Where Does The Club Name Juventus Come From And What’s Its Significance?

When you hear "Juventus," what do you think? Chances are, you’re thinking about the Turin-based football club that’s won 33 Serie A titles, 12 Coppa Italias and two European titles. You’re probably also thinking about club legends like Gianluigi Buffon, Alessandro Del Piero, Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini, world famous talents that’ve made Juve’s black and white strip famous around the planet. But what does the club name even mean? What are the origins of this iconic Italian team that’s now celebrating its 120-year anniversary?

Paulo Dybala is now Juve's crown jewel. Photo: @GoalItalia | Twitter

Juventus derives from the latin word iuventūs, meaning “youth”. Juventas was the ancient Roman goddess of youth and rejuvenation, as well as the goddess of young men who’d just come of age. According to club lore, the name Sport-Club Juventus was settled upon by pupils from the Massimo D’Azeglio Lyceum school in Turin back in 1897. 

Football had just arrived in Italy via England, and a group of friends decided to create a sports club. According to the Juventus website, the boys selected the name while sitting on a bench on the famous street of Corso Re Umberto in the city center. The oldest of the friends was only 17, so the name Juventus seemed fitting.

According to other accounts, the boys had been passing a note around in class prior to meeting. The note said: “Meet me at four o’clock by the usual bench at Corsa Re Umberto.” The teacher intercepted the note and had one of the boys read it aloud. The teacher then said, “Che Juventus” — what a youth, and the inspiration behind the club’s name was found. Either way, it’s a much better story than paying a marketing agency thousands of dollars to come up with something like Los Angeles Football Club. 

If you’ve ever wondered where the club nickname “The Old Lady” (La Vecchia Signora) comes from, it’s simply an ironic play on Juventus meaning youth. The “Lady” portion of the nickname is just with regards to the affection supporters feel for the club. This nickname grew in popularity throughout the 1930s as the club relied heavily on an aging core of legends. Sounds about right.