Italian Name - Articles

Articles

The traditional rule, and the common usage especially in Tuscany, is that, when referring to people by their surnames alone, the definite article should be used (il for most parts, lo before some consonants and consonant clusters, and l' before vowels). Mario Russo, therefore, is called il Russo ("the Russo"). Nowadays, some prefer to use the article only, or chiefly, with well-known people, or with historical surnames ("l'Ariosto", "il Manzoni", etc.)

Male given names are never preceded by an article, except in popular northern regional usage.

However, in Tuscany (and in northern Italy), females' given names names are usually preceded by articles (la Maria, la Gianna), unless one is speaking of a personally unknown woman (as, Cleopatra, Maria Stuarda, with no article). This is also the traditional grammar rule.

Articles are also used (more often than with men) with the surnames of women: Gianni Rossi can be called il Rossi or (especially nowadays) simply Rossi, but Maria Bianchi is usually la Bianchi (also la Maria Bianchi).

Placing the surname before the name is considered uncorrect (except in bureaucratic usage), and is often stigmatized as a shibboleth of illiteracy.

Names that are derived from possessions of noble families normally never had articles preceding them such as Farnese (from a territorial holding) and Cornaro (from a bishopric). Articles were omitted for those surnames with an identifiable foreign origin (including Latin ones) such as Cicerone.

This practice somewhat resembles the Greek custom of placing definite articles before all names (see Greek names). This Greco-Italian practice even spread to French in the 17th century, especially in writings regarding figures in literature and painting such as le Poussin.