In The Godfather Part II 's timeline skips back in history to 1901, when Vito was just nine years old. During these tragic flashbacks, Vito is shown fleeing Sicily when his parents are killed by a local mafia boss. The youngster winds up in New York, and Vito eventually becomes one of the most powerful men in the United States.

While the name "Don Corleone" is renowned both within The Godfather's fictional universe and without, it often goes overlooked that "Corleone" is not the character's actual surname. The Godfather's Don was actually born Vito Andolini, and was known as such while living with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Andolini, for the first nine years of his life in Sicily. Only after did the youngster adopt the surname "Corleone," and while there is a definitive reason behind that change, explaining why Vito kept his adopted surname is less straightforward.

Vito Andolini Changing His Name To "Corleone" Happens By Mistake

The Man Responsible Never Realized He Was Writing History

The circumstances around Vito changing his surname from Andolini to Corleone are detailed, albeit subtly, by The Godfather Part II. When the little Vito arrives on Ellis Island to be processed as an immigrant, he finds himself unable to speak when asked for his name. A translator helpfully steps in, clarifying "Vito Andolini from Corleone," but the immigration worker simply writes "Vito Corleone." This is how the boy would be addressed for the rest of his days.

Maybe this man's confusion over Andolini vs. Corleone is a sign of willful ignorance.

The Godfather Part II never properly explains why the immigration worker records Vito's surname incorrectly. One would imagine the official has plenty of experience differentiating between how a person's name and place of origin are written on their card, and the translator is very clear in specifying, "Vito Andolini from Corleone." While it's possible the official simply mishears his colleague, The Godfather Part II might also be continuing its commentary on the treatment of Sicilian immigrants in the United States.

Elsewhere in the sequel, Senator Geary makes a slew of derogatory remarks about Sicilians while in Michael Corleone's presence. The immigration officer's mistake in The Godfather Part II's past timeline is perhaps a sign of his own discriminatory disdain. He doesn't care enough to get Vito's surname right on the paperwork, as long as he can fill the box. Maybe this man's confusion over Andolini vs. Corleone is a sign of willful ignorance, and he would rather write down the last word he heard and move the queue along than spend an extra 30 seconds getting the information right.

Why The Godfather Never Changes His Surname As An Adult

Vito Kept The Corleone Name

The Godfather Part II addresses the surname change from Andolini to Corleone, but less clear is why Vito keeps his new moniker. Vito was nine years old when he departed Sicily - old enough to have memories of his life there, and certainly old enough to know what his surname should be. At a certain point during The Godfather Part II's Robert De Niro years, Vito must have realized that Ellis Island's finest erroneously ed him as "Corleone," and there would have been no obvious reason to keep that name.

Vito cared enough about his parents to avenge them by returning to Sicily and murdering the wrinkled Don Ciccio, and reclaiming his true family name would have been another way to pay them tribute. Most people in Vito's position would surely prefer to carry the name their parents chose instead of whatever was hastily scribbled by a random immigration worker. Weirdly, however, Vito sticks with Corleone until the end, and there are several plausible reasons behind his decision here.

For starters, Vito changing his surname would have been a difficult and expensive process. By the time he had the money and influence to legally revert to Andolini, Vito would have built an entire network of friends, associates, and family who had come to know him as the patriarch of the Corleone family. Secondly, the Corleone surname gives Vito an eternal connection to his roots. "Andolini" offers the same link, of course, but there's a certain romance in Vito being named after his hometown - a tie to not only his parents but his beloved homeland in general.

What The Corleone Surname Represents In The Godfather

From a thematic point of view, Vito's surname changing from Andolini to Corleone at Ellis Island marks a very important moment for The Godfather's most iconic figure. Taking a new name represents a symbolic new life for Vito. He entered the country as a very unwell, innocent, unassuming child - Vito Andolini. He ultimately became a very strong, powerful, respected criminal - Vito Corleone. The use of differing surnames highlights a very clear split between Vito's life before and after arriving in the United States.

In the same vein, taking a new surname accentuates the story's recurring American Dream motif. The Godfather's opening line proudly states, "I believe in America," and the tempting promise of prosperity remains a core strand of Mario Puzo's story from there. Vito being renamed, while not his choice, symbolizes rebirth, but also the notion that anybody can become anything in America, regardless of what they were before.