E. Rossoni proposes that the surname derives from the medieval name Burtius, documented in the second half of the 15th century with the Parma musician and writer Nicolaus Burtius. According to another proposal that Rossoni gathers, the form Burzio would derive from the suppression of the initial syllable of the name Tiburzio. As for the geographical distribution, he notes that Burzi presents a cluster in the Bologna area and another in the Arezzo area, while Burzio is typically Piedmontese, with presence between the Turin and Cuneo areas.

V. Blunda proposes a different origin for the Sicilian form: the etymon would be the Greek boyrtsès, a personal name or nickname preserved through the Byzantine transmission in southern Italy. According to Blunda, the Sicilian surname fixes the Italianised spelling of that name, and the variants Burzotta and Buzzotta would reflect graphic adaptations with an Italian suffix of the same etymon.

The surname therefore presents independent clusters of origin arisen in different regions without direct relation to each other: one linked to the medieval Latin name in central-northern Italy, and another of Greek root in Sicily.