“Proper names are poetry in the raw. Like all poetry they are untranslatable.” This is what famous poet W.H. Auden had said a long time ago. A name in a different language can sometimes be lost in translation when spoken in English. Take UFC welterweight Jack Della Maddalena’s name for example. Is Jack his real name? Well, apparently not. His name is the English representation of his Italian roots and rich culture. Della Maddalena generally likes to keep his family matters private but that didn’t stop fans from digging a bit deeper about the origin of his name.
Della Maddalena might be an Aussie by heart, given that he was born in Perth, but his roots are Italian. The 17-2-0 welterweight fighter was born to a family of Italian descent through his grandfather who was born in Sardinia.
So guess what our fighter’s real name is? Well, it’s Giacomo Della Maddalena. Shocked? Even fans reacted the same when a UFC fan by the username @GissurSteinn posted on Reddit saying, “TDIL Jack Della Maddalena’s real name isn’t Jack. His real name is Giacomo, which is probably just Jack in Italian.”
It’s natural for the fans to be hyped and keep Della Maddalena on their radar right now, since he is going to clash against Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 at the Bell Center, in Quebec, Canada. Interestingly even ‘Remember the Name’ has roots in another country. He was born to Palestinian parents and raised in Chicago, Illinois.
MMA: UFC 270-Weigh Ins, Jan 21, 2022 Anaheim, CA, USA Jack Della Maddalena during weigh-ins for UFC 270 at Anaheim Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports, 21.01.2022 16:14:20, 17542632, NPStrans, Anaheim Convention Center, MMA, TopPic PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 17542632
So is the Reddit user right about the meaning? How accurate are fans in deciphering the meaning of his name? Let’s take a closer look and find out from the reactions to the Reddit post.
Fans rush to comment and talk about the meaning of Jack Della Maddalena’s real name
The welterweight star is unofficially known as ‘3-Name Jack’ and this name came after UFC 299. The reason? Well, the name ‘Jack’ is originally a diminutive of the name ‘John’, but is also a diminutive of ‘Jacob’—in the English language. And well, we’re now told that ‘Jack’ is a diminutive of ‘Giacomo’ in Italian. So ‘3-Name Jack’ is a fitting unofficial nickname. This moniker was popularised by Brian Petrie, a commentator from the ANF podcast.
One user gave a full breakdown of JDM’s ancestry by analyzing his name. They said, “And ‘Della’ means ‘from’ or ‘of’ in Italian and Maddalena is a region of Italy. So it’s Giacomo of Maddalena.” Another spoke touched upon his ancestry that can be traced to the Italian Island of Sardinia, “If I’m not mistaken, he is of Sardinian ancestry?”
One fan couldn’t hold back their admiration as they wrote, “My boy Giacomo,” while another chimed in, “When he was still fighting in Australia. He was usually just billed as Jack Della.” Another follower gave an interesting perspective writing,“Jack isn’t the ‘real name’ of a lot of guys that go by Jack.”
One follower corrected the user who originally posted the meaning of Giacomo and said, “Giacomo in English is James, so no, he is not Jack Della even if you translate the name lol.” However, as per Anscestry.com, Giacomo is a masculine name that is quite popular in Italy and means ‘supplanter’. It is derived from the Hebrew name Yaaqov or Jacob and has old Biblical origins. One follower made a hilarious pun alluding to his physique and said, “Jacked” Della Maddalena.”
What do you think about Jack Della Maddalena’s Italian origins? What about his unofficial moniker ‘3-Name Jack’? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
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