European Baby Names Inspired by the Medici Family

Italian baby names inspired by the Medici family mix history and romance.

The Medicis ruled Florence.  Family members were dukes and popes, bankers to all of Europe. Medici daughters married into ruling families across Europe. Powerful doesn’t begin to describe them.  Their patronage supported some of the greatest works of Michelangelo and DaVinci.

They also had some seriously great names. 

Some of these Medici family names come from those related by marriage, including fathers- and mothers-in-law. Middle names are included, too.  This means that a search for, say, Piccarda Medici might come up empty, because she’s a member of the Orsini or Sforza families, or even foreign aristocracy.  The Medicis were big on recycling names, though, so it isn’t unusual to see a name pop up in the next generation.

Masculine Medici Monikers

ALESSANDRO

The Italian form of Alexander, Alessandro de Medici became the first Duke of Florence.

ANTONIO

Classic Anthony, Florentine edition.

AVERARDO

A cousin to Everett, Averardo also comes from Everard, meaning brave as a boar. This name appeared several times in the Medici family tree.

BERNARDETTO

Also recorded as Bernadetto, this is an Italian form of the Germanic Bernard, meaning brave as a bear. During the 16th century, Bernardetto moved to Naples. His descendants became the Princes of Ottaiano. All these years later, there’s still a Prince of Ottaiano, and his name is on the list, too.

CARLO

The Italian form of the evergreen Charles, Carlo’s O ending is vibrant. Both Carlo and Gian Carlo appear on the Medici family tree.

COSIMO

A Scottish duke introduced a variant of this name to English when he named his son Cosmo after one of his friends, Cosimo III.

FERDINANDO

Italian version of Ferdinand and Fernando.

FILIPPO, FILIPPINO

Related to Philip, a great name meaning “friend of horses,” Filippo belongs to several family members. Filippo Strozzi was a Florentine banker who married into the family circa the year 1500.

FRANCESCO

Francis name with deep roots in Italian.

GARZIA

Common Spanish surname Garcia comes from an uncertain medieval given name. It might mean bear. The rare Italian given name Garzia comes from the same root.

GASTONE

Better known as the French Gaston, a 17th century Medici received this name thanks to a French maman.

GIULIO

The Italian form of Julius.

GIULIANO

Julian, by way of Italy. The current Prince of Ottaiano, one of the surviving Medicis in the 21st century, wears this name.

IPPOLITO

The Italian form of Hippolytus, a named borrowed from Greek legend and worn by a third century saint. That sounds like a logical name for a Medici prince.

LEONE

A Leo/Leon name.

LEOPOLDO

If Leopold seems over the top now, then Leopoldo is probably much too much name.  Except it isn’t so far from Leonardo, another Italian favorite that English-speaking parents love. Plus Leopoldo shares nickname Leo.

LODOVICO

Germanic Ludwig most often became the French Louis. But other translations and transformations occurred. The dramatic Lodovico is one.

LORENZO

Possibly the most famous of the Medici names, thanks to Lorenzo the Magnificent. He ruled Florence and presided over the Renaissance arts scene at its peak. His family was already powerful when Lorenzo stepped into leadership roles as a young man, but he expanded his family’s influence significantly. Lorenzo is the Italian form of Laurence. Short form Enzo is a stylish choice in the US now.

LORENZINO

A diminutive form of Lorenzo.

MATTEO

Mateo – the Spanish spelling – dominates in the US, but it’s the two-T Matteo on the Medici family tree.

NICCOLO

Italian form of Nicholas, found on some extended branches of the family tree.

OTTAVIANO

Ottavio is the Italian form of Octavius.

PIERFRANCESCO

Peter Francis is handsome as a double name, but Pierfrancesco turns the volume up.

PIERO

Italian form of Peter, widely used in Renaissance Italy.

PIETRO

An alternative to Piero.

VINCENZO

We think of Vincent as quite Italian, and it is – but this is the original form.

