Vito is an
Italian name
A name in the Italian language consists of a given name ( it, nome), and a surname (); in most contexts, the given name is written before the surname. (In official documents, the Western surname may be written before the given name or names.)
It ...
that is derived from the Latin word "''vita''", meaning "
life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
".
It is a modern form of the Latin name
Vitus, meaning "life-giver," as in San Vito or
Saint Vitus
Vitus (), whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown.Basil Watkins, ''The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical D ...
, the patron saint of dogs and a heroic figure in southern Italian folklore.
There is also a Slavic name "
Vitomir" that is shortened to "Vito", but has a different etymology.
The name "Vito" is sometimes confused with the German name "
Wido," which is derived from Ancient Germanic.
People
People with this name include:
*
San Vito dei Normanni, Saint Vito Protector of the Normans at sea, since medieval times
*
Vito F. Cinfio
Vito is an Italian name that is derived from the Latin word "''vita''", meaning "life".
It is a modern form of the Latin name Vitus, meaning "life-giver," as in San Vito or Saint Vitus, the patron saint of dogs and a heroic figure in southern I ...
, Italian-American Structural Engineer
*
Vito R. Bertoldo
Vito Rocco Bertoldo (December 1, 1916 – July 23, 1966) was a United States Army soldier. A veteran of World War II, he was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions near Hatten, France, in January 1945.
Bertoldo was born and raised i ...
, American Medal of Honor recipient
*
Vito Dimitrijević, a Yugoslavian former professional footballer
*
Vito Dumas, Argentine sailor and travel-writer, who sailed solo around the world
*
Vito Fossella
Vito John Fossella Jr. (born March 9, 1965) is an American politician serving as the Staten Island Borough President since 2022. A member of the Republican Party, Fossella previously represented the state's 13th congressional district in the U. ...
, American politician from New York
*
Vito Genovese
Vito Genovese (; November 21, 1897 – February 14, 1969) was an Italian-born American mobster who mainly operated in the United States. Genovese rose to power during Prohibition as an enforcer in the American Mafia. A long-time associate and ch ...
, Italian-American mob boss
*
Vito LoGrasso
Vito Joseph LoGrasso (born June 18, 1964) is an American actor and professional wrestler, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling as Big Vito and more recently World Wrestling Entertainment and working for their "developmental ter ...
, American professional wrestler
*
Vito Mannone
Vito Mannone (born 2 March 1988) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Lorient. He has represented Italy at U21 level. Previously Mannone played for Arsenal, Barnsley, Hull City, Sunderland, Reading, ...
, Italian footballer
*
Vincent "Don Vito" Margera, actor and TV personality
*
Vito Nikolić, Montenegrin poet
*
Vito Positano, Italian diplomat
*
Vito Postiglione, Italian auto racing driver
*
Vito Rizzuto (1946–2013), Canadian mobster
*
Vito Russo
Vito Russo (July 11, 1946 – November 7, 1990) was an American LGBT activist, film historian, and author. He is best remembered as the author of the book '' The Celluloid Closet'' (1981, revised edition 1987), described in ''The New York Tim ...
, American activist
*
Vito Scotti
Vito Giusto Scozzari (January 26, 1918 – June 5, 1996), also known as Vito Scotti, was an American character actor who played both dramatic and comedy roles on Broadway, in films, and later on television, primarily from the late 1930s to the ...
(1918-1996), American director
*
Vito Thomaselli, former professional wrestler and podcast personality
*
Victor Vito (rugby player), New Zealand rugby union and rugby sevens player
*
Vitellia gens
The gens Vitellia was a family of ancient Rome, which rose from obscurity in imperial times, and briefly held the Empire itself in AD 69. The first of this gens to obtain the consulship was Aulus Vitellius, uncle of the emperor Vitellius, in AD 3 ...
, ancient Roman family
*
Vito Blandi, American Football Hall of Famer
Fictional characters
*
Vito Corleone
Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfathe ...
, titular character of the novel ''The Godfather''
* Vito O'Malley, supporting character in the video game series ''
Delicious''
** Vito Napoli, namesake of Vito O'Malley and minor character in the ''Delicious'' series
*
Vito Spatafore, ''The Sopranos'' character
*
Vito Scaletta
''Mafia II'' is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by 2K Czech and published by 2K Games. It was released in August 24 2010 for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. The game is a standalone sequel to 2002's ''Mafia'', and the second install ...
, the protagonist of the game ''Mafia II'' and one of the main characters of ''Mafia III''
*
Angela Vito, the antagonist from the Korean Novel & Manwha ''Angelic Lady''
* VITO, Very Important Top Officer, a way to describe a key decision maker at a large organization
See also
References
{{given name
Italian masculine given names