Italian humor is found in the suffixes, since -ina and -ino shrink any word into something affectionate. So I picked these Italian nicknames for girlfriends by hand with meanings included.
List of Cute Italian Nicknames for Girlfriends With Meanings:
Picciridda
Sicilian for little girl and is pronounced as pee-chee-REED-da. The masculine picciriddu is found in Camilleri’s Montalbano novels.
Ciambellina
Little ring cake. Not every ciambella comes out with a hole, Italians say.
Vita mia
”My life.”
Melograno
Pomegranate, word for word ”grainy apple.”
Ninetta
Ninetta is the short form of Antonietta or Giovannina and has roots in Nina. Rossini used it for the servant girl in the opera semiseria La gazza ladra.
Zabaione
Egg yolk and Marsala cream.
Limoncello
Lemon liqueur from Sorrento’s coast.
Criatura
“Creature” via the Latin creatura.
Cocco
”Coconut,” or a mother’s favorite child.
Farfallina
”Little butterfly,” or a tiny bow-tie pasta.
Paperina
Paperina (”little duck”) is Daisy Duck’s moniker in Italy.
Scugnizza
Scugnizza comes from the verb scugnare, ”streetwise girl.”
READ MORE: Matching Nicknames For Best Friends
Bedda
The meaning is bella with a Sicilian accent, beautiful. Bedda matri, beautiful mother, is a phrase used in Sicily.
Boccuccia
”Little mouth.” Fare la boccuccia is to pout.
Befana
Old witch who brings sweets to children on Epiphany eve.
Oca giuliva
“Cheerful goose”. Giulivo is from Old French jolif, and I would save this one for a girlfriend who is able to laugh at herself.
Sfogliatella
It is pronounced as sfoh-lya-TEL-la. Sfogliatella is a shell-shaped pastry and comes from sfoglia, ”thin leaf.” In 1818 chef Pasquale Pintauro began selling the pastries in his shop.
Cicala
”Cicada,” which produces loud buzzing sounds with drum-like membranes.
Burratina
Burrata is an Italian cow’s milk cheese especially popular in Puglia. So burratina is ”little burrata.”
Focaccina
Latin panis focacius (”place for baking”), bread baked in flat sheet pans and is similar to pizza dough.
Cassatina
A pocket-sized cassata, a type of cake from the Sicily region.
Bombolina
From bombolone, the Tuscan doughnut that is eaten as a snack food and dessert.
Crostatina
Little jam tart.
Amarena
Sour cherry and is from the root amaro, ”bitter.” It is used as a decoration on rich chocolate desserts.
Ninfa
Nymph.
Chiacchiera
”Chatter,” ”gossip,” ”rumor” and a carnival fritter.
Rondinella
Little swallow.
Piadina
Flatbread, and Pascoli called it Romagna’s national bread.
Furbetta
”Sly one.”
Coccinella
”Ladybug,” and a lucky charm in the ”Cradle of the Renaissance.”
Meringhetta
A small meringue that has origins in a region in Switzerland called Meiringen.
Marzapane
Marzapane comes from marzipan, a confection primarily made from sugar and ground almonds. The invention is attributed to Lübeck, Germany.
Cucciola
Cucciola has a meaning that I love: ”puppy.”
Pigrona
”Lazybones.”
Croccantino
It is a dessert that combines caramelised sugar and almonds snapped into shards. Croccantino means “small crisp treat.”
Luce
”Light.” Luce dei miei occhi means light of my eyes.
Tosa
”Girl” in Venetian.
Babà
The Neapolitan rum sponge and is credited to Stanislaw Leszczynski who was the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland.
Venere
Venere (”love, desire”) rises from a sea shell in a Botticelli painting.
Polpetta
”Meatball.”
Formaggino
Formaggino is a diminutive of formaggio that is from the Greek phormos (”basket”).
Bollicina
”Little bubble,” or a glass of Italian sparkling wine.
Cuoricino
”Little heart”.
Caramella
Candy, from Spanish caramelo.
Sorbetto
Sorbetto is from the Arabic sharbat (”to drink”). It is made from fruit purée and sugar.
Svampita
”Scatterbrained”.
Cometa
Comet, from Greek kometes, ”long-haired.”
