My name is Daniele. That’s not a typo. My folks didn’t add an “e” because they thought it was cool. They were from Italy. Daniele is Italian for Daniel. It is pronounced Don-yell-eh. I sign my name Daniel only because it’s less confusing; much like using St. Paul is easier to decode than Scopazzi. I like Scopazzi. I heard it constantly butchered as a kid. When I had the opportunity to join Screen Actors Guild, I decided to spare everyone the chore of guessing.
My given middle name is Sauro (Sour-o). I never liked it. When I had to pick a Catholic confirmation name, I chose Kenneth. Not Italian. There is no “k” in the Italian alphabet. My Scoutmaster’s name was Kenneth and he was very cool, so I adopted Kenneth as my middle name. Goodbye Sauro.
I recently looked up where my parents got the name Sauro. I was only ever told that he was an Italian sea captain. Here is what I found:
Nazario Sauro was born in 1880. He was an Austrian-born Italian irredentist and sailor. An irredentist is an advocate of the return to Italy of all Italian-speaking districts under the control other countries. After 1866 - when Venice was annexed to Italy from Austria - there was some support for irredentism also in Istria, formerly a Venetian possession. My father is from Istria, a peninsula south of Trieste, Italy. It is now part of Croatia.
Sauro voluntarily enlisted in the Italian Army during World War I to fight against the Austrian Empire and make Istria part of Italy. Sauro's boat was sent over to carry out a sabotage in the Hungarian port of Fiume (now Rijeka in Croatia), but it crashed into a rock. He was captured and hung as a traitor by the Austrians. At the age of 36, awaiting his execution, he wrote this letter to his wife, which is currently on display to the public at the Central Museum of Risorgimento in Rome:
“Dear Nina,
I can't but beg your pardon for leaving you alone with our five children still in need of your milk; I also know how hard you're going to fight and struggle in order to raise and lead them on the right path, which will hopefully be the same as their father. But I have nothing much to say than I am dying satisfied for having fulfilled my duty as an Italian. Be happy, for my happiness is nothing but knowing that the Italians knew how to fulfill their duty and did it. Dear soulmate, teach our children that their father was first an Italian, then a father and eventually a man. Nazario
— Venice, 20 May 1916 - letter of Nazario Sauro to his wife Nina”
Upon completion of my research, I have come to recognize that as a 13-year-old kid (confirmation age in the Catholic Church) I was an incurious, unappreciative, little turd. I should have asked my dad who this Sauro guy was, but I instead cast him aside for some guy who spent a couple of hours Monday nights teaching kids how to tie a clove hitch. I certainly hope Scoutmaster Ken lead an accomplished and fulfilling life but, to the best of my recollection, he didn’t strike me as an irredentist.
Sauro is an awesome name. I am considering having it restored on all my legal records, as a tribute to Nazario Sauro. My father named me after one of his heroes.
Nicholas Cage named his son Kal-El, Superman’s given name, apparently one of his comic book heroes. Rob Morrow, from Northern Exposure, named his daughter Tu. Get it? Tu-Morrow? George Lucas named his daughter Everest. My guess is because it’s high and so was he. Penn Jillette named his kids Moxie Crimefighter and Zolten. Of course, he did. He’s Penn Jillette. David Duchovny and Tea Leoni named their kid Kyd. I guess they were both far too busy to come up with a name. Or maybe they were stoned, too. It would be disturbing to think they gave it a lot of thought.
My point is that eccentric celebrities will encumber their children with ridiculous names, just to draw some attention to themselves. But regular parents are prone to have a legitimate reason for choosing a name. I only wish I had that insight when I was thirteen.
If you’ll excuse me now, I’m babysitting Stephen Spielberg’s, Sean Penn’s, and the Pitt/Jolie kids: Destry, Hopper, Pax, Zahara and Shiloh Nouvel.
So often people ask, “ what is your name?” I usually let them know they should ask “who is your name?” WHAT is referring to things. We’re humans, so WHO is much more appropriate. As I am exploring more on the English language, I find it’s fascinating at time.
Thank you Dan for exploring WHO is your name.
Wonderful story. (No one can pronounce my last name. Remind me to tell you the story of how I got Paul for a first name.)