Giancarlo is an Italian double name joining Gianni, the short form of Giovanni, with Carlo, so it combines "God is gracious" with "free man". Compound names of this kind became fashionable in Italy in the 20th century, and Italian American families carried them across the Atlantic. In the United States Giancarlo ranked number 817 in 2000, peaked at number 641 in 2008 and stayed in the top 1000 until 2017; in 2025 it ranks 1438.