The surname Prevosto comes from the Latin praepositus, an ecclesiastical title that designated the superior of a religious community. In many areas of Italy, the "prevosto" was the priest in charge of a parish, especially in the northern regions such as Lombardy, Piedmont and Liguria. In Tuscany, an alternative form is proposto.

• Prevost, a French form of the same term, spread in Italy and also in the United States. According to the Treccani Encyclopedia, it can have two senses: 1) the title of the first dignitary after the abbot in some monasteries; 2) in France, a civil and judicial office (for example, prévôt des maréchaux or prévôt de l'hôtel).
• Prevosti, less frequent, is present above all in Lombardy and the Varese area, with a common origin in the nickname derived from praepositus.
• Previti has a greater presence in Sicily, especially in the Messina area.
• Other forms such as De Prete, Del Prete and Pretis also refer to the priestly function. The forms Previtera and Previtero, present in southern Italy, reflect the Byzantine and Greek-Eastern influence, deriving from presbitero. It is also related to the surname Presbitero.
• In Frattamaggiore and Orta di Atella (Naples and Caserta), the surname Del Prete is very common, with a possible toponymic origin or one of religious function. The surname Previato, proper to Rovigo, seems to derive from the same term with phonetic evolution.