The authors agree that the surname derives from the given name Natale, given to children born during the Christmas period. E. Rossoni notes that the founding ancestor bore that name precisely because he was born at that time of the year. The surname presents documented presence in the Bari area, the Messina area and in the regions of Sicily, Lazio, Abruzzo, Campania and Puglia.

F. De Laurentiis broadens the historical context of the name: Natale, whose meaning is "day of birth", was established in Christian environments referring at first to the day of the death of saints and martyrs, then to the birth of Jesus, and finally spread as a given name granted to those born on Christmas Day.