E. Rossoni considers that Chiaramonte is clearly Sicilian and derives from the place name Chiaramonte Gulfi; it is very widespread throughout the island, especially in Palermo and Syracuse, with presence also in Genoa and in the Verona area. For its part, Chiaramonti presents a nucleus in Viddalba, in the Sassari area, derived from the place name Chiaramonti also in that province, and another in Tuscany, in the Prato, Florence, Pistoia and Arezzo areas. Chiaromonte, on the other hand, appears in Naples and in Puglia —in Altamura, Gravina di Puglia, Sannicandro di Bari, San Severo, Foggia and Taranto—, and would derive from the place name Chiaromonte, in the Potenza area.

Rossoni also notes that all these place names take their name from the Norman lineage of the Clairmont, an expression that is equivalent to "clear mountain". F. De Laurentiis complements this etymology by specifying that the surname is a compound formed by the base clara, meaning "luminous, resplendent, illustrious", and the noun monte, a frequent element in the formation of place names, spread throughout Italy.