Greek basileios, meaning “royal.” It started as a personal name for children of royal or noble birth and only later hardened into a surname. Basilio is the Italian form of Basil and has cousins across Europe, from Vasiliy to Bazelle.
- Origin: Italian, Greek
- Meaning: Royal
- Pronunciation: Baa-SIY-Lyow
- Variations: Basil
- Namesakes: Carmen Basilio, an American boxer named Basilio Fighter of the Year by Ring Magazine in 1957. Paloma San Basilio, a Spanish singer, awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Popularity: Basilio is rare worldwide, primarily used in Brazil, and ranked 320th in the Philippines in 2014. U.S. data has listed it since 1904, at 7,741st in 2025 against a best rank of 1,490th in 1948.
Bellini
Bellini is the medieval plural of Bellino, resting on the Latin bellus, meaning “beautiful.” The painter Giovanni Bellini gave the name its lasting fame, and the Venetian prosecco and peach cocktail was later named after him.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Beautiful
- Pronunciation: Beh-LIY-niy
- Variations: Bellin, Belli, Bellani
- Namesakes: David Bellini, an Italian screenwriter for the TV series Un medico in famiglia. Hilderaldo Bellini, a Brazilian-Italian footballer and one of the most famous defenders.
- Popularity: Bellini is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy, ranking 96th in 2014.
Benedetto
Benedetto marks a descendant of Benedetto and rests on the Latin benedictus, blessed. It has a softer sound than the English Benedict while carrying exactly the same weight.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Blessed
- Pronunciation: Bey-ney-DEHT-ow
- Variations: DiBenedetto, D’Benedetto
- Namesakes: Robert Benedetto, an American jazz guitar craftsman with work in the National Museum of American History. Anthony Benedetto (known as Tony Bennett), an Italian-American singer and founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in NYC.
- Popularity: Benedetto is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy, ranking 804th in 2014. It has appeared in U.S. baby name records since 1912 and sat at 6,497th in 2025.
Bertozzi
Bertozzi is the plural of Bertozzo, itself built from Berto, the short form of Roberto or Alberto. The layered diminutives are typical of northern Italian naming, where a nickname of a nickname could become permanent.
- Origin: Italian, Spanish
- Meaning: Son of Albert
- Pronunciation: Behr-TOW-zee
- Variations: Berto
- Namesakes: Andrea Bertozzi, an American mathematician specializing in applied mathematics. Carolyn Bertozzi, an American chemist, and winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
- Popularity: Bertozzi is rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy, ranking 819th in 2014.
Bianchi
Bianchi is the plural of bianco, white, and described a pale or white-haired man. A parallel line runs to the Germanic blanch, also meaning “white” and shining. It sits near the very top of Italy’s surname rankings, so most Italians know at least one Bianchi.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: White
- Pronunciation: Biy-AAHN-chiy
- Variations: Biancchi, Biancchie, Bianci
- Namesakes: Edoardo Bianchi, an Italian inventor who founded the bicycle company Bianchi in 1885. Michael A. Bianchi, an American sports columnist at the Orlando Sentinel.
- Popularity: Bianchi is uncommon worldwide and mainly used in Italy, ranking 6th in 2014.
Binetti
Binetti works as a plural and a pet form of Bino, and it also marks anyone from Binetto in the Bari province. Binetti comes from the Latin vinetum, vineyard, with a second reading tying it to the Sabine tribe.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Of Binetti
- Pronunciation: Bih-NEHT-iy
- Namesakes: Damiano Binetti, an Italian conductor for the Theater of Silesia in the Czech Republic. Paola Binetti, an Italian politician, re-elected to the Italian Parliament as a Senator in 2018.
- Popularity: Binetti is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy.
Bonacci
Bonacci grows from the personal name Bonus or Bona, on the Latin bona, good. Joined with the Italian buona, it lands on the sense of good man. The mathematician known as Fibonacci was born Leonardo Bonacci, which is how a plain compliment ended up on a famous sequence.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Good man
- Pronunciation: Bow-NAAH-chiy
- Variations: Bona, Bonucci
- Namesakes: Fibonacci (born Leonardo Bonacci), an Italian mathematician called “the most talented Western mathematician of the Middle Ages.” Cristina Bonacci, an Australian musician in the British heavy metal band Girlschool.
- Popularity: Bonacci is rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy.
Botticelli
Botticelli started as a job description for a cooper, the craftsman who made wine barrels, and doubled as a nickname for a heavy drinker or a heavy-set man. The painter took it from his brother’s nickname, Boticello, rather than from his father.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Little barrel
- Pronunciation: Boh-dih-CHELL-ey
- Variations: Bocelli
- Namesakes: Alessandro Filipepi (known as Sandro Botticelli), an Italian Renaissance painter known for The Birth of Venus. Michael C. Botticelli, an American figure skater and bronze medalist at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1977.
- Popularity: Botticelli is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy.
Brizzi
Brizzi is a short form of Albrizzo, itself a nickname for Alberico or Fabrizio. It may also mark someone from the Arezzo area, often with ties to Florentine nobility.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Descendent of Alberico
- Pronunciation: BRIH-zee
- Variations: Brizi
- Namesakes: Enrico Brizzi, an Italian writer, known for his debut novel Jack Frusciante Has Left the Band. Umberto Brizzi, an Italian weightlifter who competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Brizzi is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy, ranking 1,596th in 2014.
Bruno
Bruno is simply the Italian word for brown, applied as a nickname to a man with brown hair or a dark complexion. It also served as a place name for anyone from Bruno in the Asti province. The short, hard sound has kept it in use as a first name.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Brown
- Pronunciation: BRUW-Now
- Variations: di Bruno, Brunello
- Namesakes: Angelo Bruno (born Angelo Annaloro), a Sicilian-American mobster of the Philadelphia mafia known as “the Gentle Don.” Joseph Bruno, a New York State Senate member from 1977 to 2008.
- Popularity: Bruno ranked 1,907th worldwide and is mostly used in Italy, ranking 11th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it goes back to 1880 and ranked 740th in 2025, well below its 259th-place best in 1915.
