The joke goes a little like this….

The ‘Family’ is at a wedding or a reunion and someone walks in and says, “Telephone call for Patrick Pantoliano”….and half the room gets up….

At current count there are 11 Patrick Pantolianos in the tree (not to mention 2 Patricias).    This is followed by 8 Joseph/Josephine and 4 Peters.   (I won’t even get into the number of Mary/Maria/Marie combinations)

Couldn’t we be a little more inventive?  Yes.  But that’s not the way Italian culture works.  Family is PARAMOUNT so you honor your own parents in your children.   If you look at the Pantoliano Primer you’ll see the beginnings of the pattern:

The first born son and daughter are named after the father’s parents; the secondborn son and daughter are named after the mother’s parents.  Everyone after that is usually named after an uncle/aunt on either side.

Using my branch as an example — Pasquale Pantoliano and Maria Monaco’s kids

Giuseppe — Pasquale’s father Giuseppe
Joseph — Pasquale’s father Giuseppe because the above died in infancy
James — Maria’s father James/Vincenzo
Peter — Pasquale’s brother Pietro
Mariarosa (Mary) — Pasquale’s mother Maria Rosa
Anna — Maria’s monther Annantonia
Carmella (Mildred) — Pasquale’s sister Carmalla
Frank – Pasquale’s brother Frank
Francesca — Feminization of the same
Charles — Maria’s brother Charles
Anthony — Pasquale’s brother Anthony
Mamie — ?
John — Pasquale’s brother Giovanni
Ralph — Maria’s brother Raffaele
Patrick — Pasquale himself
Domenica Mamie — ?

So Domenica/Mamie is the only one I couldn’t trace.

Many of the firstborn sons and daughters of the above are named Patrick and Mary.  It doesn’t always fit, but it comes awfully close.

SO….if the earliest know relative, Giuseppe Pantoliano’s firstborn son is Pasquale, and firstborn daughter Carmalla, it stands to reason those are the names of his parents.  Likewise Maria and Giovanni for Maria Rosa.

And just like that, another generation discovered.