WHAT’S IN A NAME?: TILEA
by John Keane, John Foody & Roberto Mandrioli
MALE FORENAMES
Adalberto*
Aldo
Arnoldo
Augustino*
Augusto*
Benvenuto
Bernardo
Biagio
Brizzio
Bruno*
Callisto
Carlo*
Celi
Cesare
Claudio*
Dado
Damiano*
Dario*
Donatello*
Duilio
Enrico*
Enzo* (Lorenzo)
Ettore
Fabio
Federico*
Fiorenzo*
Flavio*
Franco*
Frediano
Gaetano
Gerolamo
Gino*
Giordano*
Giovanni*
Giuliano*
Giulio
Giuseppe
Guido
Lamberto
Leonardo
Luca
Luchino
Luigi
Marcello*
Marco
Mario*
Massimo
Maurizio*
Mauro*
Michelangelo
Paolo*
Pasquale
Peppe
Piero*
Placido
Raffaello*
Raimondo
Renato*
Roberto*
Romano*
Ruggero
Sergio
Stefano
Tino*
Tommaso
Ugo
Umberto
Urbano*
Vincenzo*
Vittorio*
FEMALE FORENAMES
Ada
Adriana*
Agostina*
Alessandra
Annabella
Anita
Anna
Carmen
Caterina
Coralina
Crocetta
Dalila
Delia
Domenica*
Dora
Eleonora
Franca*
Franscesca*
Gabriella*
Gariella
Gianessa
Giulietta
Laura*
Leonara
Ligia
Lilli
Lisa
Loredana*
Lucia*
Marcella*
Maria*
Mariangela
Marina*
Marisa
Michèla
Monica
Pina*
Raffaella*
Romina
Rosanna
Silvia*
Tina*
Valentina*
Valeria*
Violetta
Virna
Yvonne
A FEW SURNAMES
Adolfo
Alberti
Antoniola
Antonioni
Apicella
Argentino
Argento
Asti
Balestra
Barberini
Barbetti
Bava
Bello
Belli
Bendali
Benedetti
Berkani
Bertolucci
Blasetti
Boccardo
Bonetti
Branice
Brusati
Bucci
Busarello
Calandra
Calisti
Callegari
Canaletto
Capolicchio
Carella
Castellari
Cavara
Cela
Cestié
Cirino
Citti
Corbellini
Corbucci
Cozzo
Crisci
Cruciani
D’Alessio
D’Amato
Dante
De Rosa
De Rossi
De Sica
Di Lazzaro
Drago
Eco
Esposito
Fabrizi
Fantoni
Farrannino
Fellini
Ferrini
Fornari
Garrani
Gazzolo
Gemma
Giacobbe
Giannini
Giorgi
Girotti
Gora
Jamonte
Jannacci
Labate
Labini
Leto
Loren
Lorenzo
Maffioli
Maggiorani
Magnani
Malfatti
Manfredi
Martini
Mastroianni
Mazzolini
Mazzotti
Melato
Milo
Minnoli
Montinaro
Nichetti
Orsini
Parracchi
Pasut
Petruzzi
Piccoli
Pierro
Pistoni
Renzelli
Rizzuto
Rossellini
Saltamerenda
Salvatori
Scaringella
Scarpa
Segurini
Seratto
Staiola
Taroscio
Tassoni
Taviani
Tinti
Tognazzi
Tollucci
Turco
Valli
Vettriano
Visconti
Vitti
Vivaldi
NOTES
1) This list has been compiled from several sources and it is possible that some non-Italian names may have crept in by mistake.
2) Many female names are derivatives of male names (e.g. Dario/Daria, Claudio/Claudia,) and have mostly been excluded.
3) Surnames and words with equivalent function: - The place of birth could follow the name after the preposition “di/da”. For example Raimondo di Guardea means Raimondo of Guardea.
- If using an adjective then this would be proceeded by “il/la” depending on the gender. For example Vittorio il Famaso (Vittorio the Famous), Agostina la Magnifica (Agostina the Magnificent). Of course you’ll need a dictionary for the adjectives…
4) The letters “ci/ce” should be pronounced like the English “ch”, whilst “c” followed by any other vowel is a hard “k” sound (i.e. like coffee). Note: “chi/che” are also pronounced “k”. The letters “gi/ge” have a soft “j” like in jacket. “g” followed by any other vowel is a hard g sound (i.e. like garden). The letter “z” is pronounced as either tz or dz. “zz” tends to have the tz sound. In Italian there is no equivalent to the “ph” sound, and so words are spelt with ff (i.e. Raffaello).
5) It is possible for two forenames to be combined to make one name. For example, Pierluigi.
6) Titles are as follows:
Signore = Mr., sir;
Signora = Mrs., madam;
Signorina = Miss., young lady;
Some nobility titles:
Gentiluomo/Cavaliere = Squire/Knight,
Barone/Baronessa = Baron/Baroness,
Conte/Contessa = Count/Countess,
Duca/Duchessa = Duke/Duchess,
Re/Regina = King/Queen.
7) Male names marked with an * are names whose feminine form can be obtained by substituting the final “o” with an “a”. Vice Versa for female names (replace “a” with “o”).
lcrpg