Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

ITALIAN LANGUAGE

REVEALED: These are Italy’s most popular baby names

The latest list of Italy's most popular baby names has been published - and as with so many things in this country, there are regional differences.

Published: 21 December 2022 12:57 CET
Updated: 27 December 2022 09:37 CET
REVEALED: These are Italy's most popular baby names
Italy's most popular baby names remain largely unchanged in 2021 from previous years. Photo by Kevin Keith on Unsplash

Sofia and Leonardo remained the most popular names given to new babies in Italy last year, according to Italian statistics agency Istat.

Istat on Monday released the latest list of names most frequently given to newborns in the country as part of its annual report on births, based on data from 2021.

Sofia has been the most popular girls’ name in Italy since 2010, Istat said. In 2021, a total of 5,578 babies were given the name, or just under three percent of baby girls.

Aurora was the second most popular choice, up from third place last year, followed by Giulia and Ginevra.

For boys, Leonardo has also been top of the list since 2018, and was the favourite by a long way in 2021, when the name was given to a total of 8,448 baby boys, or some four percent of boys born in the country.

The second most popular choice for boys was Alessandro, followed by Tommaso and Francesco, all of which were given to just under 5,000 babies each.

READ ALSO: Will my children get an Italian passport if born in Italy?

Classic boys’ names tend to dominate such lists in Italy, where many families traditionally name baby boys after their paternal grandfather or another male relative.

Girls are also often named after their paternal grandmothers, but as the list of most popular names shows, more modern or international-sounding girls’ names have also become popular.

Here are the top ten Italian babies’ names:

Boys: 

1 Leonardo 

2 Alessandro 

3 Tommaso 

4 Francesco 

5 Lorenzo 

6 Edoardo 

7 Mattia 

8 Riccardo

9 Gabriele 

10 Andrea 

Girls: 

1 Sofia 

2 Aurora

3 Giulia

4 Ginevra

5 Beatrice

6 Alice

7 Vittoria

8 Emma

9 Ludovica

10 Matilde

Altogether, Istat has recorded more than 26,000 different names for boys and 25,000 for girls since 1999, including composite names (such as Mariagrazia or Gianluca).

But the top 30 this year accounted for some 44 percent of all names given to boys and almost 38 percent for girls.

The data also revealed a north-south divide in name choices. Sofia was the most popular girls’ name in all the northern and central-northern regions, while parents in most of the south and centre went for Giulia or Aurora instead.

For boys, Leonardo was by far the favourite choice across all regions in the north and centre except for the autonomous province of Bolzano, where Noah took the top spot.

The southern regions of Puglia and Calabria preferred Francesco, while Antonio was the most popular in Campania and Basilicata, despite not being in the top ten overall.

The 20 most popular boys’ and girls’ names in Italy in 2021. Source: Istat

Among non-Italian parents living in Italy, the most popular names differed, although included many typically Italian names such as Leonardo, Matteo, Luca, and Alessandro, according to data which looked at the country’s four biggest international populations.

Leonardo and Sofia were especially popular with Romanian-born parents, as well as David, Gabriel, Sofia Maria, Eva Maria, Noemi or Melissa.

Albanian parents were more likely to choose names like Aron, Liam, Enea, or Noel for boys, or Emily, Aurora, Ambra, Chloe and Emma for girls.

READ ALSO: How much does it cost to raise a child in Italy?

The majority of Moroccan boys meanwhile were named Adam, Amir, Rayan, Youssef and Jad, while the top girls’ names were Amira, Jannat, Nour, Sara and Lina. 

Parents from Bangladesh favoured Abdullah, Anas, Arham and Ayan for boys, and Fatima, Sara, Ayesha, Maryam and Raisa for girls.

See the full list of baby names on the Istat website, which allows you to search the database to find out how many babies in Italy were given any name each year since 1999.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

MONEY

EXPLAINED: What maternity benefits are available in Italy in 2024?

Italy is relatively generous when it comes to providing maternity benefits - but to take full advantage of them, you'll need to keep up to speed with the country's often-changing rules.

Published: 4 April 2024 11:41 CEST
EXPLAINED: What maternity benefits are available in Italy in 2024?

Discovering you’re expecting a child is exciting – but once the initial surprise has worn off, most people’s thoughts turn to practical considerations around childcare and increased living costs.

If you’re an Italian resident who recently found out you’re pregnant, you might be wondering what forms of government support are available to you.

READ ALSO: KEY POINTS: What is Italy’s government doing to help families?

Italy offers various financial benefits to new parents, but knowing how to access them involves familiarising yourself with rules and procedures which often change year on year.

Here are some of the benefits available to mothers in Italy in 2024.

