Today we talk names. What names are most popular for kids in Italy these days? Which are evergreen favorites and how does popular culture play a part? And are old-fashioned grandpa and grandma names back in style in Italy as they are in the US? And speaking of, what are the most popular baby names in the States right now? Can you guess better than Katy can?

Also, what if our parents had gone with one of the other names they were considering for us? Is it possible that our lives (and even our personalities) would be different if we'd had different names?

And just for fun—what are the sexiest names, and what makes them sexy? How is it possible that this metric can change so much over time?

This episode was originally aired as a bonus episode exclusively for our Patreon supporters, but we've decided to post it here as well to give all our listeners a little taste of what goes on behind the paywall. We have a lot of fun over on Patreon, with off-topic episodes, lots of laughs, and some deeply personal conversations (our ex-boyfriends episode was one of our favorites).

In a very rare move for us, we will be pausing the show for the month of August—don't worry, we're starting a brand new season come September! But if you think you'll miss us popping into your podcast feed twice a week, why not join us over on Patreon for as little as $5 per month? You'll get access to the now sizable archive of bonus episodes we've been producing twice a month for the past few years, delivered right to your feed! (Plus, we will be putting out two new bonus episoes this August, even though the main show will be on hiatus.) Best of all, you'll be supporting the show you love. This independent podcast (run, produced, and paid for only by the two of us!) would literally not be possible without the generous support of our Patreon supporters and regular donors. Thank you so much for your support!

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