Did you know that the vast majority of the most common male names in Italian have an English equivalent? Yes, it’s true! This is because they derive from the same handful of sources, such as the Bible, ancient languages like Hebrew and Ancient Greek, and important figures in religious texts and history.
In this article, you will find twenty of the most common Italian first names for men and their corresponding English name. Some are easily recognisable, while others may require some guesswork if you aren’t already familiar with Italian!
1. What is John in Italian?
Giovanni is the equivalent of John in Italian. It is frequently contracted to Gianni, Gian, Gio or Vanni, and like its English equivalent, can also be used as a surname. Both derive from Iohannes and Ioannes, which are the Latin forms of the Greek name Ioannis. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Giovanni
2. What is James in Italian?
Giacomo is the Italian name corresponding to the English James. Both come from the Vulgar Latin Iacomus, a derivative version of Iacobus, the Latin form of the Hebrew name Jacob. A common variant on this name is Jacopo. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Giacomo
3. What is Michael in Italian?
The Italian equivalent of Michael is Michele. The origin of both can ultimately be traced back to the Latin biblical archangel Michael. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Michele
4. What is Peter in Italian?
Pietro – the Italian equivalent of Peter – comes from the greek Petros, which is the invented masculine form of petra, the word for “rock” or “stone”. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Pietro
5. What is David in Italian?
The name Davide, which corresponds to the English David, comes from the Hebrew word dôwd (meaning “beloved”). Its popularity can be attributed to King David, the second king of Isreal and a figure of central importance in the Hebrew Bible. David is also the name of the famous sculpture, created in marble by the Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Davide
6. What is Mark in Italian?
The equivalent of Mark in Italian is Marco. A common male given name, it may mean either “consecrated to the god Mars” or “God of war”. Marcus was also one of the three most common names used in Roman Times. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Marco
7. What is Joseph in Italian?
Giuseppe is the Italian version of the name Joseph. It comes from the Latin Iōsēphus, which in turn derives from Ancient Greek (Iōsḗph) and Hebrew (Yoseph). By far the most common male name in Italy, it has a surprising number of diminutives including Beppe, Peppe, Bepi, Pino, and Peppino. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Giuseppe
8. What is Matthew in Italian?
The most common Italian equivalent of Matthew is Matteo, although Mattia is another very popular form. It comes from the Latin Matthaeus, from the Hebrew Mattiyahu (meaning “gift of God”) via the Greek Mathaios. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Matteo
9. What is George in Italian?
It shouldn’t take much brainwork to figure out the Italian equivalent of George, which is Giorgio. It can be both a given name and surname in both languages. Derived from the Greek name Georgios, it means “farmer” or “earth-worker”. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Giorgio
10. What is Robert in Italian?
This pair is also pretty straightforward – simply add an -o to the end of the English Robert and you get the Italian male name Roberto. It is an ancient Germanic given name, from the Proto-Germanic *Hrōþi- (“fame”) and *berhta- (“bright”) (Hrōþiberhtaz). Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Roberto
11. What is Charles in Italian?
When Italians talk about King Charles, they use the name il Re Carlo. Both Charles and Carlo can trace their origins back to the Common Germanic noun *karilaz meaning “free man”. And if you were wondering, yes, Carl and Karl are also variations on the name Charles. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Carlo
12. What is Henry in Italian?
Enrico, which is the Italian equivalent of Henry or Harry, is another name that isn’t immediately recognisable due to the lack of the initial H. Both mean “ruler of the home” or “king”, and are derived from Heinrich of Germanic origin. Another possible variant is Enzo. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Enrico
13. What is Nicholas in Italian?
Nicholas is akin to the Italian Nicola, with another possible variant being Niccolò. Note that Nicola isn’t pronounced in the same way as the female English name Nicola – the stress goes on the “co” rather than the “ni”. It is derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, which was thought to mean “victory of the people”. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Nicola
15. What is Richard in Italian?
The equivalent of the English name Richard in Italian is Riccardo. It is a compound of words descending from Proto-Germanic *rīk- (ruler) and *hardu- (strong / brave), so it likely means “strong ruler”. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Riccardo
16. What is Daniel in Italian?
Daniele is an Italian male given name, and the cognate of the English name Daniel. Both are of Hebrew origin, deriving from eponymous character in the Book of Daniel. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Daniele
17. What is Edward in Italian?
Edward is an English given name, composed of the elements ead (wealth / fortune) and ƿeard (guardian / protector). It was adopted in the Iberian peninsula in the 15th century due to Edward, King of Portugal and later reached Italy in the form Edoardo. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Edoardo
18. What is Lucas in Italian?
Lucus (or Luke) are both akin to the Italian Luca, who also happens to be the main character in the eponymous Pixar film. It comes from the Latin Lucas, which in turn derives from the Greek name Loukas meaning “from Lucania” (a historical region of southern Italy). Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Luca
19. What is Thomas in Italian?
Tommaso is the Italian equivalent of Thomas. The origin of the name goes back to the Aramaic name Ta’oma or Te’oma (meaning “twin”), which was then rendered in Greek and Latin as Thomas. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Tommaso
20. What is Andrew in Italian?
Andrew is a Greek name meaning “strong and manly” and its Italian equivalent is Andrea. It is pronounced differently from the English female name Andrea in that the stress goes on the “dre” rather than the “an”. Listen to the pronunciation by clicking on the audio file below.
Andrea
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