Campagna
Campagna covers open country, so it fell to anyone dwelling in or near a field or meadow. Several towns in Italy carry the name, which multiplied the families who took it. A separate occupational reading connects it to church bells, giving one surname a foot in the fields and a hand on the rope.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Countryside
- Pronunciation: Kam-PAHN-Yeh
- Variations: Campana, Campanio
- Namesakes: Sam Campagna, an English footballer for Malvern Town since 2002. Richard Campagna, the American vice-presidential running mate of Michael Badnarik in the 2004 U.S. presidential election.
- Popularity: Campagna is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy, ranking 532nd in 2014.
Capone
Capone described a man with a large head, or a dull-witted one, from the Italian capo, head. A gentler line runs through cappone, for someone who kept poultry. The Chicago gangster made it notorious, but the name was ordinary long before he was.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Stubborn
- Pronunciation: Caa-POWNE
- Variations: Capo, Caponi
- Namesakes: Al Capone, an American gangster famous during the Prohibition era in Chicago. Carlo Capone, an Italian rally racing driver and the European Rally Championship winner in 1984.
- Popularity: Capone is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy, ranking 467th in 2014. It has been given as a U.S. first name since 1996 and ranked 12,359th in 2025.
Capri
Capri comes from capra, goat, and also marked a dweller at the sign of the goat. The island in the Bay of Naples carries the same name, which is why it reads as a holiday rather than a farm animal.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: From Capri (place)
- Pronunciation: CAAP-ree
- Variations: Capra, Caprari
- Namesakes: Olga Capri, an Italian actress appearing in Alessandro Blasetti’s film Mother Earth (1931). Kim Capri, a Canadian city councilor member of the Non-Partisan Association.
- Popularity: Capri is rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy. In the U.S. it is the fastest riser on this list, up about 180 percent on the previous decade, and it reached its best rank of 547th in 2025.
Caruso
Caruso began as a nickname meaning close-cropped, from the Latin cariosus. In Sicilian it also means boy, because the young workers in the mines were called the carusi. That second meaning gives the name a much harder history than the first.
- Origin: Italian, Sicilian
- Meaning: Bald
- Pronunciation: Cah-RUW-so
- Variations: Carruso
- Namesakes: David Caruso, an American actor best known for the CBS series CSI: Miami (2002 to 2012). Alex Caruso, an American basketball player for the Chicago Bulls.
- Popularity: Caruso is uncommon worldwide and mainly used in Italy, ranking 25th in 2014. U.S. baby name data has listed it since 1923 and placed it 12,363rd in 2025.
Castellucci
Castellucci is built on the word for castle, so the family lived at or near one, which usually meant some measure of standing. It belongs to the group of local surnames that absorbed the di prefix for families who moved between places.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Lived near a castle
- Pronunciation: Cass-teh-LUW-Chee
- Variations: Castelluci
- Namesakes: Giovanni Castellucci, an Italian businessman and former CEO of Atlantia SpA. Lars Castellucci, a member of the German Bundestag since 2013.
- Popularity: Castellucci is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy.
Ceci
Ceci means chickpeas, and it first appeared as a surname in the Papal States. It also works as a form of Cecco, the pet version of Francesco or Francis, which is how Christian families who named their children after saints ended up passing it down.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Chickpeas
- Pronunciation: SEH-Siy
- Variations: Cecchi
- Namesakes: Jesse Ceci, an American violinist for the National Ballet of Canada. Cody Ceci, a Canadian ice hockey player for the Edmonton Oilers.
- Popularity: Ceci is rare worldwide, mostly used in Italy, and ranked 348th in Malta in 2014. It last appeared in U.S. baby name data at 15,748th in 2024, far from its 4,889th-place best in 1956.
Cesare
Cesare is the Italian form of Caesar and reads as descendant of Cesario or the hairy one. A separate strand gives it as a dweller at a fruit grove or flower garden. It still works comfortably as a boys’ first name in Italy.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Thick head of hair
- Pronunciation: Cheh-SAA-rey
- Variations: Cesar, De Cesare, Di Cesare
- Namesakes: Oscar Cesare, a Swedish-American cartoonist for the Sunday magazine of the New York Times. Giovanni Cesare, an Italian composer, known for Musicali Melodie (1621).
- Popularity: Cesare is rare worldwide, mainly used in Italy, and ranked 371st in Malta in 2014. It is the rarest U.S. first name on this list, at 12,377th in 2025, roughly one birth in 333,333.
Chiarella
Chiarella is a pet form of the cute female name Chiara, from the Latin clarus. That root carries both light and famous, so the name promises brightness in two directions at once.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Bright
- Pronunciation: Chee-ah-RELL-aa
- Variations: Chiarello, Chiarelli
- Namesakes: Tom Chiarella, an American fiction editor at Esquire Magazine. Walter Chiarella, an Italian footballer for Lanciano.
- Popularity: Chiarella is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy.
Chino
Chino began as an Italian nickname for Franceschino, the diminutive of Francesco and Francis, originally meaning Frenchman and later free man. Spanish took the same word in a different direction, using Chino for someone of Chinese descent.
- Origin: Italian, Spanish
- Meaning: Free man
- Pronunciation: CHEE-now
- Popularity: Chino is rare worldwide, mostly used in Japan, and ranked 298th in Bolivia in 2014. It appeared in U.S. baby name data from 1963 and was last listed at 12,414th in 2015.
Colombo
Colombo comes from the Latin colombus, meaning “dove.” Early Christians favored it as a first name, and Italian institutions often gave it to orphans, so it multiplied quickly. It ranks among the most common surnames in the country.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Dove
- Pronunciation: Kuh-LUHM-boh
- Variations: Colombro, Columbo
- Namesakes: Camila Colombo, a Uruguayan chess player and the FIDE Woman International Master in 2012. Marcelo Colombo, an Argentine Roman Catholic bishop of La Rioja since 2013.
- Popularity: Colombo is uncommon worldwide and mainly used in Italy, where it ranked 5th in 2014.
Consiglio
Consiglio comes from the Latin consilium, counsel. It was handed to a wise or thoughtful man, or to someone who actually sat on a council. The meaning has stayed transparent for centuries.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Advice
- Pronunciation: Kohn-SEE-glee-Oh
- Namesakes: Cyprian Consiglio, an American composer known for musical work that focuses on meditation. Douglas Consiglio, a Canadian runner who competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Consiglio is rare worldwide, primarily used in Italy, and ranked 434th in Malta in 2014.
