The authors agree that Brignone is a phytonymic surname, derived from a dialectal term linked to the wild plum.

E. Giraudo derives it, by inversion, from the term bergna, meaning "plum, sloe" (Prunus spinosa). He distinguishes it from the Brignali and Brignole lineages of Genoa, whose coats of arms depict the blackthorn among their arms, while the Brignone of Costigliole omit that etymological reference in their emblem.

V. Blunda presents it as a Sicilian surname of dialectal origin, belonging to the group of surnames derived from plant names. It derives from the dialectal word brignùni, meaning "wild plum". As a surname it could have originated in a place name applied to someone who lived near areas populated with wild plum trees, or as a descriptive nickname. He recalls that it forms part of the rich phytonymic repertoire of Sicilian onomastics, together with Pruno ("plum tree"), Adrignolo ("blackthorn") and other forms linked to wild fruit species of the rural landscape.