There are many beautiful Italian names that begin with the letter ‘B.’ For a bambina (the feminine Italian word for “child”), such names include Beatrice, Bianca, and Brunella. And for a bambino (the masculine form of that word), there are names like Benedetto, Brunello, and Biagio.
Beatrice is an Italian name derived from the Latin name Beatrix, which may have originated from a combination of the Latin words “viatrix” (meaning “female traveler”) and “beatus” (meaning “happy” or “blessed”) — the latter is the origin of the English word “beatitude” that refers to a state of utmost happiness.
The name Beatrice has been in use in Italy for centuries. Its popularity is partly due to a masterpiece of Italian literature, Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy,” in which Beatrice represents the author’s ideal woman and guides him through the celestial spheres of Heaven.
Bice is a shortened form of the name Beatrice.
Bella is an Italian name — but it is less common in Italy than in other countries. In English-speaking countries, the popularity of the name may have increased due to a character named Bella Swan in Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series.
The name Bella corresponds to the capitalized form of the Italian word “bella” (which means “beautiful”). Although Bella is not often used as a standalone name in Italy, it does frequently serve as a shortened form of names like Isabella and Annabella.
Brigida and Brigitta are two Italian versions of the same name, which corresponds to Bridget in English and Brigitte in French. These all originate from Celtic languages.
Benedetta is the female form of the Italian name Benedetto (which corresponds to “Benedict” in English). It comes from the Latin word “benedictus” which means “blessed”, which in turn comes from the combination of the terms “bene” (meaning “well”) and “dico” (meaning “to speak”).
Bruna (and Brunella, its diminutive form) are the female versions of Bruno and Brunello. These names come from Germanic languages and are related to the English word “brown.”
A parallel can be drawn between the names Flavia and Bruna. Flavia comes from the Latin word “flavus” which can mean “blond.” In ancient times, Flavia may have started out as a name given to women with blond hair, while Bruna could have originated as a name given to brunettes.
Bianca is a name that comes from the Italian feminine adjective “bianca” which means “white.” The name must have originated in Italy during the Middle Ages rather than at the time of the Roman Empire because the classical Latin word for “white” is “albus,” which is very different. The corresponding French name is Blanche.
The name Bianca is also in use outside of Italy, and it appears in William Shakespeare’s comedy “The Taming of the Shrew,” where the character named Bianca is a gentle and virtuous ingénue who forms a contrast with her older sister Katherina who represents the “shrew” of the title.
A subset of Italian names that start with ‘B’ consists of those related to the bear, one of the strongest animals native to Europe.
The Italian word for “bear” (“orso”) starts with an ‘o’. But these Italian names start with a ‘B’ because they originate from Germanic languages where the word for “bear” usually begins with that letter —for example, “Bär” in German, “bjørn” in Norwegian, and of course, “bear” in English.
This group includes the following names: Bernardo, Bernardino, Berardo, and Berardino. These four Italian names originate from a combination of a Germanic word meaning “bear” with another term meaning “strong.”
Some Italian names start with ‘B’ because their formation includes the Italian adverb “bene” (well) or the adjective “buono” (good) —or, in most cases, the Latin version of those words (“bene” and “bonum”) which also begin with ‘b’.
Benvenuto, for instance, is the capitalized form of an Italian word that means “welcome.”
Bonifacio and Bonaventura are Italian names with auspicious meanings. The first means “good fate”; the second means “good fortune”.
Benedetto comes from a Latin word meaning “blessed,” which in turn is formed as a combination of the terms “bene” (meaning “well”) and “dico” (meaning “to speak”).