Guido is a given name. It has been a male first name in Italy, Austria, Germany, the Low Countries, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, Latin America, and Switzerland, as well as other places with migration from those. Regarding origins, there are most likely homonymous forms of it, that is, from several etymological predecessors but now seeming to be the same name. One of the likely homonyms is Germanic Guido representing the Latinisation from the Old High German name Wido,[1] which meant "wood" (that is, "forest"). Another likely homonym is the Italian Guido from a latinate root for "guide".[2] The third likely homonym is the Italian Guido with phonetic correspondence to Latin Vitus, whereas the Latin v (/w/), the Latin i (/iː/), and the terminal syllable -tus have predictable homology with the Italian /u/, /iː/, and -do. Thus, for example, Saint Vitus has also been known in Italian as Guido.
The slang term Guido is used in American culture to refer derogatorily to an urban working-class Italian or Italian-American male who is overly aggressive or macho with a tendency for certain conspicuous behaviour.[3] It may also be used as a more general ethnic slur for working-class urban Italian Americans.[4]
