‘A’ is the first letter of the alphabet, of the Italian word “amore” (love), and of lovely Italian names like Annalisa, Alessia, and Antonella.
The letter ‘a’ represents a sound that is simple to pronounce. Often, it’s the first vowel sound pronounced by babies, and its simplicity could explain the appeal of some names that start with the letter ‘A’.
From Antonella and Alessia to Annamaria and Annalisa (which rhymes with “Mona Lisa”), plenty of elegant Italian girl names start with the letter ‘A’.
Some Italian names originate from Ancient Greek but have a distinctively Italian spelling that results from the absence of the letters J, K, W, X, and Y in the traditional Italian alphabet (although those letters are used in loanwords like “taxi” or “jeans”).
For example, Alessandra and Alessia (the Italian versions of the Greek names Alexandra and Alexia) have spellings that don’t include the letter ‘x’ — a letter that is rarely used in Italian and doesn’t appear in this list of the thousand most common Italian words.
The names Angiola, Angiolina, and Angioletta derive an angelic charm from their resemblance to the words “angelo” (the Italian term for “angel”) and “angiolo” (the archaic form of that word).
Because the Italian language evolved from Latin, it is natural that many Italian names have Latin roots.
The names Aurelio and Aureliano are related to the Latin name Aurelius, which many will recognize from Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher. These names originate from the Latin word “aurum”, (which means “gold”).
Notice how the Italian name Amerigo resembles the word “America.” That’s because the Americas were named after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer who visited the new continent shortly after Christopher Columbus.
The Italian name Annibale starts with the letter ‘A’ while the corresponding English name, Hannibal, starts with an ‘H’. Both originate from Punic, an ancient language spoken in Carthage —the civilization against whom the Romans fought the Punic wars. At the time, there was a famous Carthaginian general named Hannibal.
Alfredo is one of those widely recognized Italian names, even outside Italy. In addition to its connection with an Italian pasta dish called “Fettuccine Alfredo,” it is the name of one of the main characters in Verdi’s opera, “La Traviata.” It is a name with Germanic rather than Latin roots.
Sometimes a famous namesake gives additional appeal to a name, by providing a source of inspiration and aspiration.
In the case of Italian names starting with ‘A’, there are quite a few artists, including three composers (Antonio Vivaldi, Antonio Salieri, and Alessandro Scarlatti), as well as a painter (Amedeo Modigliani).
| Name | Occupation |
|---|---|
| Antonio Vivaldi | Italian composer (1678 – 1741) |
| Antonio Salieri | Italian composer (1750 – 1825) |
| Alessandro Scarlatti | Italian composer (1660 – 1725) |
| Alberto Sordi | Italian actor (1920 – 2003) |
| Amedeo Modigliani | Italian painter and sculptor (1884–1920) |
| Amerigo Vespucci | Italian explorer and navigator (1451–1512) |
| Arturo Toscanini | Italian conductor (1867–1957) |
| Alida Valli | Italian actress (1921–2006) |
| Alessandro Volta | Italian physicist known for the invention of the electric battery (1745 – 1827) |