Ornella is an Italian feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

, probably derived from , " flowering ash tree" (''Fraxinus ornus''). It was coined by Gabriele D'Annunzio in his 1904 play '' The Daughter of Iorio'' and popularized by the fame of singer

Ornella Vanoni Ornella Vanoni (; born 22 September 1934) is an Italian singer. She is one of the longest-standing Italian artists, having started performing in 1956. She has released about 112 works between LP, EPs and greatest hits albums, and is considered ...

and, later, of actress

Ornella Muti Francesca Romana Rivelli (born 9 March 1955), professionally known as Ornella Muti, is an Italian actress. Among the best-known Italian actresses, in her career, she has worked across various genres, working alongside Italian directors such as ...

. It is most widespread in central and

northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

, as well as in

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

, while it is rarer in the South of the country. Closely related but very rare names include Ornelia, and the masculine versions Ornello and Ornelio.

People

* Ornella Bankole (born 1997), French basketball player *

Ornella Barra Ornella Barra (born 20 December 1953) is an Italian-born Monegasque businesswoman. A qualified pharmacist, she is chief operating officer, international of Walgreens Boots Alliance. She is married to the Italian billionaire Stefano Pessina. Biog ...

(born 1953), Italian-born Monegasque businesswoman * Ornella Bertorotta (born 1967), Italian politician * Ornella Domini (born 1988), Swiss boxer *

Ornella Ferrara Ornella Ferrara (born 17 April 1968) is an Italian long-distance runner who specialized in the marathon race. She represented her country twice at the Summer Olympics (1996 and 2000) and was the bronze medalist in the marathon at the 1995 World ...

(born 1968), Italian long-distance runner *

Ornella Ferrari Ornella Ferrari (1909–1983), known by the pen name Biri, was a successful female Italian song lyricist from the 1940s to 1970s. She achieved recognition with the song " Addormentarmi così" in 1948. Her entry at the 1951 Sanremo Festival, "La ...

(1909–1983), Italian song lyricist *

Ornella Havyarimana Ornella Havyarimana (born 1 September 1994) is a Burundian boxer. She took part in the 2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 A ...

(born 1994), Burundian boxer *

Ornella Livingston Ornella Livingston (born 19 May 1991) is a Jamaican former sprinter who represented Jamaica at the CARIFTA Games and the Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Amer ...

(born 1991), Jamaican sprinter *

Ornella Micheli Ornella Micheli (sometimes credited as Donna Christie or Ornella Micheli Donati) was an Italian film editor active from the 1950s through the 1980s. She often worked on the exploitation films and thrillers of directors Lucio Fulci, Riccardo Fred ...

, Italian film editor *

(born 1955 as Francesca Romana Rivelli), Italian actress *

Ornella Oettl Reyes Ornella Oettl Reyes (born 14 December 1991) is a German-Peruvian alpine skier who was part of the first Peruvian delegation to the Winter Olympics. She specializes in slalom and giant slalom and has competed in six World Championships and two ...

(born 1991), Peruvian-German Alpine skier *

Ornella Ongaro Ornella Ongaro (born ), known as "La Tulipe" because of her pink racing colours, is a French Grand Prix motorcycle racer. She took part in the FIM Women's Motorcycling World Championship in 2024. Awards Ongaro has been on the podium A p ...

(born 1990), French motorcycle racer *

Ornella Palla Ornella Palla (born 30 March 1990) is a team handball player from Uruguay. She has played on the Uruguay women's national handball team, and participated at the 2011 World Women's Handball Championship The 2011 World Women's Handball Champion ...

(born 1990), Uruguayan handball player *

Ornella Santana Ornella Soledad Santana (born 17 September 1990) is an Argentine basketball player for CD ZAMARAT and the Argentina women's national basketball team. She defended Argentina at the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup The 2018 FIBA Women's B ...

(born 1990), Argentine basketball player *

Ornella Sathoud Ornella Sathoud (born 12 October 1987) is a Ghanaian amateur boxer. She is competing in the women's middleweight division in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Early life and education Sathoud was born to a Congolese father and Ghanaian mother. She ...

(born 1987), Ghanaian boxer *

(born 1934), Italian pop singer *

Ornella Volta Ornella Volta (1 January 1927 – 16 August 2020) was an Italian-born French musicologist, essayist, and translator. Biography A cinematographic journalist and writer, Ornella married her spouse, Pablo Volta in 1957, and the couple moved to Paris ...

(1927–2020), Italian-born French musicologist and translator *

Ornella Wahner Ornella Wahner (born 19 February 1993) is a German amateur boxer who won gold medals at the 2011 Youth and Junior World Boxing Championships, Youth and Junior World Championships and the 2018 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships – Featherwe ...

(born 1993), German boxer ;Last name * Elena Ornella Paciotti (born 1941), Italian politician and magistrate * José Ornella Ferreira, Venezuelan military officer

References

{{given name, cat1=Italian feminine given names, cat2=Feminine given names, cat3=Given names derived from plants or flowers