In my family, who came from Naples, my great grandfather (born in 1883, so of the same generation as Vito) always desired to have a grandson named for him. In 1952, his first grandson was born to my great uncle, but he wasn't given his grandfather's name--And apparently, my great grandfather felt hurt and disrespected.

Two years later, my grandfather had his third child, and many expected it to be a boy with plans to name the child after his father--but it turned out to be a daughter, my grandfather's third girl in a row. At this point, my great grandfather is said to have remarked, "What's a matter with you, you only know how to make girls?"

On my other side, my great great grandfather's son named his eldest son after his father, thus grandfather and grandson had the same name.

Perhaps it's just my family, but it seems names, as a way of paying respect or tribute to an elder male in the family, seem to have been important.

Wouldn't it have been a tad disrespectful, then, that Michael named his firstborn son Anthony rather than Vito after his own father? As far as we know, none of Vito's grandchildren bear his name--Of the names we know, we know a Frank, an Anthony, a Victor and Vincent. Not a single Vito among them.