Italian Foundling Names

Foundling names may be based on a child’s status as a foundling, their physical characteristics, the location or time of birth/abandonment, or even just descriptions of nature. The following is a list of common foundling names in Italy:

Names Based on Status

• Abbandonata (“abandoned”)
• (dell’/D’) Amore (“of love”)
• Bastardo/i (“bastard[s]”)
• Buonasorte (“good luck”)
• di Dio (“of God”)
• (della) Donna (“of [a] woman”)
• (degli) Esposito, Esposto, Esposuto, Sposito (“exposed” or “lost”)
• (della) Femina (“of [a] woman”)
• (della) Fortuna (“luck”)
• (della) Gioia (“joy”)
• (D’) Ignoto, Ignotis (“of unknown [parents]”)
• Incerto (“uncertain”)
• Incognito (“unknown”)
• Infante/i, Infantino/i (“infant[s]”)
• Innocento/i (“innocent one[s]”)
• Nichilo (“meaningless”)
• Orfanino/i, Orfanello/i (“orphan[s]”)
• del Popolo (“of the people”)
• Proietto/a (“throwaway”)
• Ritrovato (“found again”)
• Salvato/i (“saved”)
• Spurio (“illegitimate”)
• Trovato/i, Trovatello/i (“found” or “foundling[s]”)
• Ventura/Venturini (“angel[s]”)
• Zoccola/o (“[of a] whore”)

Names Based on Characteristics

• Angiolillo (“angelic”)
• Buonocore (“good-hearted”)
• Bruno (“dark,” i.e., “dark-skinned” or dark-haired”)
• Brutto (“ugly”)
• Circoncisi (“circumcised”)

Names Based on Location

• (della) Casagrande (“of the Ospizio;” literally “of the big house”)
• De Domo Magna (“of the Ospizio”)
• della Scala (name assigned by ospizio in Sienna)
• Monastero (“monastery”)
• Ospizio (“foundling home”)
• Proietto/a (name assigned by ospizio in Rome)

Names Based on Time

• (di/D’) Gennaio (“of January”)
• (di/D’) Febbraio (“of February”)
• (di/D’) Marzo (“of March”)
• (di/D’) Aprile (“of April”)
• (di/D’) Maggio (“of May”)
• (di/D’) Giugno (“of June”)
• (di/D’) Luglio (“of July”)
• (di/D’) Agosto (“of August”)
• (di/D’) Settembre (“of September”)
• (di/D’) Ottobre (“of October”)
• (di/D’) Novembre (“of November”)
• (di) Dicembre (“of December”)
• (di/D’) Inverno (“of Winter”)
• (di) Primavera (“of Spring”)
• (di/D’) Estate (“of Summer”)
• Domenica (“Sunday”)
• Lunedì (“Monday”)
• Martedì (“Tuesday”)
• Mercoledì (“Wednesday”)
• Giovedì (“Thursday”)
• Venerdì (“Friday”)
• Sabato (“Saturday”)
• (di) Palma (“[born/abandoned on] Palm Sunday”)
• Pentecoste (“[born/abandoned on] Pentecost”)

Names Based on Descriptions of Nature

• Colombo, Colombini (“dove[s]”)
• di Monda (“of the world”)
• del Mondo (“of the world”)
• Paradiso/i (“paradise”)
• (della) Stella (“of a star”)