Venditto

Recorded as Vandett, Vendetta, Venditti, Venditto, and probably others, this is an Italian surname. It can have two origins. The first and most exotic possibly is from the Calabrese medieval word 'vendetta' which was used as a nickname for a person who was regarded by his or her peer group as being rather spiteful, or at least that is the literal translation of a name which was probably first created seven centuries ago. In that time the language of Italian has undergone major changes to which shoul be added the rider that the medieval sense of humour was much more robust than today. As such it was the usual practice for nickname surnames such as this one to mean the literal opposite of what it seemed to be saying. Nicknames are one of the largest groups in the surname listings, and particularly in Italy. This surname is one of group of colourful surnames which may have originally been actors names. These include Maligno (The devil), Ariola (sorcerer), Tizzone, (mischief maker), and Frigoni, (ransacker). The second possible alternative is as a form of Benedetto, the original personal name Benedictus, and the name of several popes. In some parts of Italy Benedetto is recorded as Vandett, so Vendett(a) and its variants could also be a variant of Benedetto.