Monella
”Urchin.”
Brontolona
”Grumbler”. Brontolo is also Grumpy’s Italian name in Snow White.
Ricottina
Ricotta is a soft cheese made from whey and means “recooked.” As such, ricottina is a small serving of ricotta cheese.
Carciofina
Carciofina has roots in Arabic al-kharshuf, ”artichoke.”
Lenticchia
Lenticchia is derived from lenticchia (”lentil”). Italians eat a bowl at midnight on 31 December and make a wish for the year ahead.
Vanitosa
”Vain.”
Topolina
Topolina, ”little mouse,” is one that I like for a tiny girlfriend.
Rosetta
”Little rose.”
Marmotta
Alpine marmots spend 9 months of the year asleep. Dormire come una marmotta translates as “sleep like a log”.
Pinolina
A pine nut.
Albicocca
Albicocca means apricot and comes from the Arabic al-barquq. In Rome, apricots became known in the 1st century AD.
Salamandra
“Salamander.”
Piovra
It means octopus, a sea animal that is famous for its eight long arms and bulging eyes. La Piovra was a show about the Mafia with an average of 10 million viewers.
Frana
”Landslide” or ”earthfall.” I would test this one on a good day.
Combinaguai
”Mischief-maker” or ”she arranges trouble.”
Pasticciona
Pasticciona is the feminine variant of pasticcione, “mess maker” or a ”clumsy person.”
Smemorina
“Forgetful”. Fata Smemorina is a character from the 1950 Disney animated film Cinderella.
Leprotta
”Young hare.”
Saetta
”Lightning bolt.”
Tramezzino
Triangle sandwich, and has origins after poet Gabriele D’Annunzio.
Stracciatella
From stracciare, ”to tear into shreds.”
Morettina
Little brunette.
Cannolo
Little tube, from canna, ”reed.”
Mattacchiona
”A female joker” or ”prankster.” I thinks is a good nickname for a girlfriend who plays the fool on purpose.
Diva
From Latin diva, ”goddess.”
Panda
”Panda,” like Fiat’s little city car.
Cocciuta
The meaning is hard-headed since coccia is southern slang for skull.
Scatenata
Scatenata means ”Unchained” and catena is ”chain.” It is best for a girlfriend who starts the dancing.
Frittella
Fritter, from friggere, ”to fry.”
Passerotta
Little sparrow.
Bignè
”Cream puff” in Italian and ”fritter” in French.
Indiavolata
”Possessed” or “turned into a devil.” Southern grandmothers use it on toddlers who refuse to sit.
Impicciona
”Meddler” or ”interferer.”
Spendacciona
The suffix -accione makes spenda (to spend) into a character flaw with a grin attached.
Scintilla
Scintilla comes from the Latin scintilla, ”a spark.”
Golosona
”Someone with a massive sweet tooth.”
Ritardataria
Chronic latecomer and is the present participle of ritardare “to slow down.”
Parlantina
”The gift of the gab.”
Uragano
”Hurricane” and is from Spanish huracán.
Cataclisma
Greek kataklysmos, a flood. Septuagint is the word for the Flood of Genesis 6–9.
Grissino
Breadsticks or grissini torinesi are symbols of Piedmontese culinary tradition. Napoleon also had them carted north to Paris.
Disastro
Disastro is made from ”dis” and ”astro” and means ”bad star.”
“Che disagio!” is a slang sentence to say that an individual is embarrassingly stupid.
Faccina
”Little face,” or an emoji in Italian.
Raggio di sole
”Sunbeam.”
Arancina
”Little orange,” a rice ball that Palermo and Catania argue about.
Sirena
Mermaid, and Naples’ legend begins with a siren after Partenope.
Diamante
From Greek adamas, ”unbreakable.”
Bisbetica
Bisbetica (”shrew”) is Kate’s label in La bisbetica domata, Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew.
Puffetta
Puffetta is their variation for Smurfette which is the female character from The Smurfs.
Margherita
”Daisy,” and a pizza after a queen of Savoy.
Lupacchiotta
”Wolf cub.”
Pupa
”Girl” in Latin.
Giraffina
Giraffe, from Arabic zarafa. Its neck holds 7 vertebrae and is the same count as ours.
