il tuo nome
your name
In 1500 a Florentine couple eagerly awaited the birth of their fourth child, whom the mother was sure would be a girl. The midwife, wrapping the newborn in fine white linen, presented it to the father with the words: "I've brought you a wonderful present--and one you didn't expect."
"Whatever God gives is dear to me," he replied. When he learned that the baby was a boy, he kept repeating, "He is welcome! He is welcome!" And this is how the sculptor Benvenuto (welcome) Cellini got his name.
Today Italian parents can choose names based on their history and meaning. When friends presented me with Il Grande Libro dei Nomi: La storia e l’influenza del nome sulla personalità (The Big Book of Names: The History and the Influence of the Name on Personality), I couldn't resist looking up my family's names.
Diana, I discovered, is the Latin name for Artimedes, the Greek goddess of the hunt and of the moon (above). According to myth, this symbol of chastity (simbolo della castità) turned Atteone into a deer (cervo) because he had admired her nuda al bagno (bathing naked).
The characteristics of her namesakes include being innamorata della pura bellezza (in love with pure beauty), misurata ma intelligente (cautious but intelligent), internamente forte (internally strong) and poco loquace (not very talkative--which, I must add, is not always the case). Other attributes are fantasia (imagination), ambizione (ambition), ottima memoria (excellent memory) and a senso di superiorità nei confronti del maschio (sense of superiority compared with the male).
This last trait should not faze my husband or any other Roberto, whose name derives from the German for “renowned for his fame” (illustre per la sua fama). With several saints (santi) adding honor to the name, a Robert tends to be orgolioso (proud), suscettibile (sensitive), and dotato di franchezza ed una incrollabile fiducia in se stesso (endowed with frankness and unshakable faith in himself.) After more than three decades of marriage, I can personally attest to a Roberto’s capace di affetti duraturi (capacity for enduring affections).
Our daughter Giulia’s name has the most illustrious derivation: from Jove or Zeus, the king of the ancient gods. While a Giulio tends to be incostante e complessato (inconstant with a lot of hang-ups), a Giulia, like ours, is brillante e vivace (sparkling and lively), with amore per l’arte e il lusso (a love for art and luxury).
The “nomissimo” (most used name) in Italian is the Virgin Mother’s. A woman with any variation on Maria—from Mia to Molly to Marion—is emotive (emotional), affettuosa (affectionate), passionale (passionate) and endowed with tenerezza (tenderness) and amore del quieto vivere (love for a quiet life). While they have an estremo bisogno di stabilità e sicurezza (extreme need for stability and security), Marias also can lay claim to an enviable gift: una immaginazione sfrenata (an unbridled imagination).
Words and Expressions
in nome di -- in the name of
conoscere qualcuno di nome -– know someone by name
nome d’arte -– stage name
nome di familgia -– family name
nomignolo -- nickname
Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.
Click below to hear Renee Fleming explain why her friends call Puccini's tragic heroine "Mimi":
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