DeVito
An Italian surname meaning “of Vito,” originally marking someone as the child or family of a man named Vito.
The #4,528 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,426 Americans shares it.
Etymology
DeVito is an Italian surname built from the preposition de, meaning “of” or “from,” plus the personal name Vito. In surname use, it typically meant “son/family of Vito” or “belonging to Vito.” The given name Vito goes back to Latin Vitus, a saint’s name that became common in Italy.
History
The surname is most strongly associated with southern Italy, where patronymic surnames of this type are common. Italian surnames were often written in varying forms before spelling became fixed, so DeVito may also appear as Di Vito or Devito. It became more visible in English-speaking countries through Italian immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because the surname literally points to a personal name, many DeVito families are unrelated except for sharing an ancestor named Vito.