In an article referring to the cultural impact of the Mongols in medieval European culture, it is mentioned that Italian nobleman "Cangrande della Scala" was named in reference to the "Great Khan" referred to in Marco Polo's travels.
However, most other sources say that "Cangrande" meanly means "Great Dog".
Which would be true? And what other forms of cultural impact did the Mongol Empire have in Europe?
As for many such questions, the truth is that we cannot know for sure. There are many theories/legends regarding his first name.
The most straightforward is that is name "Can" means exactly what it means in Italian "Dog" and was later changed in "Cangrande" meaning "Dog the great/Great Dog" because of his military prowess and strength (according to an autopsy done in 2004 he measured 1.71 m, quite tall for the time). This is quite reasonable because his uncle, and most important member of the dinasty at the time, was called "Hound" so it might have been a reference to that.
Other legends talk about a mythological ancestor who was a king of Altaic origins (so a khan) that was allied with the Longobards when they invaded Italy, some versions say he had the head of dog. So some say his name comes from that, although all his ancestors declared themselves to be Latin and so this is probably just a legend invented by him (or some member of the family) to nobiliate his family that had in fact only recently acquired the status of noble.
Other point to Kublai Khan but he was born before marco polo returned from China and before the Million was written down, so this etymology is also doubtful.
Finally some legends say that her mother dreamed of dogs before the birth (dogs were a positive symbol) and so his name comes from that.
In all cases we will never know for sure, although the first one remains the most likely