Devito
A masculine given name derived from the Italian meaning "little beloved".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Devito. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Devito today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Devito births was 1988 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Devito. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Devito. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1988
5 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
1988 SSA rank
#7,577
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Devito: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Devito by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Devito during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Devito
The name Devito has its origins in the Italian language and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Latin phrase "de vita," which means "of life" or "pertaining to life." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who had a deep appreciation for life or those who led a particularly vibrant and fulfilling existence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Devito can be found in the works of the Italian poet and playwright, Giambattista Guarini, who lived from 1537 to 1612. In his pastoral tragicomedy, "Il Pastor Fido," there is a character named Devito, though little is known about the significance of this name in that particular context.
During the Renaissance period, the name Devito gained some popularity in Italy, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria. It is possible that the name was associated with individuals who embraced the humanist ideals of the time, which emphasized the pursuit of knowledge, creativity, and the appreciation of the human experience.
One notable individual who bore the name Devito was Michelangelo Devito, a 17th-century Italian painter and sculptor from Naples. Born in 1621, Devito was renowned for his religious artworks, including numerous altarpieces and frescoes adorning churches throughout Italy.
Another prominent figure was Girolamo Devito, a philosopher and theologian who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Born in 1558 in Chieti, Italy, Devito was a prolific writer and contributed to various philosophical and theological debates of his time.
In the realm of literature, the name Devito is associated with Antonio Devito, an Italian poet and playwright from the 18th century. Born in 1735 in Naples, Devito gained recognition for his satirical plays and poems, which often commented on social and political issues of the time.
While the name Devito may have had its roots in Italy, it eventually spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Italian immigration. In the 19th and 20th centuries, individuals with the name Devito could be found in various parts of Europe and the Americas, where they contributed to various fields, including the arts, sciences, and commerce.
People
Devito + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Devito as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Devito: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Devito?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Devito going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Devito a common name?
We classify Devito as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Devito most popular?
The single biggest year for Devito was 1988, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Devito is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Devito in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Devito a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Devito in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Devito still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Devito in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Devito can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Devito?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Devito at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.