According to Italy’s ISTAT (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica), the most popular baby names in the country in 2019 were (again) Sofia and Leonardo.
Here are Italy’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2019:
Girl Names
- Sofia, 5,851 baby girls (2.87%)
- Aurora, 5,467
- Giulia, 5,356
- Ginevra, 3,721
- Alice, 3,658
- Emma, 3,245
- Giorgia, 3,056
- Beatrice, 3,046
- Greta, 2,725
- Vittoria, 2,713
Boy Names
- Leonardo, 7,786 baby boys (3.64%)
- Francesco, 5,946
- Lorenzo, 5,264
- Alessandro, 5,229
- Andrea, 4,715
- Mattia, 4,714
- Gabriele, 4,412
- Tommaso, 4,269
- Riccardo, 4,176
- Edoardo, 3,651
In the girls’ top 10, Vittoria replaced Anna (now ranked 11th).
(One girl name with top-10 potential is the intriguing Ludovica, which — unlike cousins Luisa, Louisa, and Louise — has seen very little usage in the United States. Ludovica was Italy’s 30th most popular girl name — give or take a few spots — from 2008 to 2015, but in the last few years it has reached 15th twice.)
The boys’ top 10 includes the same 10 names, but in a slightly different order.
Source: How Many Babies Are Named…?
Image: Adapted from Flag of Italy (public domain)
I haven’t written this comment when I made my Twitter thread about the Italian data back when it was released in December but I have a strong feeling that Leonardo will be the baby boy name of the decade in Italy when looking at other top names below it and the relative lack of steep movement within the top 10 or top 20.
Similarly, I feel that Aurora will overtake Sofia as the top baby girl name there within the next few years, seeing as the percentage difference is at its tighest ever at the moment and the slight see-sawing of Aurora over the past few years is a contrast to the constant and gradual fall of Sofia in that same time frame. However, looking at the way Ginevra (4th most popular girl name) is going up, I feel that that name might rank 1st, I’d say, in the late 2020s or early 2030s.
As rankings worldwide become more synchronized, the idea of a uniquely Italian name like Ginevra making it to the top makes me happy. :)
And here’s a link to your very informative Twitter thread about Italy’s 2019 names.