Conti
Conti is the Italian word for counts, and it went both to noblemen and to the staff in the service of one. Behind it sits the Latin comitis, companion, which is a reminder that a count began as someone who traveled with the king.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Count
- Pronunciation: KAHN-tee
- Variations: Conte
- Namesakes: Petra Conti, the principal Italian dancer with the Los Angeles Ballet. Fabio Conti, an Italian coach for the Italy women’s national water polo team who won the silver medal at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Conti is rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy, where it ranked 14th in 2014.
Coppola
Coppola is a flat cap, the kind still worn across southern Italy. The surname began in Neapolitan dialect for the hatter who made them. Malta kept an accented spelling, Còppola, and the American film family kept the name famous.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Little round hat
- Pronunciation: KOH-poh-Laa
- Variations: Coppoli
- Namesakes: Francis Ford Coppola, an American filmmaker, and winner of five Academy Awards. Mario Coppola, an Italian footballer for Vis Pesaro.
- Popularity: Coppola is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy, ranking 42nd in 2014.
Cordano
Cordano is a diminutive of Cordo, itself a pet form of Accordo or Accordino. The root sense is in accord, in agreement.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Agreement
- Pronunciation: Kaor-DAAH-now
- Variations: Cardano
- Namesakes: Father Virgil Cordano, an American pastor of the Santa Barbara Mission. Rubén Cordano, a Bolivian footballer for the Bolivia national team.
- Popularity: Cordano is very rare worldwide and primarily used in the U.S.
Corsi
Corsi is the plural of the surname Corso, which grew from the medieval Latin name Bonoaccorso and once appeared as Accirsus. The sense is cheerful, so the name suits anyone determined to have a good day.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Cheerful
- Pronunciation: COHR-see
- Variations: Corso
- Namesakes: Simone Corsi, an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed in Moto2 in 2010. Ermanno Corsi, an Italian journalist, and winner of the Amantea prize for historiography in 1994.
- Popularity: Corsi is rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy, ranking 331st in 2014.
Costa
Costa marks a dweller on a hillside, and it is common in Italy, Portugal, and Spain. As a Spanish name it points to several places called Costa. The Latin costa, rib or flank, extends the meaning to anyone living on a slope or a river bank.
- Origin: Italian, Spanish
- Meaning: Dweller on a hillside
- Pronunciation: KOS-tah
- Variations: Costas, Dacosta
- Namesakes: Carles Costa, a Spanish tennis player and runner-up at the 1992 Italian Open. Jay Costa, a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate since 1996.
- Popularity: Costa ranked 288th worldwide, is mainly used in Italy, and ranked 5th in Portugal in 2014. U.S. records have carried it since 1916 and put it at 6,886th in 2025.
D’Agostino
D’Agostino means descendant of Agostino, from the Latin augustus, favored with good omens. The family line traces to Sicilian nobility of the 13th century. Dropping the apostrophe gives you Agostino, the plain personal name it started as.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Descendant of Agostino
- Pronunciation: Daa-gow-STIY-Noh
- Variations: Agostino
- Namesakes: John D’Agostino, an American poker player who came 5th in the second season of the World Poker Tour Caribbean Poker Adventure. Nicholas D’Agostino, the Italian-American founder of D’Agostino Supermarkets in New York City.
- Popularity: D’Agostino is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy, ranking 110th in 2014.
Dante
Dante is the short form of Durante, an Italian “D” surname built on the Latin duras, meaning everlasting and steadfast. The poet Dante Alighieri, born Durante, made the nickname permanent for everyone who came after him.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Enduring
- Pronunciation: DAAN-Tey
- Variations: Danti
- Namesakes: Joe Dante, an American film director best known for Gremlins (1984). Peter Francis Dante, an American character actor who usually appears in films by Adam Sandler.
- Popularity: Dante is rare worldwide, primarily used in the Philippines, and ranked 267th in Mali in 2014. In the U.S. it ranked 308th in 2025, after peaking at 200th in 1997.
De Carlo
De Carlo is a family name for the descendant of Carlo, and it originated in Milan, in Lombardy. Names recorded with the de prefix often belonged to households with rank or an official title, since those were the families whose records survived.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Son of Carlo
- Pronunciation: Deh-KAAR-low
- Variations: Carlo, Di Carlo
- Namesakes: Antonio De Carlo, a Mexican actor and Emmy award winner from 2005 to 2006. Luca De Carlo, an Italian politician in the Italian Senate since 2020.
- Popularity: De Carlo is rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy, ranking 1,223rd in 2014.
De Laurentiis
De Laurentiis originally meant from Laurentum, the ancient town south of Rome, and it also carries the sense of laurels. It is the Latin form of Laurenzo and marked a member of the Laurenti family in Roman times.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Bright one
- Pronunciation: De-lao-REHN-Tiyhs
- Variations: Laurentis
- Namesakes: Giada De Laurentiis, an American TV personality and host of Food Network’s Giada at Home. Dino De Laurentiis, an Italian-American film producer of over 500 films, with 38 nominated for Academy Awards.
- Popularity: De Laurentiis is very rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy.
De Luca
De Luca is the son of Luca. The root name means “shining one” and also from Lucania, the old name for the region in southern Italy. Light or landscape, both readings sit comfortably in the south, where the name is most common.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Light
- Pronunciation: Deh-LUW-kaa
- Variations: Deluca, Luca
- Namesakes: Vincenzo De Luca, the President of the Campania region of Italy since 2015. Giuseppe De Luca, an Italian opera singer at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
- Popularity: De Luca is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy, ranking 17th in 2014.
De Napoli
De Napoli belongs to anyone from Naples, the great southern city. The Latin napio offers a second, blunter reading, a fierce-looking man.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: From Naples
- Pronunciation: Deh-NAA-poh-Lee
- Variations: Di Napoli
- Namesakes: Fernando De Napoli, an Italian footballer who played with the Italian national team at the FIFA World Cup between 1986 and 1990. Patrick de Napoli, a Swiss-Italian footballer for the Switzerland national football team.
