6 Italian baby boy names honoring Blessed Carlo Acutis

As you no doubt already know, Blessed Carlo Acutis was an ordinary 15-year-old Italian teenager with an extraordinary love for God. A computer programmer and Eucharist devotee who died of leukemia in 2006, Carlo is a modern role model of sanctity, to be canonized by the Church in a matter of hours.

Young people and families are particularly drawn to his story because he seems like a regular teen, making holiness feel more familiar and attainable, even in today’s world. So, as Catholic parents seek a meaningful name for a baby boy, Carlo’s life and virtues offer rich inspiration.

Here are six beautiful boy names – many in Italian form – each tied to Carlo’s own name, the saints he loved, the virtues he embodied, and the legacy he leaves. These names come with a hopeful prayer that your little one, like Carlo, will grow in faith and grace.

Choosing Carlo connects your son directly with the beloved “computer geek” blessed who used his gifts for God. In fact he is a natural choice for any child of the digital age, as he turned his tech skills into tools for evangelization. He created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles to share the beauty of the faith, even as he battled illness.

Naming your son Carlo celebrates a boy-saint who showed that youthful joy and modern tech can glorify God. Carlo’s own motto was simple and profound: “Being always united with Jesus is my life program." Little Carlo can grow up inspired to stay close to Jesus in everyday life, just as his namesake did.

Blessed Carlo had a great devotion to St. Francis of Assisi, so the Italian form Francesco is a fitting tribute to that bond. Carlo spent weeks each summer in Assisi and even requested to be buried there out of his love for St. Francis. According to Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz, Carlo “was so much in love with St. Francis,” as shared by the diocese of Beaumont, especially Francis’ humility and love for the Eucharist.

Naming your son Francesco honors both Carlo’s legacy and the virtues of Assisi’s famous saint – humility, simplicity, love of the poor and of creation. It invokes a gentle spirit of peace. Just as St. Francis revitalized the Church through holiness, your little Francesco can be inspired by Carlo’s Franciscan heart to live with generosity and trust in God’s providence.

For a name that reflects Carlo’s kinship with other holy youngsters, consider Domenico (Dominic). Carlo admired fellow teen saints like St. Dominic Savio, who showed that you don’t have to reach a grand old age to be holy, as Carlo himself often proved. Dominic Savio was renowned for his purity, courage, and friendship, and Carlo counted him among the “young Eucharistic saints” he felt close to.

The name Domenico comes from Dominicus, meaning “of the Lord,” a beautiful reminder that your child belongs to God. In naming a boy Domenico, you align him with the youthful zeal of St. Dominic Savio and Blessed Carlo – two boys on fire for Christ, devoted to helping friends and classmates know the Lord. It’s a prayer that your son may share that same wise, joyful faith.

At the heart of Carlo’s spirituality was his ardent love of the Eucharist, which he called “my highway to Heaven." To honor that Eucharistic devotion, you might choose Tarcisio (Tarcisius). St. Tarcisius was an early Christian boy-martyr who died protecting the Blessed Sacrament, and Carlo felt a special friendship with him.

By giving your son the name Tarcisio, this highlights the centrality of the Eucharist in Carlo’s life and invites your child to treasure Our Lord’s Presence as well. Blessed Carlo attended daily Mass from a young age and taught that “the more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus… a foretaste of heaven,” as shared by Our Lady Queen of Peace. A little Tarcisio can grow up knowing that nothing is more precious than Jesus in the Eucharist – a lesson taught by both his patron saint and Blessed Carlo.

Carlo also drew inspiration from modern saints like St. Padre Pio. The name Pio (Italian for Pius) evokes the beloved 20th-century mystic whom Carlo revered and even visited on pilgrimage. Both Padre Pio and Carlo shared a deep devotion to prayer, the Eucharist, and the reality of spiritual warfare.

By naming your son Pio, you celebrate Carlo’s connection to Padre Pio’s miraculous faith and the continuity of holiness from one generation to the next. Carlo counted “Pio of Pietrelcina” among the saints he felt close to, and he too became a vessel of God’s healing – his intercession was linked to miracles leading to his beatification and canonization. Your little Pio can take courage from these great souls, learning to trust in God’s power, love the sacraments, and practice compassion. The name carries a legacy of piety and spiritual strength that Carlo admired.

For a more symbolic connection to Carlo’s virtues, the name Angelo -- meaning “angel” in Italian -- captures his angelic purity and reliance on heavenly help. Carlo had a remarkable devotion to his guardian angel, even advising others: “Continuously ask your guardian angel for help; your guardian angel has to become your best friend."

If your son has the moniker Angelo, this celebrates the guardian angels and the innocence and protection they signify. It also reflects how Carlo himself was seen by many – a pure-hearted youth who brought God’s light to others. In choosing Angelo, you’re entrusting your child to the same angelic guidance that Carlo cherished. It’s a hopeful, prayerful name that reminds a boy he is never alone; like Blessed Carlo, he can walk with his angel and strive for a holiness that is at once down-to-earth and touched by heaven.