Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Medieval World Tour--Italy

Next stop (going in no particular order, BTW) is Italy, again focusing on names/forms that didn't survive to modern day. Here we go!
(the evolution of Latin to Italian did not progress evenly across what we now call Italy, which is why some names look 'Italian' and other 'Latin')
*names marked with an asterisk are still actual words in Italian today.

Boys:
  • Aiuto* (ah-YOO-toh)--"help, support" [not one I would necessarily recommend, as it literally means "help!", but the Studio Ghibli nerd in me just had to include it]
  • Alamannus (ahl-ah-MAHN-noos)--"German". Another form is Alamanno* (ahl-ah-MAHN-noh)
  • Ardovino (ahr-doh-VEEN-oh)--prob. form of Arduino/Hartwin
  • Attaviano (aht-tah-vee-AH-noh)--prob. form of Octavian
  • Azzo (AHTZ-zoh)--short form of -azzo diminutives
  • Bertoldus (behr-TOHL-doos)--from Germanic "bright-graceful". Another form is Bertollo (behr-TOHL-loh). 
  • Biasio (BYAHZ-yoh)--prob. form of Biagio/Blaise
  • Bonaiuto (bohn-ah-YOO-toh)--"good help"
  • Borso (BOR-soh)--origin unknown
  • Calandro* (kah-LAHN-droh)--poss. from Greek kalandros, a type of lark. [in modern Italian, calandro is a type of pipit]
  • Castello* (kahs-TEL-loh)--"castle"
  • Clario (KLAH-ree-oh)--masculine of Chiara/Clara. Another form is Chiaro (KYAHR-oh). 
  • Collino (kohl-LEEN-oh)--diminutive of Niccolò/Nicholas
  • Dionigi (dee-oh-NEE-jee)--form of Dionisio/Dennis
  • Duccio (DOOCH-yoh)--short form of -duccio names, like Balduccio or Guiduccio. Another form was Duccino (doo-CHEE-noh).
  • Galeazzo (gah-leh-AHTZ-zoh)--prob. "helmet". Another form was Galeotto (gah-leh-OHT-toh). 
  • Giannozzo (jahn-NOHTZ-zoh)--diminutive of Giovanni/John. Another form was Giannotto (jahn-NOHT-toh). 
  • Gionta (JOHN-tah)--prob. form of Giovanni/John. Another form was Zonta (ZOHN-tah). 
  • Giovenco* (joh-VEN-koh)--"young bull"
  • Landolfus (lahn-DOHL-foos)--from Germanic "land wolf". Another form is Landolfo (lahn-DOHL-foh). 
  • Mafeo (mah-FEH-oh)--form of Matteo/Matthew. Other forms include Mazzeo (mahtz-EH-oh) and Masseo (mahs-SEH-oh).
  • Onofrio (oh-NOH-free-oh)--from Egyptian "he who is always happy" or "he who is perfect". Also spelled Honofrio. Other forms include Noffrio (NOHF-free-oh), Nofri (NOH-free), and Nofrius (noh-FREE-oos). 
  • Pierozzo (pyehr-OHTZ-zoh)--diminutive of Pietro/Peter
  • Prospero (prohs-PEHR-oh)--"prosperous, thriving"
  • Rigo (REE-goh)--short form of -rigo names, most of which are from Germanic, "ruler". 
  • Rubeus (ROO-beh-oos)--"red"
  • Salvi (SAHL-vee)--short form of Salvador. Another form was Salvetto (sahl-VET-toh). 
  • Sforza* (SFOR-tzah)--"to force"
  • Smeraldo (smehr-AHL-doh)--masculine of Smeralda/Esmeralda
  • Talomeo (tah-loh-MEH-oh)--prob. form of Bartolomeo/Bartholomew or poss. Tolomeo/Ptolemy
  • Tedesco* (ted-ES-koh)--from Germanic "of the people, German" [means 'German' in modern Italian]
  • Venuto* (ven-OO-toh)--"come"
  • Vieri (VYEHR-ee)--prob. form of Uliviero/Oliver, or poss. "weave, plait"
  • Zenobi (tzen-OH-bee)--from Greek Zenobios, "life of Zeus". Another form was Zanobio (tzah-NOH-bee-oh). 

