The surname Bernagozzi is characteristic of the Emilian area and presents an anthroponymic origin of Germanic root. According to E. Rossoni, it would derive from the Italianisation of the medieval name Bernegaudus, documented in the Middle Ages and linked, for example, to Bernegaudus Ferrariensis, author of a work on the Apocalypse. This origin reflects the influence of Germanic names in the formation of Italian surnames, especially in the north of the country.

In this sense, the surname would have become consolidated from a personal name, phonetically adapted to Italian and later transmitted as a hereditary surname within a specific regional sphere. The concentration in Emilia reinforces the idea of a local development from this medieval base.

For his part, F. De Laurentiis proposes an alternative interpretation, considering it an altered form of Bernardi, which would integrate it within the broad family of surnames derived from the Germanic name Bernard. Taken together, both interpretations agree in pointing to an anthroponymic origin, with possible different developments according to the linguistic and regional traditions.