Santino

Italian for little saint, Santino began as a diminutive of Santo and earned its own standing in Sicilian and southern Italian families. American ears first met it as Sonny Corleone's given name in The Godfather, an association that gave it swagger without ever quite domesticating it. The name has climbed steadily since the 2000s as parents reach for Italian choices with more edge than Marco or Luca. Three syllables with an operatic lift, that rolled N at the center. Santino carries cathedral bells and espresso bars in the same breath, equally at ease in a choir loft or a corner booth.