Gian is a masculine Italian given name. It is a variant of Gianni and is likewise used as a diminutive of Giovanni, the Italian form of John. In Italian, any name including Giovanni can be contracted to Gian, particularly in combination with other given names, such as Gianfranco or Gianluca.
Gian is also an unrelated masculine Punjabi Sikh name meaning 'knowledge' and is a variant of the Sanskrit name Gyan.
Notable people whose name is now typically expressed as Gian include:
The House of Sforza was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last member of the family's main branch in 1535.
Maria, Marisa or Marissa is a feminine given name. It is given in many languages influenced by Christianity.
The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist. The effective founder of the Visconti Lordship of Milan was the Archbishop Ottone, who wrested control of the city from the rival Della Torre family in 1277.
Mancini is a surname of Italian origin which, etymologically, comes from the Italian adjective mancino, which literally means "left handed".
Sartori is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Scotti is a surname of Italian origin. Notable persons with that surname include:
Berti is both an Italian surname and a given name. It is also the German familiar form of Berthold.
Lucrezia Landriani was the mistress of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, and the mother of his renowned illegitimate daughter, Caterina Sforza, Lady of Imola, Countess of Forlì. Lucrezia had three other children by the Duke, and two by her husband.
Giancarlo is an Italian given name meaning "John Charles". It is one of the most common masculine given names in Italy and is often short for "Giovanni Carlo". Notable people with the name include:
Gianluca is an Italian masculine given name. Its English translation is "John Luke" and it is often a shorter form of "Giovanni Luca".
Gianfranco is a compound Italian given name, consisting of Gian- and Franco. Gian- comes from Giovanni and is used in compound names. It is closest to John or French Jean. Gianni means "God is gracious" and Franco means "Free man" or "Frenchman", a contracted form of Francesco.
Giampiero is an Italian male given name.
Gian Carlo is an Italian masculine blended given name that is a combination of Gianni and Carlo. Notable people known by this name include the following:
Giovanni is a male Italian given name. It is the Italian equivalent of John. Giovanni is frequently contracted to Gianni, Gian, or Gio, particularly in the name Gianbattista, and can also be found as a surname. It is sometimes spelt as Geovanni, Giovonnie, Giovannie, Jiovanni or when used as an English female name. Its female counterpart is Giovanna.
Ferrari is an Italian occupational surname, the plural form of Ferraro, meaning blacksmith.
Ferretti is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Valentini is a surname and, less commonly, a given name, of Italian origin. It is etymologically related to the name, Valentine. People with the name include:
Pozzi is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Galeazzo is an Italian masculine given name. Although its origin is unclear, it may be derived from either Latin or Germanic languages. In the latter it means helmet. It is also used as a surname.