The authors agree that this surname is of Sicilian origin, with a greater presence in the Catania area, and that it may derive from dialectal designations of place names such as Aci Platani (Catania area), Acquaviva Platani (Caltanissetta area) or San Biagio Platani (Agrigento area).

E. Rossoni notes that the unaccented form —Patane— is very rare and probably results from transcription errors of Patanè, which is the typically Sicilian form. He adds that Patania is proper to the Syracuse area, and that all the variants would derive from dialectal forms of the demonym adjective associated with those place names.

F. Miranda further proposes an occupational etymology: the surname could derive from the Modern Greek patanía (μπατανία – πατανία), with the meaning of “coarse blanket,” which would suggest that the first bearer of the surname made that type of blanket. Miranda also confirms that the form Patane, without an accent, originates from a transcription error of Patanè.