Feminine Medici Family Names

ALFONSINA

From Visigothic elements, Alfonsina means “noble and ready.”

ANTONIA

Feminine form of Antonio.

BIANCA

Romantic name, worn by the sister of Lorenzo the Magnificent.

CAMILLA

Camilla Martelli married into the family, becoming the Grand Duchess of Tuscany.

CATERINA

The Italian form of Katherine, an obvious find on the Medici family tree.

CLARICE

During the 15th century, Clarice Orsini was the daughter of an even wealthier and even more influential family – at least at that time – when she married into the Medicis.

CLARISSA

Clarice and Clarissa seem to be used interchangeably.

CLAUDIA

A fierce name, Claudia de Medici was named for her grandmother, Claude of Valois. (Claude is feminine in French.) That Claude? Descended from Queen Catherine of France, born Caterina de Medici.

COSTANZA

A portrait of this 15th century Medici cousin belongs to the British National Gallery.

CONTESSINA

In Italian, the wife of a count is a contessa. Contessina means “little countess” and it was used as a given name. Lorenzo the Magnificent had a daughter with this name, named for her grandmother, Contessina de Bardi.

DIANORA

You won’t find this one on a birth certificate.  Instead, it was one the name that Eleanora, the wife of Pietro de Medici, preferred.

ELENA

Romance language form of Helen, now quite popular in the English-speaking world as well.

ELEANORA

One of the more common names amongst Medicis, Eleanora is an Italian take on tailored Eleanor.

ELISABETTA

An Italian variant of Elizabeth, though Isabella would’ve been more common.

GINEVRA

This generation would recognize Ginevra as the given name of Ginny Weasley. It appears several times on the Medici family tree.

GIULIA

Julia by way of Florence.

IPPOLITA

The feminine form of Hippolytus.

ISABELLA

A standard choice among Medici family names, as well as for girls born today.

LAUDOMIA

Borrowed from Greek myth, this name appears in Chaucer’s writings and is still used in modern Italy.  It means “tamer of the people.”

LEONORA

Another Eleanor name.

LORENZINA

Feminine form of Lorenzo.

LUCREZIA

Better known when spelled Lucretia – and more strongly associated with another Renaissance princess, Lucretia Borgia.

LUISA, LUIGIA

Feminine forms of Louis. Most of the time they’re listed as Luisa now, but Luigia might’ve been more familiar then.

MADDALENA

The French form Madeleine appears among Medici family names, too, but it’s the Italian Maddalena that repeats most often.

MARGARITA

Romance language spin on Margaret.

MARIA, MARIE

It’s no surprise that this name recurs in the family tree. One Maria de Medici married the King of France and became Queen Marie.

NANNIA

Nickname favored by Lucrezia de Medici.

PAOLA

Feminine form of Paul, still romantic and compelling all these centuries later.

PELLEGRINA

Feminine name ultimately related to Peregrine.

PICCARDA

A name from a noblewoman who married into the Medicis.

PORZIA

Like Lucrezia, she’s more familiar when spelled with a t. Portia reads more Shakespearean than Renaissance Italy, but of course, this name is both.

ROMOLA

16th century daughter of the Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany.

SEMIRAMIDE

Semiramis was the name of more than one Assyrian queen, including one mentioned by Dante in his Divine Comedy.  Semiramide Appiano married into the family.

TADDEA

Noblewoman Taddea Malaspina never married into the Medici family, but her affair with a prominent member resulted in the birth of two Medici family members.

VIOLANTE BEATRICE

A Bavarian princess by birth, and the youngest of eight, Violante’s bold name fits right in with her Italian family.

VIRGINIA

An Italian princess from the famous family.

VITTORIA

The Italian form of Victoria omits the c. During the 17th century, noblewoman Vittoria della Rovere married into the family.

What do you think of Medici family names?

First published on September 7, 2012, this post was updated on February 3, 2023, and again on July 6, 2025.