Unique Italian Names for Girls

  1. Sicily
    • Origin:

      Place-name
    • Description:

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

      Italian, variation of Latin Octavia
    • Meaning:

      "eight"
    • Description:

      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.
  3. Emiliana
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Emily
    • Meaning:

      "rival"
    • Description:

      The enormous popularity of Emily and Emma means that parents will be looking further afield for substitutes -- and this is one of the prettiest.

  4. Azzurra
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "azure"
    • Description:

      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.
  5. Vittoria
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Victoria
    • Description:

      An appealing Italianate alternative.
  6. Amalfi
    • Origin:

      Italian place-name
    • Description:

      This name, from the picturesque town on the Italian Riviera, borrows a bit from Amelia and a bit from Emily.
  7. Mafalda
    • Origin:

      Italian and Portuguese variation of Matilda
    • Description:

      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.
  8. Caro
    • Origin:

      Diminuitve of Carol or Caroline, English, French ,"free man"
    • Meaning:

      "free man"
    • Description:

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

      Italian variation of Letitia
    • Meaning:

      "gladness"
    • Description:

      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.
  10. Rosina
    • Concetta
      • Origin:

        Italian
      • Meaning:

        "pure"
      • Description:

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

        Italian
      • Meaning:

        "from Tuscany"
      • Description:

        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.
    • Domenica
      • Origin:

        Italian feminine form of Dominic
      • Meaning:

        "belonging to the Lord"
      • Description:

        Much fresher and more energetic than Dominique.
    • Amica
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "female friend"
      • Description:

        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.
    • Luciella
      • Petronilla
        • Origin:

          Roman and Italian feminine variation of Petronius
        • Meaning:

          "yokel, woodpecker, stone"
        • Description:

          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.
      • Cosetta
        • Origin:

          Italian, French
        • Meaning:

          "little thing"
        • Description:

          Italianate variation of Cosette, from Victor Hugo's Les Misérables.
      • Simona
        • Donatella
          • Origin:

            Italian, feminine diminutive of Donato
          • Description:

            Stylish and dramatic, a la Donatella Versace.
        • Miuccia
          • Origin:

            Italian, meaning unknown
          • Description:

            Influential designer Miuccia (nicknamed Miu Miu) Prada's surname is much better known here than her first.