In the movie "Grease", what was Rizzo's first name?

In the movie “Grease,” Rizzo’s first name is Betty. Her full name is Betty Rizzo, although nearly everyone at Rydell High calls her by her surname.

Rizzo is the sharp-tongued leader of the Pink Ladies, the girls’ social group that includes Frenchy, Marty, and Jan. Played by Stockard Channing in the 1978 film, she is one of the story’s most memorable characters because her sarcastic confidence hides a more vulnerable side. Her relationship with Kenickie and her fear of being judged drive several of the film’s dramatic moments.

The name is easy to miss because “Rizzo” is used so consistently that it sounds like a first name or nickname. The film makes the answer explicit during the exchange in which Rizzo asks to be called by her first name and answers, “Betty.” The character also originated in the stage musical Grease, which premiered in Chicago in 1971 before its 1972 off-Broadway production.

A nearby point of confusion is that Stockard Channing was an adult actor playing a high-school student, while the character herself is a senior at Rydell High. Rizzo’s first name remains Betty in the film and in the broader Grease character canon.