Bacio
”Kiss,” or a Perugia chocolate wrapped with a love note.
Terremoto
”Earthquake,” or a kid who never stays still.
Fatina
Fatina (”little fairy”) is Pinocchio’s moniker for his fairy with turquoise hair.
Pistacchio
Pistachio, and pride of Bronte in Sicily.
Nasino
Small nose. Avere naso, to have a nose, describes good instinct. Naso also can have negative connotations.
Orecchietta
”Little ear”.
Damigella
”Young lady.”
Gazzella
”Gazelle.” The Carabinieri are the national gendarmerie and gazella rides on the side of every Carabinieri patrol car.
Streghetta
”Little witch,” and Strega is a yellow liqueur from Benevento.
Tappetta
From tappo, ”cork.” A shorty.
Mimosa
Mimosa, and Italian men bring it to women on International Women’s Day.
Pazzerella
”Little crazy one.”
Maritozzo
Cream bun, from marito, ”husband.” Roman suitors brought it to their fiancées.
Delfina
”Dolphin.”
Smorfiosa
Fussy, from smorfia, ”grimace.”
Zanzarina
Zanzarina is an affectionate form of zanzara, “mosquito.” Only female mosquitoes bite people and animals, which makes the nickname more accurate.
Cavalletta
The grasshopper, and word for word a little horse.
Tigrotta
”Tiger cub.”
Pantera
”Panther.” The Polizia named its patrol cars Pantere.
Zucchina
“Small squash”. Zucchini was cultivated in the very late 1800s.
Volpetta
Little fox, from Latin vulpes. Vecchia volpe is applied to someone with red hair or a cunning person.
Chicca
”A rare treat.”
Cornetto
”Croissant,” or a red horn charm against bad luck in Naples.
Primavera
Spring.
Fanciulla
”Maiden,” and Puccini’s opera La fanciulla del West.
Marchesa
Marchioness, from marca, ”border land.”
Leonessa
Lioness. Brescia is famous for being the Leonessa d’Italia for resisting 10 days against the Austrians in 1849.
Cerbiatta
”Fawn.” Occhi da cerbiatta are big, sweet eyes.
Peste
”Pest/plague.”
Bimba
”Baby girl.”
Ciccia
Ciccia is baby talk for flesh, and I like it for a girlfriend who loves cuddles.
Gelsomina
Gelsomina (”jasmine”) is a clown girl in Fellini’s La Strada.
Cocca
”Darling,” or an arrow’s notch.
Perla
”Pearl.”
Trottola
Spinning top, or a girl who never stops moving.
Colombella
”Little dove,” like Easter cake that Italians shape as a bird.
Angioletto
”Little angel.”
Gemma
”Gem,” or a bud on a branch.
Signorina
Miss.
Granita
”Crushed ice.” Granita is also a Sicilian breakfast with brioche.
Cappuccina
Little Capuchin, and cappuccino received its color to Capuchin robes.
Luna
”Moon.”
Coccolona
Cuddler.
Rompiscatole
It combines rompere, ”to break,” and scatole, ”boxes.” A pain in the neck.
Pasticcino
Little pastry.
Spilungona
”Beanpole,” for a tall girlfriend.
Peperoncina
”Hot chili pepper”. Chili arrived in the Apennine Peninsula after Columbus’s 1492 voyage to the Americas.
Usignolo
”Nightingale,” for a girlfriend who sings.
Tifosa
”Fan,” from tifo, typhus, a fever.
Mandarina
It is inspired by orange robes worn by Chinese court officials.
Biondina
Blondie. La biondina in gondoleta, written in Venetian in the 1780s, translates as “The Little Blonde Girl in the Little Gondola.”
Gocciolina
”Little drop”.
Tortorella
Little turtledove.
Cremino
Layered chocolate square, from crema.
Crocchetta
French croquette, from croquer, to crunch.
Bruschetta
Bruschetta is toasted bread topped with fresh tomatoes and olive oil. It has documented roots in Lazio and Umbria, and comes from the Roman dialect verb bruscare.
Cara
”Dear.”
Ricciolina
Curly, from riccio, ”hedgehog.”
Duchessa
”Duchess.”
Cioccolatino
Nahuatl xocolatl is the root. Turin’s gianduiotto was launched during the Turin Carnival celebrations of 1865, and became the first chocolate sold in a wrapper.
