Funny, cute and special Italian names

I was talking to a student about spring the other day. I wanted to tell them that we have blue tits in a nesting box in our garden. I knew that a tit in Italian Cinci hot, but I had to search for coal tit. It turns out titmouse to be: a cheerful girl. My day was immediately good. Allegra means cheerful.

A friend from Tuscany is also called that. A beautiful name for a child, just like Gioia (pleasure) or Modesta (modest). The latter is the main character from the book by Goliarda Sapienza, one of my favorite Italian writers. I myself had my daughter too Alba want to call (dawn, beginning) but Nadine is of course also beautiful.

Place names

Besides beautiful names of people and animals, you will also find special, funny place names in Italy: Donnadolce (Sweet woman), Paperino (Duckling), Belsedere (Nice seat), Montefiore (Mountain flower), Purgatorio (Purgatory), fiumelatte (River of Milk), but also Toast (Cheers) and suave (Soft/Sweet), Poveromo (Poor man), Villa Inferno (Devil's House) or more positively: Bellosguardo (Nice look).

In Pescara is fished a lot. San Marzano sul Sarno is a village in Campania where the famous tomato variety probably comes from. Near Florence is Garlic (Garlic), in Reggio Emilia Mancasale (Too little salt), in Lombardy Mancapane (There is no bread), in Venice Mancalacqua (Too little water) and in Milan Macatuto (Everything is missing).

Many tourists know the village Lemon (Lemon) at Lake Garda, but I find Dry throat (Dry throat) sounds nicer in Lombardy. In Tuscany it is Cream (Whipped cream), in Umbria Pudding (Pudding) and in Lombardy you will even find a village that Gorgonzola hot.

Names of people

Then there are the aptonyms: people who practice the profession that fits their name. In the past, people often chose a surname based on their profession. Handy, also for recognition. For example, there are many 'Bakkers' in the Netherlands.

Ernst van den Hemel for example, is a religious scholar. In Italy, surnames such as Cardinal (think of Claudia Cardinale), Masters (schoolmaster), Pescatore (fisherman) and Barbieri (hairdresser) common. Appicciafuoco (Fire-lighter) goes back a bit further historically, it is not the modern equivalent of arsonist.

Some chose a surname based on origin: La Russa (the Russian), German (the German), Parlagreco (Greek speaker). Others, in turn, like to name their children after Italian cities: think of Milan en Florence.

Some people were more creative. What do you think of Abolition of the (Wind-embrace), Amazalamorte (Death-destroyer), Senzaquattrini (Without money), Good morning Christian (Good Christian), Passalacqua (Pass the water), Spaccapietro (Stone Splitter), Fattapposta (Done on purpose) or Take little (Takes little)? I myself had Buttafuoco (Fire-thrower) well found.

I also like the name Mike Bongiorno of the famous American-Italian presenter. A self-chosen stage name or his real name?

Many names are also inspired by flora and fauna. Think of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Mrs. Appel) or comedian and politician Beppe Grillo (the Cricket).

I recently read an article about inclusivity in Italian. An opponent of gender-neutral language joked: 'Should we also include the last name? Negri change?'

Italians also like nicknames. Ruby Rubacuore was the nickname of the Moroccan girl who brought Berlusconi into disrepute because of his flowers-parties. Rubacuore means heart thief. Berlusconi himself was Il Cavaliere (the knight), although he did not always behave accordingly.

Compound nouns

I love Italian compound nouns. They are often delightfully logical. Think of stomach-turning (a stomach turner, something that makes you feel sick) or nosy (nose-picker, someone who meddles in everything).

One of the most beautiful I think chiaroscuro, known to us as chiaroscuro, a technical term for the contrast between light and dark.

Also beautiful are the compound nicknames: gentleman (nice man), pelleossa (skin and bone), mood breaker (party pooper), caccia ball (lie debunker), do-nothing (idle person), schiacciapensieri (thought printers), bag holder (bag carrier, a follower, someone without initiative, as Sophie Hermans was also called by Geert Wilders a while ago), also beautiful is the mezzanine, someone who doesn't really matter, literally half a sock and the flycatcher, the mosquito catcher, someone who is easily distracted.

Of course we all know the butterflies (butterflies/bow tie pasta) and shells (shell pasta). But I also like Strozzapreti (priest stranglers). Eating pasta then becomes almost a play. I cut my parsley with a crescent moon. Not because it can't be done with a regular knife, but because the name makes it fun to use.

On my own site I made a list of the most beautiful italian words, a different category, but at least as inspiring.