E. Rossoni proposes that the surname would derive from the medieval name Cantonus, documented in a deed of 1174 in Prada, in the Lodi area, and in the 13th century with a Cantonus de Cantono mentioned as a councillor of the municipal government of Mantua. According to this author, the surname is present in Lombardy —in the Lodi, Cremona and Mantua areas—, in the northeast of Piedmont, in the region of Campania —Caserta and Naples areas— and in Sicily, particularly in the Catania area.

V. Blunda offers a different interpretation, focused on Sicily. For this author, the surname has a dialectal origin and derives from the word cantùni, which in the Sicilian dialect designates the tufa ashlar, that is, the squared stone used for the corners in traditional construction. Blunda warns that the popular association with the Italian cantone —in the sense of "canton" or territorial division— is a false etymology. The surname would have arisen either from the trade of the stonemason or as a nickname applied metaphorically to a person of robust and massive build.