Italian, a Romance language, spoken primarily in Italy, but also in Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, and minorities such as Malta, Monaco and Croatia. The Italian language is a derivative of Latin and closest to Latin in terms of vocabulary, and is most closely related to two other romance languages, Sicilian and the now extinct Dalmatian language. Unlike most other Romance languages Italian stress on certain syllables in words is highly distinctive, causing it to sound poetic and resonant. The Italian language gained prominence and usage during the Renaissance period of European history and maintained its use and popularity. Popular Baby Names is an excellent resource for finding Italian baby names and researching name meanings.