Mandorlina
Almond. In 1934 Agrigento’s Almond Blossom Festival was founded.
Ciliegina
The cherry, and is part of la ciliegina sulla torta (“the little cherry on the cake”).
Bellezza
Latin bellus, pretty.
Melina
A small apple, though in football fare melina is meaning to slow the game’s pace in order to win.
Supplì
”Fried rice ball” in Roman and ”surprise” in French.
Formichina
”Little ant,” and a slang for a thrifty saver.
Contessa
”Countess.”
Zeppola
Pronounced as TSEP-poh-lah. Fried dough. Naples eats it on Saint Joseph’s Day, Italy’s Father’s Day.
Apina
Little bee.
Mozzarellina
Mozzarellina comes from the verb mozzare (“to cut off”). Short forms that I like are Mozza or Mozzi.
Scoiattolina
Little squirrel.
Cantuccio
”Almond biscuit,” or a cozy corner.
Capricciosa
Whimsical, fickle, moody and a pizza with ham, mushrooms and artichokes.
Pecorella
”Little sheep.”
Musa
”Muse/inspiration.”
Tortellina
Tortellina has roots in the diminutive form of tortello, ”cake” or “pie.” In 1974, the Dotta Confraternita del Tortellino registered the tortellini filling.
Panna
Cream, the layer that rises on milk.
Spaghettina
The short variation of spaghetti.
Tiramisù
“Cheer me up.” Tiramisù was created at Le Beccherie in Treviso in the early 70s.
Rubino
Ruby, from Latin ruber, ”red.”
Polentina
”Little polenta,” as well as polentone is southern slang for northerners.
Gelatina
Gelatina comes from thr Latin gelare “to freeze, congeal” and is made of animal bones and skin.
Patatina
Little potato, which explains the affection.
Miele
Honey.
Zuccherino
”Sweet” or ”sugary.”. Zucchero has origins in the Arabic sukkar that is from Sanskrit sharkara, gravel.
Fragolina
”Wild strawberry” and is from the Latin fragum.
Nocciolina
Peanut, a legume that ripens underground.
Principessa
”Princess.”
Gattina
Kitten. The warning ”qui gatta ci cova” means that “there is something fishy going on”.
Tesoro
”Treasure.”
Taralluccio
Pronounced as tah-rahl-LOOT-choh. Little ring biscuit. Tarallucci e vino means a quarrel ends in peace.
Lampone
Raspberry.
Guagliona
Pronounced as gwah-LYOH-nah. Young woman. Its masculine, Guaglione, won Festival di Napoli.
Zuzzurellona
”A grown woman who plays like a kid.”
Arcobaleno
Rainbow. It combines arco, ”bow,” and baleno, ”flash.”
Amore
Latin amor. Popular diminutives include Amorino and Amoruccio.
Rossa
Redhead, and Italy’s nickname for Ferrari.
Lumachina
”Little snail”.
Stella
Star. Sailors prayed to Stella Maris for a safe journey.
Dolcezza
”Sweetness” and ”dolce far niente” is meaning “sweetness of doing nothing”.
Piccolina
”Small one” and the shortest flute in the orchestra.
Bambolina
Doll, from bambola, childish.
Regina
”Queen.” In the late 1400s, Italian and Spanish players rewrote the chess rules by making the Queen the most important piece.
Fiorellino
Fiorellino is symbolizing ”little flower.”
Scamorza
Pear-shaped cheese.
Biscottino
From biscotto, ”twice cooked.”
Libellula
”Dragonfly.”
Civetta
”Owl,” ”flirt,” ”decoy” and an unmarked police car.
Gioia
”Joy/jewel.”
Musona
From muso, snout. A girl who pouts.
Sognatrice
Dreamer.
Fiammetta
Fiammetta (”little flame”) is Boccaccio’s muse and a storyteller in his Decameron.
Brezza
Breeze.
Ribelle
”Rebel.”
Saputella
”Know-it-all.”
Dogaressa
Dogaressa is a doge’s wife, from Latin dux, ”leader.”
Ciabattina
”Little slipper,” or a loaf of ciabatta bread.
Lentigginosa
Freckled.
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