In Milan, one out of every three newborns now bears the surname of both parents or solely the mother’s. This shift in custom follows a 2022 ruling by the Constitutional Court that removed the automatic assignment of the father’s surname. While naming habits for surnames are evolving, preferences for first names remain consistent, with Leonardo and Sofia being the most popular choices for newborns in the city.
According to registry office data, among the 9,147 children born in Milan in 2024, 18.6% (approximately 1,700) were given a double-barreled surname, a figure that surpasses the 16% recorded the previous year. An additional 13.6% received only their mother’s surname. The city’s birth rate stands at 6.48 per thousand residents. The data shows that 72% of new mothers are Italian (6,650), with an average age at childbirth of 35.5 years. This average age decreases to 32.2 years for foreign mothers (2,487), who are primarily Egyptian (515), followed by Chinese (220), and Filipino (199).
Birth rates in the first six months of this year have remained stable, with 4,323 newborns registered.
For boys, Leonardo remains the favored name, holding the top spot for over a decade. It is followed by Tommaso and Edoardo; the previous year’s ranking was Edoardo, Leonardo, and Tommaso. For girls, Sofia returns to first place as it was in 2022, overtaking last year’s leader, Matilde, who has also been surpassed by Beatrice and Vittoria.
The most prolific districts for births were Municipality 8 (1,434 births), 9 (1,242), and 7 (1,107), an area spanning from San Siro to Niguarda. However, the neighborhood with the highest number of newborns is located outside this zone, in the area between Buenos Aires, Porta Venezia, and Porta Monforte, which recorded 393 births. This is followed by the Bande Nere district, with 309 new births, and the Villapizzone-Cagnola-Boldinasco area, with 295.