- Popularity: De Napoli is very rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy.
Del Negro
Del Negro means of the black one and works in Spanish as belonging to the black one. It rests on the Italian negri, meaning “black.” Like many color surnames, it likely began as a remark about a darker complexion that outlived the person who made it.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Of the black one
- Pronunciation: Del-NEH-grow
- Namesakes: Vincent Del Negro, an American basketball head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers from 2010 to 2013.
- Popularity: Del Negro is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy.
Di Clemente
Di Clemente comes from the personal name Clemente, known in English as Clement. The meaning runs to mercy and mildness, and 14 popes have carried it.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Merciful
- Pronunciation: Dee-kleh-MEHN-Tey
- Variations: Clemente, De Clemente
- Namesakes: Aldo Di Clemente, an Italian astronomer and technician at the Astronomical Observatory of Rome since 1982.
- Popularity: Di Clemente is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy.
Di Giuseppe
Di Giuseppe marks the descendants of Giuseppe, the Italian form of Joseph, which means God will add. That puts it among the Italian last names for boys with Hebrew origins, a smaller group than you might expect.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Son of Giuseppe
- Pronunciation: Dee-guw-SEH-Pee
- Variations: Giuseppe
- Namesakes: Phillip Di Giuseppe, a Canadian ice hockey player for the Vancouver Canucks. Enrico Di Giuseppe, an American opera singer with the New York City Opera.
- Popularity: Di Giuseppe is rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy, ranking 1,046th in 2014.
D’Innocenzo
D’Innocenzo rests on the Italian personal name Innocenzo, from the Late Latin Innocentius, for anyone seen as innocent. The apostrophe form says descendant of, so the whole name reads as the child of an innocent one.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Innocence, Unselfish
- Pronunciation: D-IYN-ow-SEYN-Tsow
- Variations: Innocenzo
- Namesakes: Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo (called the D’Innocenzo brothers), Italian filmmakers whose first film, Boys Cry, won the Nastro d’Argento Award for Best New Director at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival in 2018.
- Popularity: D’Innocenzo is very rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy.
Esposito
Esposito comes from the Latin exponere, to place outside, and was given to foundlings, the babies left at churches and hospitals to be cared for. Naples and the wider Campania region were its center, and the name spread from the institutions there. Genealogist Trafford Cole, author of Italian Genealogical Records, writes: “The name derives from the practice among orphanages of displaying the orphans to visitors so that the orphans could be taken into homes as servants.”
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: To place outside
- Pronunciation: Es-puh-ZEE-Toh
- Variations: D’Esposito
- Namesakes: Felissa Esposito, an American horror movie actress known as a scream queen. Mary Ann Esposito, an Italian-American TV host of Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito, the longest-running TV cooking program in America.
- Popularity: Esposito is uncommon worldwide and mostly used in Italy, ranking 4th in 2014.
Fabrizio
Fabrizio comes from the Roman Fabricius, built on faber, craftsman or maker. The meaning lands on smith. It works as a first name and a family name in equal measure.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Smith
- Pronunciation: Faa-BRIYT-ziy-Ow
- Variations: Fabrizi
- Namesakes: Fabrizio Barbazza, an Italian Formula One driver and the 1987 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. Fabrizio Moretti, a Brazilian-American musician and drummer for the rock band The Strokes.
- Popularity: Fabrizio is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy. U.S. baby name data has listed it since 1962 and ranked it 4,293rd in 2025, well below its 1,801st-place best in 2007.
Ferrari
Ferrari comes from the Italian ferraro, metalworker or blacksmith, the same trade behind the English Smith. It is one of the three most common surnames in Italy. The carmaker founded by Enzo Ferrari made a blacksmith’s name into a byword for speed.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Metalworker
- Pronunciation: Feh-RAAR-iy
- Variations: Ferraro
- Namesakes: Enzo Ferrari, the Italian founder of the Ferrari automobile company. Nicolo Ferrari, a British radio host of the breakfast show on the London-based LBC radio station.
- Popularity: Ferrari ranked 1,771st worldwide and is primarily used in Italy, where it ranked 3rd in 2014. As a U.S. first name it is scarce, last listed at 13,469th in 2015.
Florentino
Florentino rests on the Latin Florentinus, a derivative of Florus. Florus means “flowering” in Latin, so the name reads as blooming. It also marked anyone who came from Florence in Tuscany, a city whose own name shares the root.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Blooming
- Pronunciation: Floh-ren-TIY-Now
- Variations: Fiorentino
- Namesakes: Leona Florentino, a Filipina poet, called the “mother of Philippine women’s literature.” Pedro Florentino, a Dominican military officer during the Battle of Jacuba in the war for independence from Haiti.
- Popularity: Florentino is rare worldwide, mainly used in Brazil, and ranked 380th in the Dominican Republic in 2014. It has been in U.S. records since 1907 and ranked 7,338th in 2025, down from 975th in 1925.
Francesco
Francesco doubles as a first name and comes from the Latin Franciscus, the source of Francis. It first referred to a “Frenchman” and later widened to free man. Saint Francis of Assisi kept it in circulation for eight centuries.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Free man
- Pronunciation: Fraen-CHESS-kow
- Variations: De Francesco
- Popularity: Francesco is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy. It has appeared in U.S. baby name data since 1906 and ranked 1,329th in 2025, with a best rank of 760th in 1975.
Gaeta
Gaeta belongs to anyone from the coastal city of Gaeta in the Latina province. Spain uses it too, and Mexico knows it better as Gaetano, which is more common in Mexico than the shorter form. In Roman mythology the place took its name from Caieta, the nurse of Aeneas.
- Origin: Italian, Spanish
- Meaning: From Gaeta (place)
- Pronunciation: Guy-EHT-ah
- Variations: Di Gaeta
- Namesakes: Antonio Gaeta, an Italian footballer for Carrarese. John Gaeta, an American visual effects designer, known for the Matrix film trilogy.
- Popularity: Gaeta is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy, ranking 1,100th in 2014.