Girls:
  • Adelasia (ah-deh-LAHZ-yah)--form of Adelaide. Other forms included Adelagia (ah-deh-LAH-jah) and Adelaisa (ah-del-EYE-sah). 
  • Aldiana (ahl-dee-AH-nah)--form of Germanic Ald- names, "old". 
  • Allegrezza* (ahl-leh-GRETZ-ah)--"joyfulness"
  • Alovigia (ah-loh-VEE-jah)--prob. form of Luigia/Louise. Another form was Alovisa (ah-loh-VEE-sah).
  • Alteria (ahl-TEHR-ee-ah)--"other one"
  • Amata* (ah-MAH-tah)--form of Amy, "beloved"
  • Angeletta (ahn-jeh-LET-tah)--diminutive of Angela
  • Bartolomea (bar-toh-loh-MEH-ah)--feminine of Bartolomeo/Bartholomew
  • Benetta (ben-ET-tah)--feminine of Benedetto/Benedict
  • Biagia (BYAH-jah)--feminine of Biagio/Blaise
  • Bonavera (boh-nah-VEHR-ah)--"good-true"
  • Brisca (BREES-kah)--origin unknown. Also spelled Brisscha.
  • Caradonna (kah-rah-DOHN-nah)--"dear lady"
  • Clemenza* (kleh-MEN-tzah)--form of Clementine, "mildness, mercy"
  • Cleofe (KLEH-oh-feh)--form of Cleophée
  • Crescentia (kreh-SHEN-tee-ah)--"rising, growing"
  • Cristofana (krees-toh-FAH-nah)--feminine of Cristoforo/Christopher
  • Deodata (deh-oh-DAH-tah)--"given by God"
  • Divitia (dee-VEE-tee-ah)--"wealth". Later form is Dovizia* (doh-VEETZ-yah). 
  • Fiordelise (fyor-de-LEE-zeh)--prob. from French fleur de lys, "lily flower"
  • Franchetta (frahn-KET-tah)--form of Francesca
  • Gaita (gah-EE-tah)--origin unknown, but probably Germanic. Also spelled Gayta
  • Genevria (jen-EV-ree-ah)--form of Guinevere. Another form was Ginevria (jee-NEV-ree-ah). 
  • Ieronima (yehr-OH-nee-mah)--feminine of Girolamo/Jerome
  • Isabetta (ee-zah-BET-tah)--form of Elisabetta/Elizabeth. Also spelled Ysabeta or Isabeta.
  • Lella (LEL-lah)--short form of -ella names
  • Leonetta (leh-oh-NET-tah)--diminutive of Leona
  • Loisia (loh-EES-yah)--prob. form of Luigia/Louise
  • Lucida* (loo-CHEE-dah)--"shining, lucid"
  • Lucieta (loo-CHEH-tah)--diminutive of Lucia
  • Mabilia (mah-BEE-lee-ah)--form of Mabel
  • Nicolosa (nee-koh-LOH-sah)--feminine of Niccolò/Nicholas. Also spelled Niccolosa
  • Nofra (NOH-frah)--prob. feminine of Nofri/Onofrio
  • Oretta (oh-RET-tah)--origin unknown
  • Polita (poh-LEE-tah)--form of Hippolyta, "horse-freer"
  • Regalis (reh-GAH-lees)--"regal"
  • Richa (REE-kah)--short form of Germanic -ric- names, "ruler". Also spelled Riccha or Ricca
  • Richelda (ree-KEL-dah)--from Germanic, "ruler-battle"
  • Rugiada* (roo-JAH-dah)--"dew"
  • Samaritana* (sah-mah-ree-TAH-nah)--"Samaritan", ultimately from Hebrew, "keep watch"
  • Santesa (sahn-TEH-sah)--prob. "saint"
  • Savia* (SAHV-yah)--"wise"
  • Sibilia (see-BEEL-yah)--form of Sybil
  • Sovrana* (sohv-RAH-nah)--"sovereign"
  • Taddea (tahd-DEH-ah)--feminine of Taddeo/Thaddeus. Also spelled Tadea
  • Tedesca* (ted-ES-kah)--from Germanic "of the people, German" [means 'German' in modern Italian]
  • Viridis (VEER-ee-dees)--"green, verdant". Other forms are Verdiana (vehr-dee-AH-nah) and Virdiana (veer-dee-AH-nah). 
  • Zilia (ZEEL-yah)--poss. form of Cecilia
  • Zuanna (zoo-AHN-nah)--form of Gianna/Jane. Also spelled Zuana

Purists will probably notice that not only Latin & Italian forms mixed together indiscriminately, but differing dialects are as well-Venetian, Tuscan, etc. Sorry! :p

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