The surname Prudente and its derivatives (such as Prudenti) have their origin in the given name Prudente, of an auspicious character, whose meaning points back to prudence understood as a virtue. This name, although not very frequent, spread in the Middle Ages, favoured both by the Christian tradition —especially by the 4th-century Christian poet Aurelius Prudentius Clemens, whose hymns were preserved by the Church— and by the cult of a 9th-century Gallic saint, celebrated on 6 April. From this medieval name the present-day surnames derive directly.