Gallo
Gallo is the Latin gallus, rooster, and it described a man with rooster-like qualities, proud, loud, or up before dawn. Galicia in Spain carries the name as well. It is one of the most common surnames in Italy.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Rooster
- Pronunciation: GAE-Low
- Variations: Galli
- Namesakes: Ernest Gallo, the American co-founder of the E & J Gallo Winery in Modesto, California. Vincent Gallo, an American actor/director best known for the 1998 film Buffalo ’66.
- Popularity: Gallo is uncommon worldwide and mostly used in Italy, where it ranked 9th in 2014.
Giacomo
Giacomo is the Italian version of James, by way of the Latin Jacobus. The meaning, supplanter, survives the translation intact.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Supplanter
- Pronunciation: Jhiy-aa-KOW-Mow
- Variations: DiGiacomo
- Namesakes: Laura San Giacomo, an American actress and winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress for Sex, Lies, and Videotape in 1989.
- Popularity: Giacomo is very rare worldwide and mainly used in the U.S. As an American first name it ranked 2,654th in 2025, down from a best of 1,312th in 1914.
Giordano
Giordano once meant a descendant of Giordano, and the underlying sense is flowing down. It also attached to anyone baptized in the River Jordan, which is how a river in the Levant ended up as a common surname in southern Italy.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: One who descends
- Pronunciation: Jher-DAAN-ow
- Variations: Giardano, Giordan
- Namesakes: Paolo Giordano, an Italian writer who won the Premio Strega award for The Solitude of Prime Numbers novel. Riccardo Giordano, an Italian windsurfer who competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Giordano is uncommon worldwide and mostly used in Italy, ranking 15th in 2014. U.S. data has listed it since 1983 and placed it 10,030th in 2025.
Giovanni
Giovanni is the Italian equivalent of John, meaning God is gracious. As a surname it is rare in Italy, where the longer Di Giovanni and De Giovanni dominate, but Italian-American families settled on the short form.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Pronunciation: Jhow-VAEN-niy
- Variations: Geovanni, Giovonnie, Giovannie
- Namesakes: Joy Giovanni, an American WWE Diva and the first and only winner of the Rookie Diva of the Year award. Nikki Giovanni, an African-American poet and winner of the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award.
- Popularity: Giovanni is rare worldwide as a surname and mainly used in Ethiopia. As a U.S. first name it is the highest ranked name on this list, 123rd in 2025, just behind its 117th-place peak in 2010.
Greco
Greco comes from the Latin graecus and worked as a nickname for anyone from Greece, or anyone who looked or traded like it. It is the 10th most common “G” surname in Italy. The Greco clan was also among the best-known mafia families of Sicily and Calabria in the 19th century.
- Origin: Italian, Greek
- Meaning: Greek
- Pronunciation: GREH-koh
- Variations: Del Greco, Lo Greco, Grecco
- Namesakes: Michele Greco, the head of the Sicilian Mafia Commission, whose nickname was Il Papa (“The Pope”). Jim Greco, an American skateboarder who founded Bakerboys Distribution in 2007.
- Popularity: Greco is uncommon worldwide and primarily used in Italy, ranking 12th in 2014. It briefly entered U.S. baby name data in 2000 and was last listed at 12,790th in 2013.
Iannucci
Iannucci is a pet form of Ianni, the Italian first name that runs parallel to Giovanni and the English John. The meaning stays God is gracious through every version.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Pronunciation: IY-ah-NOO-Chee
- Variations: Iannacco
- Namesakes: Armando Iannucci, an Italian-Scottish writer and creator of the HBO series Veep. Jonathan Iannucci, an American lacrosse player for the Colorado Mammoth.
- Popularity: Iannucci is rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy.
La Paglia
La Paglia comes from paglia, straw. It went to people who worked with straw or hay, and to anyone with straw-colored hair. The article at the front is typical of Sicilian surnames.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Straw
- Pronunciation: PAHL-iy-Ah
- Variations: Paglia
- Namesakes: Anthony LaPaglia, an Australian actor known for the TV series Without a Trace (2002 to 2009). Jonathan La Paglia, an Australian actor and host of Australian Survivor since 2016.
- Popularity: La Paglia is very rare worldwide and primarily used in the U.S.
Liuzzo
Liuzzo rests on the first names Lia and Leo, and it originated in Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna. It is genuinely rare, even inside Italy.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Relaxed, gentle
- Pronunciation: Liy-UW-Zoh
- Variations: Luzzo
- Namesakes: Viola Liuzzo, an American civil rights activist who took part in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.
- Popularity: Liuzzo is very rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy.
Lombardo
Lombardo belongs to anyone from Lombardy or the north of Italy generally. Behind it is the Latin Langobardi, the Germanic people whose name meant long beards. A regional label became one of the most recognizable Italian last names in America.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: From Lombardy
- Pronunciation: Lahm-BAAR-doh
- Variations: Lombardio
- Namesakes: Tony Lombardo, an American musician, and member of the punk rock band the Descendents. Guy Lombardo, a Canadian-American bandleader and founder of the Royal Canadians band in 1924.
- Popularity: Lombardo is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy, ranking 52nd in 2014.
Maddalena
Maddalena comes from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene, and it means woman from Magdala. Magdalena and Madeleine are its cousins across Europe.
- Origin: Italian, Hebrew
- Meaning: Mary Magdalene
- Pronunciation: Mae-dah-LEY-Naa
- Namesakes: Marianne Maddalena, an American film producer, and Wes Craven’s producing partner. Julia Maddalena, an American actress who first appeared in the 1984 movie Children of the Corn.
- Popularity: Maddalena is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy, ranking 1,833rd in 2014. U.S. records have carried it since 1916 and ranked it 4,508th in 2025.
Maffia
Maffia appeared as Maffio in medieval records and traces back to the first name Matteo. A separate root, mafyá, means place of shade or refuge and is one of the proposed origins of the modern word mafia. Campania, Puglia, and Cosenza are the regions where both the name and that association run deepest.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Place of refuge
- Pronunciation: MAH-fiy-Ah
- Variations: Maffio, Maffi
- Popularity: Maffia is very rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy.
Mancini
Mancini comes from mancino, left-handed, and originated in Florence. It ranks among the most common surnames in the country.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Left-handed
- Pronunciation: Maan-CEE-nee
- Namesakes: George Mancini, an American filmmaker best known for the Child’s Play franchise. Roberto Mancini, an Italian football manager for Italy’s national team.
