Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, we discuss reader’s name questions, usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight! To have your question considered, email appmtn (at) gmail. Looking for your own private #namehelp post? Order one here.
NAMING A SISTER OR BROTHER FOR CARLOTTA
Jess writes:
We have a daughter named Carlotta Maria. Both of our families are (part) Italian and my husband and I met on study abroad in Rome. We always wanted to use Italian names for our kids for all of those reasons. Originally, Carlotta was going to be Francesca, but Bridgerton had come out and for a few other reasons we decided to look for something that felt more different.
Carlotta ended up being our choice because we like the way she could go by Carlie or Lottie, but we also just like the name as-is, and we do usually call her Carlotta.
If this baby is a girl, she will probably be Antonella Eva, though we’re open to other ideas and I keep seeing new ideas. Fiorella is another one I really like, and I love Liliana.
For a boy, this feels a little bit harder. We’re talking about Giovanni, but I wonder if it would be hard to spell? For some reason, it seems a lot harder to find an Italian name that is different but still easy to spell/say.
Our last name sounds like Kerry with an N instead of an K.
Read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
MORE NAMES LIKE CARLOTTA
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your new baby!
If Carlotta’s new sibling is a girl, I can’t think of a better name that Antonella. It has excellent nickname potential – Annie, Nellie – but can easily be used in full. And Carlotta and Antonella are both just plain fun to say.
Fiorella is a great back-up, too.
So I think it’s really a name for a son where we need to focus.
Giovanni is a great choice. It’s elaborate and clearly imported, but it’s also traditional and has spent years in the US Top 200. That’s a sweet spot for Italian boy names. But it’s not the only choice.
Obvious options might be Enzo, Luca, or Matteo. But let’s see if we can find something with the same elaborate style as your girls’ names.
A BROTHER FOR CARLOTTA
DANTE
Literary, Italian, and familiar Dante is very much a heritage choice. But I wonder if it’s also a little bit too short with your last name?
GIANLUCA
If Giovanni isn’t quite right, would Gianluca appeal? It adds in some different nickname options, including Luca and Luc/Luke.
LUCIANO
Speaking of Luc- names, Luciano seems like an obvious brother for Carlotta.
MARCELLO
Saturday Night Live’s Marcello Hernandez makes this name familiar. I think it fits with names like Carlotta because of all those syllables and sounds, but also the feeling that it’s. a romance language take on a traditional favorite.
NICOLO, NICCOLO
The same thing applies to Nicolo. The single-C spelling is most popular in modern Italy, followed by Niccolo. Nicolas also ranks in the current Top 100 for Italian boy names. But I think Nicolo could be the strongest option.
RAPHAEL
Strictly speaking, Raffaele is the Italian form of Raphael. But I think it’s this version that feels right in English. Still an import, but more easily spelled and pronounced in English.
ROCCO
When it comes to names like Carlotta, Rocco strikes me as an obvious pick. It’s strong and immediately reads as Italian. But it’s easy to spell and at home in American English, too.
VINCENZO
Enzo ranks in the US Top 100, so it might be too easy a choice. It’s often short for Lorenzo, but I think Vincenzo is the real show-stopper. The Italian form of Vincent is pronounced with a CH, so vin-CHENZ-oh.
Overall, my favorite of the boy names like Carlotta is Luciano, with Raphael a close second. Luciano edges ahead, though, thanks to all that nickname potential. Then again, Raphael called “Rafe” is every bit as good. Maybe Rafael Gianni to turn up the overall Italian-osity, or Luciano Vincent to balance in the other direction?
Carlotta is so beautiful! There’s just something about Italian names, isn’t there? And I love that there’s such a strong connection to your family history.
Antonella is a lovely, fitting choice for a daughter. The nickname “Nellie” is pretty close to your surname, but Annie, Nella, and Ella would all be great options.
Fiorella and Liliana are both very pretty, as well. However, they are apparently not very common in Italy nowadays. Is it important to you for your kids to “fit in” if they ever travel or live in Italy? If so, you might choose to focus on names that are more popular there.
I agree that Giovanni is a great option, as long as you’re okay with folks in the U.S. pronouncing it “GEE oh VAH nee” as opposed to “jo VAH nee”. I also love Abby’s suggestions of Marcello, Nicolò, and Vincenzo.
Do you like the idea of a name honoring the city where you met your husband? If so, Romeo is an option currently in the Italian Top 100. Less common names on the same theme include Romano (for a boy) or Romina or Romola (for a girl).
Here are some other ideas, all from the current Top 100 in Italy…
Girls:
Alessandra
Bianca
Chiara
Eleonora
Giulia
Lucia
Boys:
Alessandro
Alessio
Antonio (if you’re not saving Antonella)
Damiano
Edoardo
Marco
Massimo
Matteo
Tommaso
And two more that are outside the Top 100 but that I think sound lovely with your surname and your daughter’s name…
For a girl: Violetta
For a boy: Emilio
Hope you’ll write back with an update!
Perhaps because I’m a Californian, I doubt people would find Giovanni diffcult to spell. Here it is currently ranked # 82 in popularity. Many Catholics named their kids John Paul while he was Pope; many went with Giovanni instead in honor of him, so people have considered it a “normal” name for a few decades and are used to hearing, saying, and spelling it.
That’s a very good point, Christina.
Boys: Amedeo, Antonio, Cosmo, Dario, Domenico, Gennaro, Leandro, Leonardo, Lorenzo, Luca, Ludovico, Marco, Massimiliano, Orlando, Paolo, Pietro, Sergio, Tancredi, Theo,
Girls: Allegra, Ambra, Antonietta, Azzurra, Beatrice, Bianca, Caterina, Cosima, Daria, Elisabetta, Eloisa, Flavia, Gemma, Giacinta, Ginevra, Ilaria, Maddalena, Oriana, Ornella, Ottavia, Rosalba,
Amadeo, ‘Ama’
Eliseo, ‘Eli’
Galileo, ‘Leo’, while dramatic everyone would certainly know how to say/spell it
Isidoro
Giotto, ‘Gio’
Taddeo ‘Teddy’, ‘Teo’
Timoteo, ‘Tim’, ‘Teo’
I love Rocco for Carlotta’s brother!
Also Leonardo is easy to spell and pronouce and long like Carlotta and Antonella.
Ir Giorgio or Filippo.
My first thought for a girl was Antonia…. or Marcella or Alessandra. Isabella would work nicely as a middle name, too.
I really like Alessandro for a boy.
I love Carlotta! I also thought I would suggest Fiammetta as a possible girl’s name with nn Fia. Antonella is beautiful too & has some great nicknames!
Here are some more ideas for boys:
Matteo
Emilio
Alessandro nn Sandro
Silvio
Armando
Best wishes!!
Carlotta and Antonella are so great together. I also like Fiorella. I too think that Luciano is a great brother name for Carlotta. They share many similar letters and have good nickname potential. There are many children with Italian names at our school (including Giovanni which no one seems to have trouble with! We also have a Giovanna and a Luciano).
Lorenzo nn Enzo is a good one.
Leonardo nn Leo
Dominic nn Nico
Gianni if Giovanni isn’t quite right.
Enrico nn Rico or Henry
Angelo if you aren’t saving Antonella
Congrats to you!