Vytautas

Boy · Lithuanian

Vytautas

Say it: vee-TOW-tahs

Meaning

An old Lithuanian two-part name whose second element is usually linked to tauta 'people, nation'; the first element is uncertain.

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

Revived especially around the 1930 anniversary of Vytautas the Great and one of the most common 20th-century Lithuanian names.

Its wave through time

Rare in the records

In the United States

52 babies given this name since 1918
At its height in 1956, about 1 in 211,400 boys
Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

Lithuanian

The family of the name

Other spellings: Vytas

Polish	Witold

Famous bearers

Vytautas the Great, grand duke of Lithuania
Vytautas Landsbergis, independence leader

Names worth a look

AlgirdasBoyAn old Lithuanian two-part name; the elements have been linked to alga 'reward' and girdėti 'to hear', but this is…Middle Ages

KęstutisBoyName of the 14th-century duke; it is often connected with kęsti 'to endure', but the analysis is uncertain.Middle Ages

GediminasBoyName of the 14th-century grand duke; it has been analysed as an old two-part Lithuanian name, but the meaning of its…Middle Ages

MindaugasBoyAn old two-part Lithuanian name usually analysed as min- (as in minėti 'to remember, mention') and daug 'much, many'.Middle Ages

VaidotasBoyName of a son of Kęstutis; an old Lithuanian two-part name whose meaning is uncertain.Middle Ages · forgotten

JonasBoyThe Lithuanian form of John, from Hebrew Yohanan 'God is gracious'.Middle Ages · peak 2008

Where this comes from

Royal and noble genealogies
Medieval Slavic chronicles and charters
National birth statistics of European countries source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.