View Message

Italian names query
I'm hoping Murasaki or someone with a knowledge of Italy can help. Are the following names currently used in Italy for girls or are they considered dated or unusual in any way?Rosa - is this dated or still current?
Rosanna
Louisa (this spelling or is Luisa more usual)
Siena (I know it's a place name but is it ever used as a first name?)Thanks!
Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

Replies

Rosa is somewhat dated, you'd be unlikely to meet one under 45, it would be considered boring and dated, but it used to be quite common, especially in working-class environments. Rosanna is not very common (but not odd either) and while it doesn't feel like a particularly "young" name, I can picture it on someone in her twenties or younger. Luisa is always spelled this way, since Italian is phonetical and normally each vowel is pronounced individually. It feels more like an older woman's name, but there was one in high school with me, and I know someone who has a 5-year old girl by this name (they were likely named after a grandmother). These 3 names feel quite standard.
Siena is just a city in Tuscany, it's never used as a given name and would be considered weird and tacky. We don't really have "place names".
vote up1
Thanks for the info, very helpful.I was pretty certain that Siena wouldn't be used. It's probably the equivalent of how I feel when people talk about naming their child London or Brighton! Though I do like other place names.
vote up1
I'm not an Italy expert, but the state I live in has the highest Italian population in America. So I guess I still know a fair bit about Italian names. I've seen Rosa used, though it is more often on middle-aged to older women. But it wouldn't seem out of place on a younger person. I've never seen Rosanna used, but Luisa is fairly common. I don't think Siena is really used that often as a name. Here are some other names that are common in my area.Michaela
Victoria
Nina
Sandra
Lucetta
Marisa / Marissa
Gabriella
Milan
Maria
Anna
Monica
Isabella
Nadia
Cinzia (CHIN-see-uh)
Gianna (super common. I know about 6 of them)
Caterina
EvaIf you want a list of boys' names I can give one to you, too.
vote up1
Thanks for that, it's a lovely list of names. I know I was only asking about girls' names but if you have a list of Italian names for boys then I'd be interested in seeing it. Thank you.
vote up1