Giovanni

How to say it

/ˌdʒoʊˈvɑn.i/

What it means

Italian form of John, from the Hebrew Yochanan via Latin Iohannes. The name of Renaissance artists (Giovanni Bellini, Giovanni Boccaccio) and modern Italian footballers; a major Italian-tradition name.

Giovanni is the Italian form of John, from the Hebrew Yochanan ('Yahweh is gracious') via Latin Iohannes and Old Italian Giovanno. The name has been continuous in Italian usage for over a thousand years. Giovanni Bellini (the Venetian Renaissance painter), Giovanni Boccaccio (the Decameron), and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (the Renaissance composer) anchor the historical tradition. The English-speaking US adopted Giovanni in earnest in the 1990s, particularly in Italian-American and Latino families. It's been in the US top 200 since 2002. Common shorts: Gio, Gianni, Vanni.

Heads-up notes

• Nickname

  Gio is the universal modern short; Gianni is the older Italian form and works as a standalone name in many Italian-American families.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Giovanni Boccaccio 14th-century Italian writer, author of the Decameron
• Giovanni Bellini Venetian Renaissance painter, brother-in-law of Mantegna

Spelling variants

• Gianni
• Juan
• John

Names with the same feeling

• Antonio From the Roman Antonii family
• Leonardo Brave lion
• Lorenzo Laurel-crowned
• Luca From Lucania, or 'light'
• Santiago Saint James

See Giovanni from another angle