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I would like to write a newspaper column on names in Italy. Looking at recent figures for the top Italian names for babies, the most striking thing on the boys' side is that Christian (and its alternative spelling Cristian) have risen a great deal within the last decade.

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I have not yet found any speculation as to why this name has recently become so popular in Italy. Some of the female names that have recently risen in use, such as Asia and Matilde, seem to be traceable to particular Italian celebrities. But I can't yet find information about any real or fictional man named Christian that would recently have become famous in Italy.

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So, would any of the Europeans on this board know anything about this that could help me?

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Thanks! :)