The authors agree that this surname belongs to the group of those which in the past were assigned to foundlings and abandoned children, or to those entrusted to orphanages. It is formed from innocente, a term which in Tuscany designated not only the small child in a state of absolute innocence, but also the abandoned child without parents. As a historical point of reference, all of them mention the old Florentine foundling hospital, the Spedale degli Innocenti, built by Brunelleschi in the 15th century.

E. Rossoni adds that some variants could derive from the Latin cognomen Innocens, later turned into the given name Innocenzo. As for geographical distribution, Rossoni distinguishes several forms: Innocente has clusters in north-eastern Italy —in the area of the provinces of Treviso and Pordenone—, in the Naples area and in the Salento area —that is, the southernmost zone of the region of Puglia, in southern Italy. Innocenti is found throughout central and northern Italy, with a notable presence in Tuscany and in the Milan area. Innocenzi is typical of the central strip comprising Umbria, Abruzzo and above all Lazio. Innocentini is specific to the area of Arezzo and Città di Castello, in the Perugia area.

E. De Felice notes that Innocenti, together with Degli Innocenti, is the most frequent surname in Florence, with a presence also in Emilia and Liguria.