- Popularity: Mancini is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy, ranking 15th in 2014.
Marino
Marino is the Latin marinus, of the sea. It went to anyone whose living came off the water, and to people living along the seashore. The name also settled in Galicia, Greece, and Armenia, following the same coastlines.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Of the sea
- Pronunciation: Maa-RIY-now
- Variations: Marin, Marinolli
- Namesakes: Ken Marino, an American comedian and cast member on MTV’s The State. Ignazio Marino, the Mayor of Rome from 2013 to 2015.
- Popularity: Marino is uncommon worldwide and primarily used in Italy, ranking 13th in 2014. In U.S. baby name data it goes back to 1910 and ranked 5,330th in 2025, down from 1,234th in 1915.
Mastromatteo
Mastromatteo joins mastro, master craftsman, to the first name Matteo, so it began as a title of respect rather than a family label.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Master craftsman (Matteo)
- Pronunciation: MAAS-trow-Mah-TEY-Oh
- Popularity: Mastromatteo is very rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy.
Minetti
Minetti is the plural of Minetto, a pet form of Minelli, with Mino as the ultimate root. It also carries the sense of a fierce or strong man. Outside Italy and Spain, the same spelling exists as a Japanese name meaning “ocean.”
- Origin: Italian, Spanish
- Meaning: Diminutive of Mino
- Pronunciation: Mih-NEH-Tee
- Variations: Mannetti, Minetta
- Namesakes: Annalisa Minetti, the first blind Italian beauty pageant contestant in the 1997 Miss Italia contest. Massimo Minetti, an Italian footballer for Serie C1.
- Popularity: Minetti is rare worldwide, mainly used in Italy, and ranked 712th in Uruguay in 2014.
Moretti
Moretti is the plural of Moretto, from the Italian moretto, meaning “dark hair,” with a second thread from the Yiddish Mordeven Zich, worker. It took shape in 15th-century Italy as Jewish families settled there.
- Origin: Italian, Hebrew
- Meaning: Dark-haired
- Pronunciation: Moh-RET-tiy
- Variations: Moriotti
- Namesakes: Alessandra Moretti, an Italian member of the European Parliament since 2019. Filomena Moretti, an Italian classical guitarist and winner of the 1996 Premier Prix at the Competition de l’A.R.A.M.
- Popularity: Moretti is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy, where it ranked 23rd in 2014.
Nanna
Nanna likely comes from the Sicilian and Salentine nanna, grandmother, the same idea as Nonna. The similar nana means dwarf in Italian, so the two readings sit uncomfortably close.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Grandmother
- Pronunciation: NAA-Naa
- Namesakes: Bob Nanna, an American musician and a member of the band Braid.
- Popularity: Nanna is rare worldwide and mostly used in Nigeria. It appeared in U.S. records from 1882, peaked at 2,571st in 1914, and was last listed in 1994.
Novella
Novella comes from the Latin novell, young, or novella, news. It began in Venice as the female form of Novello. It is one of the more distinctive Italian girl last names, and it still works as a first name.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: New young
- Pronunciation: Noh-VEH-Laa
- Variations: Novello
- Namesakes: Steven Novella, an American neurologist and host of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe podcast.
- Popularity: Novella is rare worldwide, mainly found in the U.S., and ranked 856th in Italy in 2014. After fading from a 1923 peak, it climbed back to 2,559th in 2025.
Orlando
Orlando is the Italian form of Rolando, by way of the Spanish Roldán and the Germanic ruotland, fame and land. The full sense is famous throughout the land, or he who proceeds from the glorious country.
- Origin: Italian, Germanic
- Meaning: Land famous
- Pronunciation: Aor-LAEN-doh
- Variations: Orlandi
- Namesakes: Alexandra Orlando, a Canadian rhythmic gymnast who competed at the 2008 Olympic Games. Tony Orlando, an American singer, known for the group Tony Orlando and Dawn.
- Popularity: Orlando is rare worldwide and primarily found in Italy, ranking 86th in 2014. It has been a U.S. first name since 1880, peaking at 246th in 1975 and ranking 873rd in 2025.
Ossi
Ossi is the plural of Osso and marks someone from the Ossi area of Sardinia. Norse used the same sound as a nickname for a thin girl, since osso means bone. Inside Italy it also serves as a pet form of Giuseppe.
- Origin: Italian, Norse
- Meaning: Bone
- Pronunciation: AAS-iy
- Variations: Osso
- Popularity: Ossi is very rare worldwide and primarily used in Nigeria.
Palermo
Palermo belongs to anyone from the Sicilian capital. The city took its name from the Greek Panormos, from pan, all, and hormos, well-protected bay. The surname carries a harbor inside it.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: From Palermo
- Pronunciation: Pah-LEHR-moh
- Variations: Palarmo, Palermoe
- Namesakes: Girolamo “Jimmy” Palermo, an Italian-American mobster with the DeCavalcante crime family in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Martín Palermo, an Argentine footballer with Argentina’s national team.
- Popularity: Palermo is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy, ranking 244th in 2014.
Perrucci
Perrucci is the plural of Perruccio, a short form of the first name Perro. Behind that sits Piero, the Italian Peter, which means rock. The stones in its meaning are the same ones the apostle was named for.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Stones, rocks
- Pronunciation: Peh-RUW-chee
- Variations: Perruci, Perucci
- Popularity: Perrucci is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy.
Pizzano
Pizzano comes from the Italian pizarra, slate, and would have gone to someone living beside a quarry or working in one. It also marks a person from Pisa in Tuscany, home of the leaning tower.
- Origin: Italian, Spanish
- Meaning: Slate worker
- Pronunciation: Pih-ZAAN-ah
- Variations: Pizana
- Popularity: Pizzano is very rare worldwide and mostly used in the U.S.
Pompeii
Pompeii is the plural of the first name Pompeo, and it doubles as the name of the ancient city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. A Greek reading gives it as the person in charge. Both readings suit a name that sounds like an event.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: From Pompei
- Pronunciation: POM-pay
- Variations: Pompei
- Popularity: Pompeii is extremely rare worldwide and mainly used in the U.S.
