Unique Italian Names for Girls

Sicily is a lilting Italian place-name that sounds like the elegant British Cicely -- which you might consider a plus or a minus.

Softer and more romantic than Octavia, this is a name once used when it wasn't uncommon for families to have eight children. A possible substitute for the epidemically popular Olivia.

An appealing Italianate alternative.

This international color name, close enough to the English to be easily understood in the US or other English-speaking countries, ranks among the top names for girls in Italy.

This name, from the picturesque town on the Italian Riviera, borrows a bit from Amelia and a bit from Emily.

Mafalda is nearly unknown in the English-speaking world, despite an appearance in Harry Potter. Indeed, it does have a witchy feel. Matilda itself is preferable, or her French form Mathilde, Spanish Matilde, or abbreviation Maud.

Upper-crusty nickname occasionally used in Britain, particularly in 1930s novels featuring significant garden party scenes, but eclipsed here by Carrie et al.

Letizia is a pretty Latin variation of Letitia; it's one of those Italian names for girls that makes the more familiar version feel less prissy and more appealing. Letizia was the first name of Napoleon's mother.

A name that relates to Concepcion and the Virgin Mary, but feels a good deal more secular.

Much fresher and more energetic than Dominique.

Tosca is one operatic heroine that has never taken off as a baby name -- there were no babies named Tosca in the US last year -- but it's the name of entrepreneur Elon Musk's sister so may benefit from some referred publicity.

Amica is a word meaning girlfriend that is not often used as a name in Italy, but it would sound pretty and name-like elsewhere.

Italianate variation of Cosette, from Victor Hugo's Les Misérables.

Petronilla is an ancient saint's name that relates to the Roman family name Petronius, thought to mean yokel or woodpecker, though some connect it with Petra or Peter, meaning stone. With the resurgence of so many ancient Roman names, the elaborate and pretty Petronilla or its French form Petronille seem more usable these days than they have in centuries.

Stylish and dramatic, a la Donatella Versace.

The fashion for elaborate girly-girl names, especially those that end with -ella or -ana, has put this distinctive Latin favorite into play.