The surname Balzano and its variants are found mainly in northern Italy, with special presence in the Veneto. According to E. Rossoni, its origin can go back to the medieval name Balzanus, documented in various Italian regions as early as the 14th and 15th centuries, as in Pisa and Trento. This hypothesis links it with an old anthroponym, which indicates a possible transformation of a personal name into a hereditary surname.

In another line of interpretation, E. Rossoni also notes that the surname could derive from a nickname based on the term balzano, used to describe an "eccentric" or "outlandish" person. This type of nickname was frequent in the Middle Ages and usually alluded to distinctive character traits or behaviours, which were later fixed as surnames.

For his part, F. De Laurentiis reinforces this second interpretation, indicating that the base of the surname is precisely the nickname balzano, meaning "bizarre" or "eccentric". Taken together, the various perspectives agree in pointing to a medieval origin, whether from a documented personal name or from a descriptive nickname, both deeply linked to the Italian onomastic tradition.