Prospero
Prospero comes from the Latin Prosperus, prosperous, and carries the sense of succeeding. Shakespeare gave it to the exiled duke in The Tempest, which is where most English speakers meet it.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Fortunate
- Pronunciation: Prows-PEH-row
- Variations: Prosperino, Prospera
- Popularity: Prospero is rare worldwide and primarily used in Brazil. U.S. baby name records listed it from 1915 to 1975, with a best rank of 3,299th in 1928.
Quinto
Quinto began as the Latin Quintus in ancient Rome, the name given to a fifth-born son. Roman families numbered their children this way, and in Italy the practice left a surname behind.
- Origin: Italian, Spanish
- Meaning: Fifth
- Pronunciation: KWIHN-Tow
- Variations: Quintino, Quintano
- Namesakes: Felice Quinto, an Italian paparazzi photographer who inspired Fellini’s 1960 film La Dolce Vita. Angeline Quinto, the Filipino winner of Star Power: Sharon’s Search For The Next Female Pop Superstar in 2011.
- Popularity: Quinto is rare worldwide and mostly used in Ecuador. It appeared in U.S. data between 1912 and 1929 and peaked at 2,141st in 1918.
Reggio
Reggio marks families from Reggio Calabria, Calabria’s largest city in the far south, or from Reggio Emilia in the north. Either way, the name traveled with the families who carried it between regions.
- Origin: Italian, Hebrew
- Meaning: Of Reggio
- Pronunciation: REGG-iy-Oh
- Variations: Reggiani
- Namesakes: Arturo Reggio, an Italian Chess Champion who won national tournaments between 1900 and 1916. Godfrey Reggio, an American documentary filmmaker whose film Visitors premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
- Popularity: Reggio is rare worldwide, mainly found in Italy, and ranked 1,366th in Uruguay in 2014.
Ricci
Ricci comes from the Italian riccio, curly-haired. It also reads as descendant of Ricci and served as a pet form of Enrico, meaning peaceful ruler. It sits high in Italy’s surname rankings, curls and all.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Home ruler
- Pronunciation: RIY-chee
- Variations: Riccio
- Namesakes: Christina Ricci, an American actress best known for The Addams Family (1991). Giampaolo Ricci, an Italian basketball player for the Italian national team.
- Popularity: Ricci is uncommon worldwide and primarily used in Italy, where it ranked 8th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it peaked at 2,147th in 1980 and was last listed in 2022.
Rizzo
Rizzo is the southern cousin of Ricci and describes wavy or curly hair. Risso is the same name again with a different spelling. Three versions of one observation, spread across the peninsula.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Curly-haired
- Pronunciation: RIH-zoh
- Variations: Risso
- Namesakes: Anthony Rizzo, an American baseball player for the New York Yankees. Helena Rizzo, a Brazilian chef voted Best Female Chef of the Year by Restaurant Magazine in 2014.
- Popularity: Rizzo is uncommon worldwide and mostly used in Italy, ranking 16th in 2014. U.S. baby name data picked it up in 2016 and last listed it at 9,687th in 2024.
Romano
Romano is the Latin Romanus and has meant citizen of Rome since ancient times. Several early Christian saints and martyrs carried it, which kept it in use through the centuries when most Roman names disappeared.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: From Rome
- Pronunciation: Row-MAA-noh
- Variations: Romani
- Namesakes: Ray Romano, an American actor known for the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Fabrizio Romano, an Italian football journalist for Sky Sport Italy.
- Popularity: Romano ranked 1,866th worldwide and is mainly used in Italy, where it ranked 7th in 2014. It has appeared in U.S. records since 1922, peaking at 2,646th in 1963.
Rossi
Rossi is the plural of Rosso, red-haired, and it also covered a ruddy complexion. It is most concentrated in northern Italy. No other Italian surname is carried by more people.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Red
- Pronunciation: RAO-Siy
- Variations: De Rossi, Del Rossi, DeRossi
- Namesakes: Louis Rossi, a French Grand Prix motorcycle racer who won the 2012 French Grand Prix. Anthony Rossi, the Italian-American founder of Tropicana Products.
- Popularity: Rossi ranked 1,016th worldwide and is primarily used in Italy, where it remains the most common surname. It also works as a U.S. first name, listed since 1981 and ranked 7,078th in 2025.
Russo
Russo is the southern Italian and Sicilian counterpart of Rossi, and it began as a nickname for a man with red hair or a red beard. The Latin russus, red, sits behind both. It doubles as a Polish name for someone from Russia.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Red-haired
- Pronunciation: RUW-Sow
- Variations: Lo Russo
- Namesakes: Christopher Russo, the American co-host of the Mike and Chris sports radio program. Marisabina Russo, an American children’s book author of The Line Up Book, which won the IRA Children’s Book Award.
- Popularity: Russo ranked 1,540th worldwide and is mostly used in Italy, where it ranked 2nd in 2014. As a U.S. first name it is new, appearing only in 2019 and last listed at 10,720th in 2024.
Saachi
Saachi rests on the Italian sacco, sack or bag, and once marked the person who made them. The variant Saatchi is a separate Persian and Turkish surname meaning watchmaker, which is why the two spellings point to different families.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Sack maker
- Pronunciation: SAA-Chee
- Variations: Saatchi
- Namesakes: Enzo Sacchi, an Italian cyclist and gold medalist at the 1952 Summer Olympics. Tommaso Sacchi, the Italian Deputy-Mayor for Culture, Fashion and Design of the City of Florence.
- Popularity: Saachi is extremely rare worldwide and mainly used in India. U.S. baby name data has carried the spelling since 1994 and ranked it 7,831st in 2025.
Scaletta
Scaletta belongs to families from Scala in Italy or Scaletta Zanclea in Sicily. It is a diminutive, so it reads as the descendants of little Scala. The name stayed close to home and never spread far.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: From Scaletta
- Pronunciation: Skaa-LEHT-ah
- Popularity: Scaletta is very rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy.
