The authors agree that the surname has its origin in the mythological name of the ferryman of souls in the underworld, although they differ in the route by which it reached Italian onomastics. E. Rossoni notes that both forms —Caronte and Caronti— would derive from the medieval name Caronte, coming from the Latin god Charon, in turn taken from Greek mythology and recalled by Dante in his Inferno as the ferryman of lost souls. Rossoni also points out that, in some cases, the surname could derive from the place name Caronti di Pomezia, in the Rome area.

V. Blunda approaches the origin directly from Greek, noting that it comes from Càrontos, an ancient Greek personal name preserved through its persistence in the onomastic tradition of the Mediterranean. According to Blunda, the surname would have entered Sicilian onomastics through Greek-speaking areas, becoming fixed as a family name during the Byzantine period.

As for the geographical distribution, Rossoni indicates that Caronte appears in the Naples area and between the Vibo Valentia and Reggio Calabria areas, while Caronti is concentrated in the Rome area, especially in Rome and Anzio.