Why is Italy called like this? Where does the name Italia come from?

Japan gets its name from the rising sun, France from the Franks tribe, and America from the discoverer Amerigo Vespucci. But what about Italy?

Even many Italians will not be able to answer this question. One reason is that the origin is unclear to experts, too.

Word origin theories

The name is so ancient that several mythological theories are trying to explain it.

1. The Prince – According to Antiochus of Syracuse (Greek historian, 5th century BC), the name derives from a legendary Enotrian prince named Italo, who supposedly extended his rule over the southernmost part of the Italian peninsula, and named this region “Italy” after his name. This theory is based on a mythological interpretation, common in antiquity but leaves the question of the etymology of the name Italo itself.
2. Hercules and a calf –  Another theory suggests that the name “Italy” derives from the word “vitulus,” meaning calf. According to this version, the Greek hero Hercules was crossing Italy in search of a runaway cattle. It was in this occasion that he learned that the natives called the calf “vitulus.” As a result, he called the entire region with the similar, v-less word, Italia. 
3. Sons of the bull—Another theory associates the name of the region with livestock. People of the modern Calabria region were identified with the name Italos probably because of the presence of abundant bovine livestock in the area. In this case Italians = inhabitants of the land of the calves. Another possible reason is that the totem of the Italian people was a calf (Italians = sons of the bull).

Geographic Expansion and Unification

When the Romans conquered this region they kept the name of Italia to identify the whole geographic peninsula inside the Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages the term remained alive and various rulers used it, wishing to recall the ancient Roman power. The word indicated different areas such as the Kingdom of the Lombards in the North and the Byzantine Kingdom in the South. 

Finally, thanks to the concept of a unified Italy already deeply ingrained in the minds of Italians, despite political divisions and uncertainty, the Kingdom of Italy was established in 1861, retaining the ancient name ITALIA.

Sources:

Crusca https://accademiadellacrusca.it/it/consulenza/il-nome-dellitalia/309 

Enciclopedia Treccani https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/italia_%28Enciclopedia-Italiana%29/