Scipio
Scipio comes from the Latin first name Scipio, a nickname meaning staff or walking stick. The general who carried Roman armies into Carthage made it permanent.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Walking stick
- Pronunciation: SKIY-Piy-ow
- Variations: Scippa, Scippo
- Namesakes: Metellus Scipio, a Roman military commander who led troops against Julius Caesar in the 1st-century.
- Popularity: Scipio is very rare worldwide, is mostly used in the U.S., and ranked 402nd in Guyana in 2014. It appeared in U.S. records from 1916, peaked at 3,175th in 1942, and was last listed in 1948.
Siciliano
Siciliano was a nickname for anyone from Sicily, an island originally settled by the tribe called the Siculi. Italian families arriving in the United States frequently changed their surnames, and a plain regional label like this one was an easy choice to keep or adopt.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: From Sicily
- Pronunciation: Sih-chil-YAAN-oh
- Variations: Siciliato
- Namesakes: Andrew Siciliano, an American TV announcer for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. Antonio Siciliano, an Italian film editor and winner of the 1992 David di Donatello Award for Best Editing.
- Popularity: Siciliano is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy, ranking 561st in 2014.
Soncino
Soncino is best known as the name of the Italian Ashkenazi Jewish family of printers, whose presses helped set the shape of the printed Hebrew book. It is also a place name, taken from the town of Soncino in the Cremona province of Lombardy. Some accounts trace the family’s origins back to Germany before Italy.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: From Soncino
- Pronunciation: Sohn-CHEE-now
- Namesakes: Scipione Soncino, a 16th-century Italian writer of a set of biographies on the Dukes of Milan.
- Popularity: Soncino is extremely rare worldwide and is primarily used in Brazil.
Stephani
Stephani is the plural of the Italian first name Stefano, from Stephen, meaning crown and laurel. It works as a Greek girl’s name tied to victory. Crown, laurel, victory: the same ceremony described three ways.
- Origin: Italian, Greek
- Meaning: Crown
- Pronunciation: Steh-FAH-niy
- Variations: Stefani
- Namesakes: William Stephani (also Stephenson), the medieval Scottish Bishop of Dunblane. Franz Stephani, a German bryologist and author of Species Hepaticarum.
- Popularity: Stephani is rare worldwide, mostly used in Germany, and ranked 391st in Cyprus in 2014. As a U.S. first name it peaked at 391st in 1989 and fell to 15,046th in 2024.
Tito
Tito is the Italian form of the Latin Titus, from titulus, title of honor. It also belongs to anyone from the town of Tito in the Potenza province. The meaning, giant, comes with the name rather than from the town.
- Origin: Italian, Spanish
- Meaning: Giant
- Pronunciation: TIY-Tow
- Namesakes: Josip Broz (known as Tito), President of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1953 to 1980. Dennis Tito, an American entrepreneur and the first man to self-fund a trip to space in 2001.
- Popularity: Tito is uncommon worldwide, is mainly used in Egypt, and ranked 223rd in Bolivia in 2014. U.S. baby name records have listed it since 1909 and ranked it 4,239th in 2025.
Tucci
Tucci is the plural of Tuccio and may descend from a job for someone who attended meetings, a counselor of sorts. Clerk is the usual short translation. It is far better known in America than in Italy.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Clerk
- Pronunciation: TUU-chee
- Variations: Tuccio
- Namesakes: Stanley Tucci, an Italian-American actor/filmmaker known for Big Night. Gabriella Tucci, an Italian opera singer at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
- Popularity: Tucci is rare worldwide, primarily used in the U.S., and ranked 1,633rd in Uruguay in 2014.
Ursillo
Ursillo rests on the Latin ursus, bear, and works as a variation of the Italian first name Orso. It originated in the Papal States. Bear names travel well, and this one crossed the Atlantic more successfully than it ever spread inside Italy.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Bear
- Pronunciation: UHR-sih-Low
- Variations: Ursi
- Namesakes: Jen Ursillo, an American midday news anchor on the New Jersey 101.5 radio station.
- Popularity: Ursillo is very rare worldwide and mostly used in the U.S.
Vecchio
Vecchio is the Italian word for old, and it went to the eldest son, to a man with gray hair, or to anyone who simply looked older than he was. Del Vecchio and Lo Vecchio are the same name with the article attached.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Old man
- Pronunciation: VEH-chiy-Oh
- Variations: Del Vecchio, Lo Vecchio
- Namesakes: Karen Vecchio, a Canadian member of Parliament since 2015. Emiliano Vecchio, an Argentine footballer for Racing Club de Avellaneda.
- Popularity: Vecchio is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy, where it ranked 450th in 2014.
Vitale
Vitale marks a descendant of Vitalis, from the Latin vita, life. Early Christian martyrs carried it, which gave it a long run in church records. It also serves as a short form of Russian names like Vitalik.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Life
- Pronunciation: Viy-TAA-liy
- Namesakes: Falaniko “Niko” Vitale, an American mixed martial artist and SuperBrawl Middleweight Champion. Camilla Vitale, an Italian actress who appeared in The Seven Little Foys film (1956).
- Popularity: Vitale is rare worldwide and primarily used in Italy, ranking 40th in 2014.
Volpe
Volpe is the Latin vulpes, fox, and it labeled a person with fox-like habits, cunning included. A second reading gives it as a dweller at the sign of the fox, one of the old inn signs that produced so many surnames. Of all the animal names here, this is the one with an opinion attached.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Fox
- Pronunciation: VUHL-pey
- Variations: Volpes, Della Volpe
- Namesakes: John Volpe, the 61st and 63rd Governor of Massachusetts from 1961 to 1963 and 1965 to 1969. Petra Volpe, a Swiss filmmaker, known for The Divine Order.
- Popularity: Volpe is rare worldwide and mostly used in Italy, where it ranked 153rd in 2014.
Zucco
Zucco probably went to someone living near cut-back trees, or to the lumberjack who cut them. It was first recorded in Udine, in the Venetia region. Spelled with a k, it is the surname of Danny Zuko in Grease, which is where most people have met the sound.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Base of a tree stump
- Pronunciation: ZUH-koh
- Variations: Zuco
- Namesakes: Ross Zucco, an American speed skater who competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics. George Zucco, a British actor appearing in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939).
- Popularity: Zucco is rare worldwide and mainly used in Italy.
