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[Opinions] Madonna
My Italian husband and I are debating naming our daughter Madonna. Pronounced the Italian way, more like Ma-doh-nna than Ma-dah-nna. Unfortunately she'd probably be linked to the singer for all of eternity but opinions?
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Was your husband actually raised in Italy or is he really Italian-American removed from Italy by a few generations? Madonna is not actually used as a name in Italy. It is one of many examples of a word in a particular language which only became a name in other languages. In the 19th century when Madonna was first used as a name in the United States, Italians were the LEAST likely ethnic group to use it. It was somewhat popular among French Canadians -- a lot of people have the mistaken idea that the name is Italian because the singer's father was Italian-American and her surname is Ciccone. But she was named after her own mother, who was of French Canadian ancestry. Anyway, to me this is very inauthentic if you are looking for a real Italian name and so I would not use it. There may be a very few girls named Madonna in Italy since the singer has become a huge international star, but I would suspect most people in Italy look down on anyone there who has named their daughter Madonna.
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No my husband is legit Italian from a small town called Vicere about an hour from Rome. We liked Madonna because it was different. There are quite a few Italians that have named their children after Mary or other catholic figures. But Madonna isn't common.
By the way I've noticed your username is Cleveland Kent. I graduated from Kent State in 2018 and I'm originally from Mentor. Are you Ohioan?
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No, my middle name is after my father and my first name after my grandfather, who was named for President Grover Cleveland, so my name has nothing to do with Ohio. :) Though, somewhat ironically, my sister was born in Ashtabula when my parents lived there briefly. No, her name is NOT Ashtabula.

This message was edited 8/27/2021, 6:04 AM

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Could you maybe settle for Donna instead? Very close, and no associations with the singer.
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Yeah she will...Wow I never knew it was a name until now! I just thought it was a title she made up, like Lady Gaga or something.It's pretty. But it's very tied to the singer.I guess Milady is kind of an English equivalent? Haha
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Don't like it
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I like it, prounounced the Italian way. If you keep the pronounciation like that she will not be linked to the singer.
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