The surname Bosco and its variants —such as Boschi, Boscolo, Boscorato, Boscovich— have a mainly toponymic origin, although they may also present an occupational component. According to E. De Felice, they derive from place names such as Bosco, Boschi, Boschetto or Boscaglia, very widespread in the north and centre of Italy, and which gave rise to ethnic names to indicate a person's provenance.

In addition, E. De Felice notes that in some cases the surname may derive from medieval professional names or nicknames related to life in the forest, such as boscarino or boschero, which meant "woodcutter" or someone linked to forest work. This introduces a double possibility of origin: geographical (by the place) or functional (by the activity).

From the point of view of diffusion, the forms Bosco and Boschi are more frequent in Liguria, Emilia, Tuscany and the Naples area, while variants such as Boscolo (centred on Chioggia) or Boscovich (of Slavic type) are typical of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, which reflects regional adaptations of the same nucleus.

For his part, F. De Laurentiis agrees in pointing to both the toponymic origin and the link with activities related to the forest, adding that these surnames could also allude, in a figurative sense, to personal characteristics associated with that environment, such as a rough or reserved character. As a whole, both interpretations agree in pointing to a double origin —toponymic and occupational—, with a wide diffusion in Italy and a notable variety of regional forms derived from a same base element: the bosco.