Elisabeth _Wilborn, creator of one of our absolute favorite blogs, You Can’t Call It “It,” introduces us to the wide world of great Italian girls’ names beyond Isabella. Elisabeth__, a writer, artist, and mom, lives in Brooklyn__, New _York.

　　You don’t have to be Italian to fawn all over Isabella.

　　She’s lyrical, historical, and even practical with nicknames Bella and Izzy at the ready.  It’s no surprise that she and cohorts Olivia and Sophia would be storming up the charts, now assuming spots 1, 3, and 4.  But are these the only options for little girls if you want to honor your Italian heritage?

　　Let’s take a look at what people are choosing in New Jersey.  As housewife fame has evidenced, they’re heavy on Italian pride.

　　Top picks for the state include:

　　Adriana (#64), Adrianna (#95), Angelina (#30), Ariana (#46), Arianna (#43),Gabriella (12), Gianna (#11), Julia (#19- Giulia in Italy), Isabella (#1), Juliana (#49), Julianna (#63), Maria (#65), Natalia (#72), Olivia (#2), Sophia (#3), Valentina (#92), Victoria (#22- Vittoria in Italy).

　　Italian-American mothers often lament that all the good names are taken by their family and friends.

　　I assure you the options are vast!

　　If you’ll be summering with Nonna in Toscana, you may want a choice that is both well loved there and reads undeniably Italian here (rankings are from Italy in 2008): Alessia (#8), Chiara (#5), Federica (#21), Francesca (#9), Giada(#13), Giorgia (#6), Ludovica (#27), Ilaria (#25), Vittoria (#26).

　　Italy also has a few popular names that wouldn’t necessarily scream Carbonara: Alice (#10), Anna (#11), Beatrice (#18), Elisa (#12), Emma (#14), Greta (#14), Marta (#29),  Martina (#3), Matilde (#15), Nicole (#30), Noemi (#19), Sara (#4).  Note Alice and Beatrice are pronounced ah-LEE-che and be-ah-TREE-che.

　　A triumvirate of recent Cosimas, Claudia Schiffer’s child, Sofia Coppola’s baby, and a Windsor 22nd in line to the throne, remind us that there are still other genuine Italian names to cull from the history books.  Some are quite antique, but just as we have “old lady chic” here, so too do they in Italy.

　　I urge you to take a chance on an ancient beauty:

　　Agnella

　　Alessandra

　　Anastasia

　　Antonia

　　Artemisia

　　Aurelia

　　Aurora

　　Cecilia

　　Chiara

　　Claudia

　　Cosima

　　Costanza

　　Diana

　　Elena

　　Elisabetta

　　Fabrizia

　　Filippa

　　Filomena

　　Fiora

　　Flavia

　　Flora

　　Gemma

　　Ginevra

　　Giulianna

　　Letizia

　　Lucia

　　Lucrezia

　　Maddalena

　　Marcella

　　Mariella

　　Marina, Marinella

　　Milena

　　Minerva

　　Ottavia

　　Paola, Paolina

　　Priscilla

　　Raffaella

　　Renata

　　Romilda

　　Rosalia

　　Sabina

　　Serafina

　　Serena

　　Sibilla

　　Silvana

　　Silvia

　　Simona

　　Susanna

　　Taddea

　　Tiziana

　　Valentina

　　Veronica

　　Vincenza

　　Violetta

　　Viviana

　　Should you have a boy, Armani may rank in the top 100 for males in Rhode Island, but does not come recommended as a genuinely Italian choice.

　　Elisabeth can be reached at:

　　Website: http://youcantcallitit.com

　　Twitter:  youcantcallitit  LINK: http://twitter.com/youcantcallitit

　　Facebook: You Can’t Call It “It”!  LINK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/You-Cant-Call-It-It/139903029361365?ref=sgm