The authors differ on the origin of the surname. E. De Stefani maintains that it comes from an old given name: the Friulian affectionate form of the Germanic Kuonrat (Italian Corrado), composed of the Old High German kuoni ("bold, valiant") and radi ("counsel"), meaning "the one who gives bold counsel". The form Cuoncinus or Chuencinus is attested in German-speaking zones of northern Switzerland from the 13th century as an affectionate form of Conrad. The name Corrado enjoyed great prestige thanks to the numerous German kings who bore it between the 9th and 13th centuries, which favoured its diffusion and later transformation into a surname.

E. Rossoni, on the other hand, proposes that the surname would derive from the medieval name Concinus, Concina, a contracted form of a hypocoristic of the name Concepción. Rossoni recalls the Florentine Concino Concini (1575–1617), Marquis of Ancre and Marshal of France, as a known bearer of this form.

As for the geographical distribution, De Stefani notes that the surname is concentrated mainly in Friuli, with greater density in the Carnia —a mountainous zone of the north of Friuli, in the province of Udine— and in the valley of Arzino, and that it is documented in Clauzetto from the beginning of the 16th century. Rossoni confirms the Friulian presence and adds a zone in the Novara and Pavia areas, while the variant Concini is typical of the Trentino, especially of Tuenno.