Maternity leave

Both employed and self-employed mothers in Italy are entitled to five months of congedo di maternità, or maternity leave, paid at at least 80 percent of their salary.

By default, this leave is typically taken in the two months before your due date and the three months after giving birth.

With a note from your doctor and the agreement of your employer, however, it’s possible to divide this time differently, with all five months after delivery or even more time before if necessary for the health of you and your baby.

READ ALSO: What is an ISEE number in Italy and how do you get it?

The 80 percent is paid by INPS, Italy’s National Institute for Social Security; for employees, often your employer will top up the remaining 20 percent so you get full pay for all five months.

If you’re self-employed with a Partita IVA (VAT number), you’ll receive five months paid at 80 percent of your average monthly salary from the previous tax year, and will need to claim directly from INPS.

While employees must stop working for the full five months, self-employed mothers have the option of continuing to work while on maternity leave.

Parental leave for employees

Besides maternity leave, Italy also provides employees with up to nine months of paid congedo parentale, or parental leave. This doesn’t have to be taken as soon as the child is born, though it can be.

Each parent is separately eligible to take three months of paid parental leave – six in total between them.

For 2024, following changes made in Italy’s 2024 budget law, two of these six months are paid at 80 percent of the leave-taking parent’s salary. These two months’ leave must be taken within the first six years of the child’s life and can be shared between the parents.

New mothers in Italy can take both maternity and parental leave. Photo by Marco RAVAGLI / AFP.

The remaining four months’ leave is paid at 30 percent, and must be taken within the first 12 years of the child’s life.

Between them, parents can then take a further three months at 30 percent pay; this must also be taken with the first 12 years of the child’s life.

On top of those nine months of optional paid parental leave, parents can take an additional unpaid tenth month, rising to an eleventh month if the father has taken at least three months of parental leave. For parents on low incomes, these extra two months will be paid at 30 percent.

READ ALSO: How much does it cost to raise a child in Italy?

As the mother, that means that on top of your five months’ maternity leave, you could take an additional two months paid at 80 percent and four months paid at 30 percent, plus up to two more months unpaid, or paid at 30 percent for low-income households.

If you’re a single mother, you can take the full nine months of paid leave yourself, plus an additional month of unpaid leave.

Parental leave for the self-employed

On top of your five months of congedo di maternità paid at 80 percent of your income, as a self-employed mother in Italy you can take a further three months of congedo parentale paid at 30 percent (self-employed fathers are eligible for the same amount).

This leave must be taken within the first year of the child’s life, and you must have paid contributions to INPS in the month before going on leave.

You should apply directly to INPS before the start of the leave, and – unlike with maternity leave – must stop working during the three months.

Self-employed mothers can access three months of paid parental leave. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP.

Child benefits

Universal allowance

In 2022, Italy did away with many individual benefits and tried to simplify the system by creating the assegno unico e universale, a single, universal monthly allowance that increases with each child.

It’s means-tested, meaning that to qualify for anything beyond the minimum payment you will need an ISEE rating (a calculation based on your household’s income and relative wealth).

The universal allowance payment ranges from a minimum of €50 per month for families with a higher income (those assessed as having an ISEE of over €40,000 per year, or those who don’t provide an ISEE), to €175 a month for families on the lowest incomes – those with an ISEE of below €15,000.

It’s payable up until the child turns 21 (though the amount drops for dependent children aged 18-21), and can be claimed even before birth, from the seventh month of pregnancy.

Both EU and non-EU nationals can apply, as long as you have lived in Italy for two years or hold an employment contract of at least six months. And any amounts you receive won’t count toward your taxable income. Instructions on claiming the benefit are available on the INPS website.

Mothers bonus

In its 2024 Budget Law, Italy’s government introduced the bonus mamme, or mothers bonus, under which mothers on permanent contracts who have at least three children are exempt from paying their own pension contributions.

For 2024 only, the bonus also applies to mothers of two children, up until the month that their youngest child turns ten.

READ ALSO: How does the cost of childcare in Italy compare to other countries?

To receive the benefit, you must notify your employer in writing that you qualify; the sum, which amounts to a few extra tens of euros per month, will be automatically credited to your payslip.

Nursery bonus

For children under three years of age, you can also request the bonus asilo nido, or nursery school bonus, to offset the cost of nursery school fees.

This ranges from €1,500 per year (for households with an ISEE of over €40,000 per year or those who don’t provide an ISEE) up to €3,000 for low income families with one child or €3,600 for families with two children, one of whom was born after the start of 2024.

The amount is paid in monthly installments and may not exceed the cost of the fees themselves. The benefit can also be used to pay for home care if the child has a chronic illness that prevents them from attending nursery school.

The application deadline is December 31st, 2024; applications can be made online via the INPS website.

SHOW COMMENTS