Naples, fewer and fewer newborns called Gennaro: Gennaro's New Year's Eve proposal

The latest data on the most popular names in Napoli confirm a worrying trend: the name Gennaro is less and less common.

He slipped beyond tenth place, outclassed by names like Antonio, Giuseppe, Vincenzo, Salvatore, Giovanni and Ciro, who far surpass the patron saint of the Neapolitan city.

Even rarer is the female name: you can count on one hand the girls called Gennara.

At a national level, ISTAT data relating to newborns named Gennaro from 1999 to 2022 show a mostly decreasing trend, with a minimum recorded in 2021, when only 279 children received this name, equal to 0,14% of males born that year in Italy, most of whom were of Campanian origin.

In 2022 there was a slight recovery with 310 newborns named Gennaro. The peak was in 2000, with 614 children (0,22% on a national scale).

Naples thus risks losing one of its oldest and most significant traditions, which required that in every family, especially for the firstborn, the name of the Patron Saint be passed down.

A tradition that has helped make Naples known throughout the world. Even today, where there is a Gennaro, there is a piece of Naples. The name has ancient and noble roots, deriving from the Roman god Janus, from whom January, the first month of the year, also takes its name.

It is essential to reverse this trend. In this regard, I relaunch a proposal already advanced in the past, without however receiving feedback from regional and municipal administrations: offer a symbolic gift, such as a baby set or a shopping voucher for children's items, to couples who decide to name their child Gennaro or Gennara.

I appeal once again to the Campania Region and the Municipality of Naples to take this initiative into consideration.